Hammer Films became legendary for their horror titles, but they weren’t a one genre production house. They had struck success with a science fiction film series about Professor Bernard Quatermass. The first film Quartermass Xperiment came out before The Curse of Frankenstein. Now the second and third entries will arrive on July 30th from Shout Factory. Quartermass 2 has the professor investigating an alien invasion. Quartermass and the Pit has the professor called in when work on the London Underground uncovers a strange ship and ancient bones. This movie used to play often on television during the Sunday afternoon timeslot in the ’70s. Now you can watch them anytime with the Blu-rays coming shortly. Here’s the press release from Scream Factory:
SCREAM FACTORY™ PRESENTS
Two Highly Anticipated Hammer Film Cult Classics Arrive on Blu-rays™!
QUATERMASS 2
Starring Brian Donlevy
With Sidney James, John Longden, Bryan Forbes,
Vera Day, and William Franklyn
AND
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT
Starring Andrew Keir, James Donald, Barbara Shelley, and Julian Glover
AVAILABLE JULY 30, 2019 FROM SCREAM FACTORY™
Hobbs End, Knightsbridge, London. While working on a new subway tunnel for the London Underground, a group of construction workers uncover a strangely shaped skull. Nearby, another discovery: a large, mysterious and impenetrable metal object. Initially mistaken for an unexploded bomb, the object and its strange power turn out to be far more horrific than anybody could have possibly imagined. Is it of this earth? Could it be the ancestral link to mankind’s evolution? Or could it be an ancient link to the unleashing of the ultimate evil? There’s only one man capable of unravelling the clues, and his name is Professor Bernard Quatermass, a man of science who thrives on the dark mysteries of the world. On July 30, 2019, SCREAM FACTORY™ is excited to present two seminal British sci-fi cult classics QUATERMASS 2 and QUATERMASS AND THE PIT on Blu-rays. A must-have for movie collectors and sci-fi enthusiasts, these definitive Blu-ray editions contain extensive bonus content, including new interviews, audio commentaries and much more! Pre-orders are available now at ShoutFactory.com
QUATERMASS 2 (1957) is the second and most talked about of the three science fiction stories written by Nigel Kneale and based on his critically acclaimed 1955 BBC series. Professor Quatermass, played by Hollywood veteran Brian Donlevy (Beau Geste, The Glass Key) reprising his role from The Quatermass Xperiment, is Britain’s most clever scientist. Investigating a series of bizarre incidents that have been reported from a deserted area, he finds a group of soldiers and government officials that appear to be controlled by aliens from another world. When a close friend is brutally murdered by these beings, Quatermass leads a mob of local workers to a showdown with the extraterrestrials. Directed by Val Guest (The Day the Earth Caught Fire) and produced by Anthony Hinds (The Curse of Frankenstein), QUATERMASS 2 was retitled Enemy From Space for its U.S. theatrical release.
Written by legendary screenwriter Nigel Kneale, QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967) stars Andrew Keir (Cleopatra), James Donald (The Great Escape), Barbara Shelley (Village of the Damned), and Julian Glover (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). The film is directed by Roy Ward Baker (A Night to Remember) and produced by Anthony Nelson Keys (The Plague of the Zombies). For its U.S. theatrical release, QUATERMASS AND THE PIT was re-titled Five Million Years to Earth.
QUATERMASS 2 Blu-ray
Special Features:
NEW 2K scan of a pristine archival film print
NEW audio commentary with filmmaker/film historian Ted Newsom
NEW audio commentary with author/film historian Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr
NEW interview with Academy Award-winning special effects artist Brian Johnson (Alien)
NEW interview with assistant director Hugh Harlow
Vintage interview with director Val Guest
Audio Commentary with director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale
World of Hammer – Sci-Fi
U.S. Theatrical Trailer – ENEMY OF SPACE
Still Gallery
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT Blu-ray
Special Features:
NEW audio commentary with film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck
NEW audio commentary with filmmaker Constantine Nasr and author/film historian Steve Haberman
NEW interview with actor Hugh Futcher
NEW interview with Academy Award®-winning special effects artist Brian Johnson (Alien)
NEW interview with clapper loader Trevor Coop
NEW interview with focus puller Bob Jordan
Interview with author Judith Kerr
Interview with actor Julian Glover
Interview with actor/writer Mark Gatiss
Interview with filmmaker Joe Dante
Interview with author/film historian Kim Newman
Interview with author/Hammer Film historian Marcus Hearn
Audio Commentary with director Roy Ward Baker and writer Nigel Kneale
World of Hammer – Sci-Fi
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Alternate U.S. Credits
Still Gallery
