Product Details

• Actors: Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern, Anthony Newley, Jameson Clark
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: March 23, 1999
• Run Time: 78 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000IBLJ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,740 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Hammer Studios' attempt to replicate the success of the superior Quatermass films gives us a kinder, gentler hero, the polite and soft-spoken Dr. Royston (played with almost paternal kindness by American Dean Jagger). When the populace of the area surrounding a bottomless fissure in an abandoned quarry is devastated by a rash of lethal radiation burns, Royston tries to convince authorities of the possibility of a life from deep within Earth that has surfaced to feed to a rather skeptical reception. Sure enough, the sludge from 20,000 fathoms is spotted pouring down the road like a self-contained lava flow, headed for the military's own nuclear reactor. Director Leslie Norman can't quite match that taut, wound up quality of his inspirations, The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass 2, but he creates an inky-black atmosphere with moody night shooting and heaps on the horror with blistery, blotchy burns that culminate in the gooey remains of a man whose flesh is found melting off his skeleton--one of the most startling moments of any Hammer picture. A young Leo McKern can be spotted as a reporter and Anthony Newley is a whining soldier. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars CAVEAT EMPTOR - BUYER BEWARE!!!, December 9, 2009

By 

Dead Elvis 1988 "Dead Elvis 1988" (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X The Unknown (DVD)

I was so glad when on a whim one day I noticed that old Hammer horror titles previously released by Anchor Bay Entertainment appeared to be getting a re-release. Boy, was I wrong about that! Don't be fooled. DVD-R's are no substitute for a real factory manufactured product. The pictures appear murky, bleeding and washed out even though its obviously a direct burn from a genuine Anchor Bay DVD. The sound drops in and out. I played each disc on 3 different players manufactured by 3 different companies. In all I wasted $20 dollars a piece on 3 of these pathetic knock offs. Originally when I purchased these titles there was NO mention of them being bootleg quality DVD-R's. I don't know who's ingenious idea it was to propose such a gross misuse of wasted effort. Either shame on Anchor Bay or shame on Amazon for perpetuating such poor quality knock offs at such an absurd price. They even use the original Anchor Bay DVD's cover art printed by a laser printer however most of the special features listed will not appear.

I.E. - The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires does not include the U.S. cut of the film as mentioned.

What a crime in itself either release the film correctly or don't bother at all. What a tease. What a waste of my money and time.

The movie had this been a genuine product released through Anchor Bay would've received 5 stars.

I threw my money away on:

Dracula Prince Of Darkness

Frankenstein Created Woman

The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires

Save your money until somebody with half a brain decides to do the right things with the old deleted Hammer titles. I'm still very dissatisfied with this scenario.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "How do you kill mud?", March 20, 2004

By 

cookieman108 "cookieman108®" (Inside the jar...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X - The Unknown (DVD)

X - The Unknown (1957) is a superior science fiction/horror film from Hammer Studios. The film stars Dean Jagger, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the film 12 O'Clock High, as Dr. Adam Royston, Leo Mckern as Inspector McGill, and Edward Chapman as John Elliot, director of the atomic plant where Royston works.

The movie takes place in Scotland, and starts off showing a group of army men in training on locating radioactive material using a Geiger counter. Soon a fissure cracks open in the Earth, and a couple of the men suffer radiation burns. Royston is called in to try and determine the source of the radiation, but he has no answers. Soon, others begin to suffer from such burns, and radioactive materials go missing from various locations like the local hospital and Royston's secluded lab. Royston develops a theory, one too fantastic to be believed, but one that's soon proved correct to everyone's horror. Seems a creature of energy has risen from deep within the Earth, one that can kill instantly, and needs radioactive materials to feed on to survive. Essentially, it's a giant ball of mud, one that continues to grow the more it feeds. How do you kill a ball of mud? Royston has an idea, but the cure may prove to be worse than the disease as destroying the creature may cause an explosion of atomic proportions.

Dean Jagger is the star, no doubt about that, as he shows it throughout. The rest of the actors, while very good, are pretty much along for the ride. One of the best elements about this film is the intelligent story line. The creature isn't even show until about an hour into the proceedings, but the viewer's attention is kept tightly focused as the suspense builds and the story unfolds. And I have to say, the effects were quite good and even a bit more graphic than I would have expected, especially the scenes where some poor unfortunate comes into contact with the creature. Think of what happened to Toht, the character played by Ron Lacey, at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and you'll understand what I mean.

The picture provided on this disc looks very good, with minimal signs of deterioration in a few scenes. Special features include an original trailer for the film, and a World of Hammer episode entitled Sci-Fi. Also included in the case is a reproduction of a promotional poster for the film. All in all, an excellent example of early British sci-fi that's intelligent, suspenseful, and extremely well made.

Cookieman108

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars X-THE UNKNOWN IS XCELLENT, December 13, 2002

By 

Sovereign (Commack, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: X - The Unknown (DVD)

It has been over 30 years that I first saw X-The Unknown. When it became available on DVD I jumped at the chance to buy it.

The story while very 50ish (atomic terrors reaching out for us) holds up very well today.The acting is first rate, and even through the scientific explanations you feel that the story line is quite plausible.

I am especially impressed with the clarity of the picture. I expected a very grainy film but was surprised to see a clear sharp picture. Add to this an exciting musical score and the atmosphere is set.

X THE UNKNOWN is a fine example of a talented cast, crisp direction, and errie musical score. I recommend this highly.