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Quatermass and the Pit (Five Million Years to Earth)(The Mind Benders) (1967)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 8
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 2

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 2

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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 3,092

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Movie Info

Nigel Kneale's Quatermass TV series spawned a brief film series produced over an eleven-year period; 1967's Quatermass and the Pit, released in the US as Five Million Years to Earth, was the third and (until 1979's Quatermass Conclusion) last of the features. As with previous chapters in the Kneale saga, the film begins with a baffling scientific discovery. This time it's an alien ship, alive after 5,000,000 years, discovered during the excavation of a new subway line. The craft is able to cause

Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.

Horror, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Roy Ward Baker

Written By: Nigel Kneale

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1967 Wide

On DVD: Oct 20, 1998

Cast

James Donald
Dr. Matthew Roney
Andrew Keir
Prof. Bernard Quatermas...
Barbara Shelley
Barbara Judd
Julian Glover
Col. Breen
Maurice Good
Sgt. Cleghorn
Bryan Marshall
Capt. Potter
James Culliford
Cpl. Gibson
Duncan Lamont
Sladden
Peter Copley
Howell
Bee Duffell
Miss Dobson
June C. Ellis
Blonde
Hugh Futcher
Sapper West
Thomas Heathcote
Vicar
Noel Howlett
Abbey Librarian
Charles Lamb
Newsvendor
Cec Linder
Hugh Manning
Pub Customer
Keith Marsh
Johnson
Andr� Morell
Hugh Morton
Elderly Journalist
Michael Ripper
Sheila Steafel
Journalist
Grant Taylor
Police Sergeant Ellis
Anthony Bushell
Robert Morris
Watson
Brian Peck
Technical Officer
Edwin Richfield
Minister
Roger Avon
Electrician
John Graham
Inspector

Critic Reviews for Quatermass and the Pit (Five Million Years to Earth)(The Mind Benders)

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (2) | DVD (9)

Routine, somewhat distended development blunts impact of this British-made programmer.

May 14, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment (1)

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

All of its pseudo-scientific talk seemed to short-circuit the audience's interest -- in it and in themselves.

May 21, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment (1)

Renata Adler

New York Times

Top Critic

A taut retelling, which surrenders only a few fairly redundant subplots.

October 12, 2011 Full Review Source: SFX Magazine

| Comment

Calvin Baxter

SFX Magazine

The third and best of the Quatermass films.

May 14, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

One of the high points of Hammer's film production, and a worthy addition to the cannon of films and TV realisations of the products of Nigel Kneale's probing, prescient imagination.

May 14, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

The brilliant pre-Von Daniken anthropological theme of Kneale's script still guarantees interest.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Time Out

Each disc includes extras, including trailers, (and) insightful and interesting commentaries by many of the actors, directors and writers . . .

February 3, 2004 Full Review | Comment

Bob Bloom

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

This is a movie with, to be blunt, a twenty-dollar budget -- but billion-dollar ideas.

November 7, 2002 Full Review Source: Netflix

| Comments (2)

James Rocchi

Netflix

Methodical in its pacing, building a level of dread with a payoff that fully justifies that atmosphere.

August 7, 2002 Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

| Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Quatermass and the Pit (Five Million Years to Earth)(The Mind Benders)

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the film i set out to watch was called five million years to earth and i was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was actually the famous quartermass and the pit of which i've been hearing for so many years. i know, i'm silly :p the effects look dated and somewhat cheesy but the premise is frankly brilliant and

May 21, 2009

Stella Dallas

Super Reviewer

A mystery arises when skeletons and a capsule made of almost indestructible metal are discovered in a subway excavation. Talky, sometimes intriguing horror masquerading as science fiction, with a memorably apocalyptic conclusion.

September 29, 2009