Handlung

A mysterious artifact is unearthed in London, and famous scientist Bernard Quatermass is called in to divine its origins and explain its strange effects on people.

While digging a new Underground line in London, a construction crew discovers first: a skeleton, then what they think is an old World War II German missile. Upon closer examination the "missile" appears to be not of this earth. This movie examines the age old question of how we came to be on this planet. It is surprisingly scary.—KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>

In London, while digging in the Hobb's End Underground Station, the workers find a skull and skeleton in the excavation. Dr. Mathew Roney and his assistant Barbara Judd research the findings and believe that the skull belongs to a prehistoric ape man. When they find an unknown indestructible metal, the army is summoned and Colonel Breen believes that the metal is actually a V-2 German missile from the World War II. However, Professor Bernard Quatermass believes that it is a spacecraft from Mars. Quatermass and Roney find a plan from the Martians to invade Earth affecting the earthlings but the skeptical Colonel Breen does not accept their theory.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

While digging an extension in the London underground, workers come across skeletal remains. Construction is halted and paleontologist Dr. Matthew Roney's team take over. They soon find a metal object that they initially think might be a bomb but turns out to be an alien spacecraft of some kind. Roney's assistant Barbara Judd and Professor Bernard Quatermass, a rocket specialist who does experimental work for the Ministry of Defence, discover that much of the housing around the site was abandoned by its inhabitants 40 years ago because of strange noises and what was believed to be ghosts. Inside the spacecraft they find the remnants of insect-like creatures, all now dead. In disturbing the craft however, they release an invisible force of immense power.—garykmcd

Workers excavating at an underground station in London uncover the skeletal remains of ancient apes with large skulls. Further digging reveals what is at first believed to be an unexploded German bomb from World War II. Missile expert Colonel Breen is brought in to investigate, accompanied by Professor Bernard Quartermass. When the interior of the "missile" is exposed, a dead locust-like creature that resembles the devil is found. It is determined by Quartermass that these "locusts" are evil Martians who altered the brains of our simian ancestors to eventually lay claim to the Earth. When Quartermass's suspicion that the missile can reactivate the dormant evil in humans is confirmed, all hell breaks loose.—Rick Gregory <rag.apa@email.apa.org>

Men doing expansion work at the underground station in the Hobb's section of London uncover skeletons of ancient apes. Anthropologist Dr. Roney (James Donald) and his assistant Barbara Judd (Barbara Shelley) rush to the scene. Roney wonders why these ancient apes have such large skulls.

When Barbara thinks she has found a pipe beneath the clay, digging stops become it is unearthed because it may be an un-exploded German bomb leftover from World War II. Strangely, it has no magnetic hold, so it is not made of steel. Missle expert Colonel Breen (Julian Glover) is called to the scene. He happens to be arguing with Professor Bernard Quatermass (Andrew Keir) over the dig site, so Quatermass accompanies Colonel Breen to the site. By the time they arrive, an intact ape skull is discovered as the dig site expands. Qyatermass realizes that since they were found next to the strange "missile" they should have been destroyed when it hit the Earth... unless they arrived with the object. But according to the back-scanners brought in by the army, it is determined that the skulls and the pipe-like missile are over five million years old!

Quatermass and Barbara learn that during the war and the bombing of London in 1940, there were strange occurrence in Hobb's End. There were bumps in the night, noises, ghost sightings. As a result, residents living in the area moved. The street over the underground station used to be called Hob's Lane - Hob is a lay term for the devil. They investigate further and discover that there have been spooky happenings in the area dating back to the Roman times... and each time there was digging in the area.

A few days later, the object is finally uncovered. It is a large blue-colored "missile". Although Quatermass objects, Breen orders electrician Sladden (Duncan Lamont) to drill into the sealed compartment. The special drill doesn't work as it cannot penetrate the metallic covering. However, a section of the wall disintegrates. Roney and Quatermass pull out a dead, locust-like creature from the inside of object which has horns and three legs. It looks like the images of demons in drawings from all over the world. Quatermass theorizes that these creatures inside the "missile" are aliens from another planet, presumably Mars whose civilization was dying. Choosing to conquer Earth by proxy, the aliens landed on planet Earth over five million years ago and abducted our ancient apes, altered their brains, and returned them to Earth breed with unaltered apes. These hybrid apes slowly evolved, becoming the modern men who retained the 'evil' that the Martians has instilled into their simian ancestors. Quartermass worries that despite the aliens being long dead, their spacecraft (or "missile") has the power to reactivate the dormant evil and cause men to complete the Martian colonization. This is confirmed when Sladden is possessed by a blue light and runs through the city. Until he finds safety in a church, there is much psychic activity and destruction. But Quatermass can't convince the government of the danger even when he shows, courtesy of Roney's unconscious-vision device: a televised vision of Barbara's thoughts: Five million years ago, locust-like creatures landed and marched across Mars, killing and being killed.

Breen dismisses Quatermass's theory and thinks it's all a German propaganda trick and he invites the media to see the "missile". When reports and spectators arrive, the "missile" (spaceship) glows a blue-green light. Breen suddenly catches fire and burns up beside it. Just then pandemonium breaks out all over London; buildings collapse, there are fires, everyone rushes into the streets. Quatermass is possessed by the evil essence from the alien spaceship. Roney brings himself to his senses before he kills Quatermass. Roney is one of the few humans who has no ancient evil in him. Others like him are killed by the evil, possessed mob that is rampaging through the streets. Just then, a great mass of blue energy appears in the sky in the form of a giant locust creature. This glowing locust looks like the devil.... which explains where the origins of demons and the devil may have originated from ancient civilization.

Roney recalls from ancient scripts and iron is the devil's enemy. He swings a huge metal crane into the energy form, grounding it. There is an enormous flash and fire. The "demon" is gone and planet Earth is apparently saved. But Roney is dead.