Rampant paranoia and corruption are the order of the day, as Professor Quatermass is ensnared in a sinister high-level alien conspiracy to take over the world, in this classic sci-fi sequel from Hammer.
After the American head of the British space effort Professor Quatermass (Donlevy) has his moon colonisation project turned down by Whitehall, he is intrigued to discover a virtually identical plant thriving in the secretive, Area 51-style community of Winnerden Flats. Investigating, Quatermass discovers that meteorites, which are falling in the area, have infected locals and plant workers with an alien parasite, turning them into Nazi-like zombies.
Aided by Inspector Lomax (Longden, who ably took over from Jack Warner), MP Broadhead (Chatto), and Sid James' boozy reporter Jimmy Hall ("Drunk, he's clever - sober, he's brilliant!"), Quatermass discovers the supposed "synthetic food" plant is a front for an alien invasion, supported at the highest levels by (zombie-fied) government officials.
As Quatermass testifies, "Inside those domes are thousands of tiny creatures that can join together and expand into things 100 foot high! And each one can infect a human being!" After Broadhead, Hall and two plant workers are killed, the plant is stormed and the aliens therein destroyed.
"It was difficult to believe sometimes, in the 50s, that science was a force for good", says Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale. In this superior sequel, Kneale (now on board as scriptwriter, having freed himself from his BBC contract) explores Cold War themes of scientific outrages and governmental corruption, then coming into vogue, in which 'silence' spelled 'complicity'. (His screenplay was based on his script for the six-part 1955 BBC TV version.) As Winnerden's 'Camp Committee' has it, "Secrets Mean Sealed Lips!" Accordingly, director Val Guest invokes a supreme paranoia throughout, slightly undercut by Donlevy's blustering performance, which grates a little, and the disappointing, if appropriately bizarre, aliens themselves (50s low-budget special effects haven't aged so well).
However, it's more than made up for by another terrifying score from James Bernard, and some judiciously-placed set pieces: Broadhead's grisly demise by black, burning slime; Lomax's horrified realisation that his boss has become a zombie.
Quatermass II has a lovingly packaged DVD (worth buying alongside the original) including a lavish accompanying booklet, containing rare stills and an informative essay by Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby.
Elsewhere, director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale wax entertainingly about the making of the picture, having to explain to their US interviewer the meaning of 'Whitehall', revealing Brian Donlevy's love of an afternoon's tipple ("he called it his 'plasma'") and how his toupee once blew off during filming, "circling like a mad bat". Meanwhile, in another specially-filmed interview, Guest acknowledges Kneale's dissatisfaction with Donlevy's casting: "Very bad for him - very good for me!"
After the American head of the British space effort Professor Quatermass (Donlevy) has his moon colonisation project turned down by Whitehall, he is intrigued to discover a virtually identical plant thriving in the secretive, Area 51-style community of Winnerden Flats. Investigating, Quatermass discovers that meteorites, which are falling in the area, have infected locals and plant workers with an alien parasite, turning them into Nazi-like zombies.
Aided by Inspector Lomax (Longden, who ably took over from Jack Warner), MP Broadhead (Chatto), and Sid James' boozy reporter Jimmy Hall ("Drunk, he's clever - sober, he's brilliant!"), Quatermass discovers the supposed "synthetic food" plant is a front for an alien invasion, supported at the highest levels by (zombie-fied) government officials.
As Quatermass testifies, "Inside those domes are thousands of tiny creatures that can join together and expand into things 100 foot high! And each one can infect a human being!" After Broadhead, Hall and two plant workers are killed, the plant is stormed and the aliens therein destroyed.
"It was difficult to believe sometimes, in the 50s, that science was a force for good", says Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale. In this superior sequel, Kneale (now on board as scriptwriter, having freed himself from his BBC contract) explores Cold War themes of scientific outrages and governmental corruption, then coming into vogue, in which 'silence' spelled 'complicity'. (His screenplay was based on his script for the six-part 1955 BBC TV version.) As Winnerden's 'Camp Committee' has it, "Secrets Mean Sealed Lips!" Accordingly, director Val Guest invokes a supreme paranoia throughout, slightly undercut by Donlevy's blustering performance, which grates a little, and the disappointing, if appropriately bizarre, aliens themselves (50s low-budget special effects haven't aged so well).
However, it's more than made up for by another terrifying score from James Bernard, and some judiciously-placed set pieces: Broadhead's grisly demise by black, burning slime; Lomax's horrified realisation that his boss has become a zombie.
Quatermass II has a lovingly packaged DVD (worth buying alongside the original) including a lavish accompanying booklet, containing rare stills and an informative essay by Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby.
Elsewhere, director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale wax entertainingly about the making of the picture, having to explain to their US interviewer the meaning of 'Whitehall', revealing Brian Donlevy's love of an afternoon's tipple ("he called it his 'plasma'") and how his toupee once blew off during filming, "circling like a mad bat". Meanwhile, in another specially-filmed interview, Guest acknowledges Kneale's dissatisfaction with Donlevy's casting: "Very bad for him - very good for me!"