After watching the Hammer Blu-ray of Quatermass, we took Ellis and two of his friends to the beach in their astronaut outfits.

Only Ellis has come back. On the plus side, he's now fluent in German and has a keen interest in botany.

#Quatermass

New post on the Blog, thoughts on The Quatermass Memoirs, an old radio programme about the character and his creator Nigel Kneale talking about his creation.

#TheQuatermassMemoirs #NigelKneale #Quatermass #SciFi #Horror

thegrumpofhorror.wordpress.com/2026/10/07/r...

#Quatermass TV 2.04 con'td.
As this is early scifi TV the right blend of what can be shown on screen verses what must be imparted via dialog is still being developed.
So the BRG lab work, the theory about what's happening in space isn't hitting anywhere near as successfully as the actual conspiracy.

#Quatermass TV 2.04 cont'd.
I feel like the sci-fi is too specific in this. We don't need Quatermass making this very long bow flaky theory about where the aliens originate and worlse then gets proved right about it. It's enough that it's in space and it attacks every 2 days or what have you.

#Quatermass TV 2.04 cont'd.
The device used to disperse the gap is probably going to be Kneale talking to the dangers of mass produced factory items? Are we going Troughton Era International Electromatix radio's now as what else Doctor Who stole?

The scary blob works as a good old cliffhanger.

#Quatermass TV 2.04 cont'd.
Kneale doesn't like the working class as man those guys in the pub are so thick. But maybe that lynch mob comes in handy later?

The meteorites shower and also what the radar sees is not shown. It feels like they might've tried harder to create visual for these?

#Quatermass TV 2.04 cont'd.
The new guest is Roger Delgado as Conrad who becomes Quatermass's 4th new buddy in 4 eps to succumb to the aliens. (Dillon, Broadhead, Ward and Conrad). Five if you include Fowler who gets it separately from the non-meteorite version of the creature.

#Quatermass II TV ep #2.04 "The Coming" (12-Nov-55).
This ep isn't quite as scary. The folk in the pub feels like it was done in ep 2.

The zombie guards are a decent presence. I like that they have no violence boundary.

Good night filming. Lots of minimalism really adds to the empty starkness.

#Quatermass TV 2.03 cont'd.
The core idea is that folk blindly follow orders and money. The government will not be useless as they'll be swamped in bureaucray, the cops too as there's no crime to investigate.

Whether Kneale is geting at the status quo, Communism or Fascism I don't quite know.

#Quatermass TV 2.03 cont'd.
Some fine horror.
Broadhead's death showing anyone can be disposed of in an instant is scary.
The family on the beach is ominous even if the arm through the car window later is evident without a close up.
Ward's death is the highlight and again stolen by the Pertwee Era.

#Quatermass TV 2.03 cont'd.
The British Rocket Group and the threat aren't a comfortable mix this serial. Maybe it needs alien controlled government troops to raid the BRG now they know Quatermass is involved.

I liked that we never see where Dillon and the disappeared end up. Soylent Green-ed?

#Quatermass TV 2.03 cont'd.
I like how quick death can strike in this serial. As the alien menace is already established on Earth. Kneale does some decent "bureaucracy" satire.

That kid is Melvyn Hayes! Only living person of this serial?

I'd have liked a visual of the radar as this isn't radio!

#Quatermass II TV ep #2.03 "The Food" (05-Nov-55).
The committee doesn't work as well as it might either as horror or as satire. Quatermass's ship with Fowler might yet be this serial's version of his ship with Lomax.

The factory on film is excellent, even the studio set tries to match the locatin

Visited my brother tonight and watched (1/2):

#Quatermass II TV eps #2.03 "The Food" (05-Nov-55) & #2.04 "The Coming" (12-Nov-55)

#TheAvengers TV eps #2.02 "Propellant 23" (06-Oct-62) & #6.18 "The Morning After" (10-Jan-69)

#TheGoodies TV ep #1.03 "Give Police a Chance" (22-Nov-70)

Quatermass 'Quatermass' 2CD, Deluxe, Cherry Red Records, Reissue [CD]
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#Quatermass TV 2.02 cont'd.
This second ep upscales the threat. That whatever is happening is all being freely controlled from the UK Government adds to the feeling of helplessness that the "alien" invasion has already happened.

Other similar sites known in Brazil and China fulfil the same trick.

#Quatermass TV 2.02 cont'd.
All the bureaucracy fare is yet another thing stolen by the Pertwee Era of #DoctorWho and again Sherwin & Letts pretty much changed nothing other that accidentally losing Kneale's bite in their theft.

Is Wilfred Brambell the same "A Drunk" from TV ep #1.05 (15-Aug-53)?

#Quatermass TV 2.02 cont'd.
Shouldn't finding out what happened to Dillon be a priority? Sending his daughter off while they discuss the real science has dated but I like at least that Paula works the theory out from the props on the table.

I liked Quatermass referring to the first serial briefly.

#Quatermass TV 2.02 cont'd.
It's a pity Lomax didn't return but the cop in this is just a one scene and done role.
The secretary played by Diana Chesney has an interesting career. Ends up typecast as a hag on US TV. Will I even recognise her on #BuckRogers when I reach 1981 on that walkthrough?

#Quatermass II TV ep #2.02 "The Mark" (29-Oct-55).
The mark is quite inconsistent no matter who has it and the cameras are struggling to pick it up when it's on folk's wrists.
I loved the spooky kid's acting but this is pure Kneale.
He is getting at the ideas New Towns I think and also bureaucracy!