X the Unknown (1956)

In an effort to cash in on the unexpected success of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), Hammer quickly rethought its production schedule and had one of their latest recruits, production manager Jimmy Sangster, make his debut as a scriptwriter with X the Unknown. Over the next few years, Sangster would strike up a successful creative partnership with director Terence Fisher and between them, they would create some of the best SF and horror movies ever made in Britain. X the Unknown got Sangster's career off to a flying start, though Hammer had a few problems in finding a director; initially, Joseph Losey was to have called the shots, but when he "fell ill" during production (in fact he was blacklisted during the McCarthy witch hunts and it was deemed both uncommercial and, given star Dean Jagger's vocal opposition to communism, inadvisable for him to carry on as director), former Ealing mainstay Leslie Norman (father of British TV film critic Barry Norman) stepped in to complete the film.

Superbly directed and scripted, X the Unknown may lack the mood and pathos of The Quatermass Xperiment, but it remains a superb genre thriller nontheless, with excellent photography and settings. Like Val Guest's earlier film, it's a gritty piece, realistically shot in low key monochrome and acted with some vigour by a strong cast.
KEVIN LYONS

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009