BRINGING THE HAMMER DOWN

Quatermass and The Pit, also known as Five Million Years To Earth in the US, is the third film featuring Nigel Kneale's scientist creation. The professor gets involved with a case involving paleontologists unearthing mystery skeletons at a fictional Tube station, Hobbs End, in west London. This time, the eponymous scientist is played by Scottish actor Andrew Keir rather than Northern Irish-born American actor Brian Donlevy, who Hammer brought in for the first two. Released on Blu-ray for the first time, Quatermass and The Pit has its share of naive charm with its images of late sixties London and enjoyable support from fellow Scottish actor James Donald as Dr Matthew Roney. Admittedly the Martians look like giant rubber locusts (presumably because they are) but this is the sort of enjoyable nonsense that we used to excel at in this country. Keir is very likeable on screen and Julian Glover as the pompous Colonel Breen is suitably oleaginous. Quatermass and The Pit is a fun ride and it's only right that it's got a Blu-ray release…