A radioactive creature is loose in a small Scottish village. Can it be stopped?

In 1955, Hammer had a huge success with its adaptation of the BBC’s series, The Quatermass Experiment, To capialise on its success, Hammer had Jimmy Sangster write what they wanted to be a sequel to it. However, Nigel Kneale, who wrote the original BBC Quatermass series as well as the film version, refused to let Hammer use the character in a story not written by him. As a result, the character who would have been Quatermass was renamed Dr. Adam Royston.

But that change aside, this is, much like the outstanding Torchwood: Children Of Earth TV series, one of the best Quatermass-type stories I’ve seen.

The film was directed by Leslie Norman. The IMDB trivia suggests he wasn’t that interested in the film, but it was work at the time. Norman apparently was difficult for both the cast and producers to work with and Hammer never worked with him again. He replaced Joesph Losey, who left the project after star of the film Dean Jagger would not work with someone considered a communist sympathiser, Losey being on the Hollywood Blacklist.

However, despite behind the scenes issues, the film itself is very effective. Wisely, it keeps the creature mostly off screen, It uses effective reactions from the characters, credit to the actors, to convey the horror. Norman, building effective tension through the story as it reaches its climax.

For its time, the effects are very effective, a melting face impressively done. The creature itself, when we do see it, looks like a standard ‘blob’ type creature but it works well. And the ending is well staged, with the hint of a potential sequel had Hammer decided to make one.

The performances are impressive, with Jagger an effective Quatermass-like stand-in as Royston, with good support from Leo McKern as a police inspector investigating the deaths.

As an ‘unofficial’ Quatermass film, X The Unknown is a damn good one. A year later, Hammer would eventually make Quatermass 2, again based on a BBC series. In many ways, X The Unknown is just as good.

Not too bad at all.

Rating: ***1/2 out of 5