peter-faizey X the Unknown is an immensely enjoyable Horror flick produced by Hammer Film productions in 1956. Scripted by reluctant screenplay writer (he was originally a Production Manager) and regular Hammer contributor Jimmy Sangster and starring an obligatory American lead (to ensure American distribution) in the form of actor Dean Jagger, playing Dr. Adam Royston, a character a bit like Professor Bernard Quatermass. There is a good reason for these similarities. Following the success of Hammer's 'The Quatermass Xperiment' the year prior (a film adaptation of the 1953 BBC serial 'The Quatermass Experiment' scripted by Nigel Kneale) the folks at Hammer were hoping for a quick return and the opportunity to cash in on that first film. Besides which they had also begun carving themselves a niche in the British horror/science fiction market and films such as this paved the way for the glossy Gothic colour Hammer films that were to follow with pictures such as 'The Curse of Frankenstein' in 1957 and 'Dracula' in 1958. Although 'X the Unknown' is a Jimmy Sangster script it was hoped that Nigel Kneale would give the filmmakers permission to include the character of Professor Bernard Quatermass thus making it a Quatermass picture. Although Kneale would allow Hammer the rights for their three film adaptations of his Quatermass TV serials and his unrelated serial 'The Creature' (made by Hammer as 'The Abominable Snowman') he did not allow Hammer to use the character for this production. Thus the character of Dr. Adam Royston was born and in a way it's a pity that Dean Jagger did not portray the role of Quatermass in the first two Hammer pictures, the aforementioned 'The Quatermass Xperiment' and 'Quatermass 2' because he is a lot better at portraying the curious, meticulous scientist Royston than fellow actor Brian Donlevy ever was at playing Quatermass. 'X the Unknown' concerns a radiation hungry monster that appears in a Scottish gravel pit during a routine military exercise searching via Geiger counter for a harmless radiation source. Its forces create a fissure in the ground of the gravel pit at the start of the film and later its true power in unleashed. In traditional fashion it runs amok across the fictional Scottish village of Lochmouth, which also happens to be home to Dr. Royston who works at a nearby Atomic Energy Laboratory. The film is solidly directed by Leslie Norman and benefits from some atmospheric night shoots on location. 'X the Unknown' is notably quite graphic for the time in which it was made, allowing the filmmakers to secure the desired X certificate that the 'Quatermass' pictures also enjoyed. At the time this gave the film a certain notoriety and the melted faces of the victims of 'X' are highly effective and predate the famous sequence from 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' (namely the death of Major Arnold Toht) by 25 years. It is worth noting that the film's original booked director was Joseph Losey, who went on to direct the classic Hammer film 'The Damned' in 1963. An American director, he had moved to the UK (initially working under the name of Joseph Walton) to avoid the Hollywood Blacklist after he was blacklisted for allegedly being a 'Communist sympathiser'. This was not unusual for 1950's Hollywood and many directors, producers and actors suffered under McCarthyism for simply having left wing leanings. Nevertheless actor Dean Jagger refused to work with Losey due to his politics and although a couple of his sequences appear in the film he was dropped (officially due to 'illness') during the picture's first week in production.The performances of Dean Jagger and the supporting cast are generally excellent but special mention must go to Australian actor Leo McKern as Inspector McGill. A young Kenneth Cope (later of 'Randall and Hopkirk Deceased' fame) appears here as the first victim of 'X' Private Lansing. An even younger Frazer Hines (credited here as Fraser Hines and just 11 years old at the time of filming) plays local boy Ian Osborne here. An accomplished little actor Hines would later appear as the longest running Doctor Who companion to date (alongside Second Doctor Patrick Troughton) from 1966-1969 and later as a long running regular character in 'Emmerdale'. The film's main let down is the ridiculous sequence with Neil Hallett as Unwin and Marianne Brauns as Zena, a lustful Nurse who is after Dr. Unwin. They are both at a hospital where a boy who had come into contact with 'X' has succumbed to the radiation burns caused by the incident. Marianne picks this moment to get close and personal with Unwin who ultimately meets the same fate as the young boy. The sequence is demeaning to one of the very few women to appear in the film and was clearly crassly included purely for the benefit of the 'X' certificate rating. His death scene though is very well done. The special effects are actually very successful throughout and there are some memorable sequences, particularly when 'X' almost envelopes a small child, only to be saved by the local priest in the nick of time. James Bernard's spooky, dissonant and minimal score (his second for Hammer following 'The Quatermass Xperiment') nicely counterpoints the action and all in all 'X the Unknown' is great fun. Sangster treats the scientific subject matter with great seriousness and sincerity, and although it is inevitably pseudo-science it has believability and does not patronise its audience. It is also an unusual film in that the threat is not man made, but a natural occurrence, a refreshing change from the much repeated idea of man creating its own enemies by meddling with things it does not understand. This production is leagues above a great deal of the American and British science fiction/horror product of the decade, not to mention the following three decades too and is no doubt one of Hammer's best early Horror pictures.

kosmasp Considering it was shot in the 60s, it is pretty graphic for that time. Then again, Night of the living dead came a few years later and put a new level of gore out there. This one is tame obviously in todays time. It didn't age well in some departments. People are used to more by now. Some of the acting also seems very wooden.This British effort is still a good movie, that build the blueprint for other similar (and I guess more successful) movies. The acting is nice and the effects are pretty decent too, although you should be aware that most of the time it's more what you imagine, rather than what you actually see on screen. If you don't mind the age, try it. You might even like it (which shouldn't be a surprise)

toll-8 I keep telling myself that I am not going to watch old time 'B' movies, but here I am yet again watching another one that I am once again rolling my eyes at throughout the entire film. I know these type of 'B' movies are all about the fun and the tongue in cheek but for me they just simply don't work.This one is about radioactivity. Whilst on a routine exercise, a squad of Scottish Army troops stumble across high radio activity that ends up killing a soldier and causing a bottomless crack in the surface. After the crack is quarantined strange deaths continue to happen and nuclear energy seems to be going missing. After weighing up the facts, a scientist discovers that this is an evolution that is scouring the earth for energy, and the more it gets the more it grows. The only problem is that it is a form of mud, that is right mud, that can break into particles and creep into science labs and steal their energy. As the 'mud' grows it begins to go after bigger sources and the scientists and police must find a way to stop it before it gets out of control.The premise is very typical and the idea is achievable but they are talking about mud. If they made this film today and substituted the 'mud' for an alien being searching for nuclear energy it may work, but the fact it's 'mud' that is squirming over hills and across the moors just makes it really stupid. 'B' movies aren't supposed to take themselves seriously and to be fair this one doesn't, but if I can't take it too seriously than I'm not interested.With this film we experience very typical 'B' movie characteristics. We get the poor special effects which are obvious that they are miniatures with some kind of thick liquid pouring over them, the poor acting which doesn't draw you into any character or the story, and the unbelievably stupid story which I don't buy. A film can be surreal as long as it brings me into that world. This film really didn't. The entire opening half is dull and slow with nothing really happening. The second half is more entertaining despite the real poor effects and acting. Oh and the ending. The film finally got me interested and then we have a big explosion, ten soldiers hit the deck and a cop says to the scientist, 'your theory worked, you should be proud', and then it ends. Credits roll. What about the poor guys who are laying on the floor after this explosion? I was in complete shock that the film just ended. Considering there was no tension, no atmosphere and no horror throughout the film I can't say I'm surprised though. Is it no surprise as well that the film is probably the shortest film I have ever watched? I have to say thank God for that however because I wouldn't have taken much more.The second half is a little more entertaining. The 'mud' makes its way through the town and over inflates a soldier and melts four people in a car. The stakes are raised, this thing is growing and rapidly. The problem in this half though is still the effects and instead of being fearful for the characters I was laughing at them. The funniest part is when a small child walks towards the mud and stops, completely unaware she is supposed to be acting or being filmed, so a priest runs over to save her but it isn't intense! He just jogs over, picks her up and stands and stares at the mud, which is clearly a miniature super imposed on the background. Where is the tension? This is becoming a reoccurrence with the 'B' movie genre and maybe I should stop watching them but I will continue till I find at least one I like. This one I'm afraid was not it.1 / 5Check out more reviews at: www.tolli-movieworld.blogspot.com Or follow the blog @WorldofMovies

Ben Larson Writer Jimmy Sangster, the man behind Hammer films such as Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein, and Paranoic, watched earlier this evening, also penned this sci-fi/horror/mystery gem. Sangster, sadly, departed our presence last month, but his legacy of films lives on.Scottish troops are practicing with uranium when one discovers a mysterious opening in the ground. Oscar winner (Twelve O'Clock High) Dean Jagger plays the scientist called in after the discovery. I really liked him in Elmer Gantry and Bad Day at Black Rock, as well as the General in White Christmas. The monster is hokey, and the science is probably bad, but it was fun anyway.