Before The X-Files, before Kochack: The Night Stalker, there was another sci-fi investigative drama on the great glass teat: Quatermass. This show centered on a not very young and not very handsome British rocket scientist who found himself coming across some very strange, mysterious mysteries that always happened to lead to aliens of some sort (hope I didn’t give anything away there...). To start off with, this show most certainly would not fly on the landscape of current US television. First of all, it’s centered on a not very young and not very handsome British rocket scientist. Secondly however, get this; he works for the British space department (pause for laugh…). Oh that’s rich. I giggled for weeks when I first heard about that concept. Anyway, there was a series of 4 separate Quatermass storylines: The Quatermass Experiement, Quatermass 2, Quatermass and the Pit, and finally Quatermass. The first three were adapted to shorter Hammer Films releases and the last was edited down into a theatrical release from the series itself. So far, here in the US we have only seen the release of the 2nd and 3rd Quatermass films as well as the last series of Quatermass which again, is known only as Quatermass. Now, he is not to be confused with Allan Quartermain, who most recently got a royal rogering by Sean Connery in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Richard Chamberlain’s “timeless” portrayal in a series of two shitty movies. They have nothing to do with each other so don’t even try to connect them. Got it? Me neither. Oh well. That’s why they make DVD players so easy to region hack.

Moving on… this fourth and final chapter in the Quatermass series finds our not very young and not very handsome even more not very young and not very attractive, as he is now very old, indeed, and played respectably by Sir John Mills. He returns to a run-down, post-apocalyptic London on a shoestring budget, not only in search of his granddaughter but also to appear on a TV show that talks about doing science. There he meets Simon “Manimal” MacCorkindale as the most unconvincing Jew in the known universe who whisks him away to a mini-Stonehenge where some Mad-Max hippies are finding themselves being drawn and then promptly turned into Johnson’s Baby Powder. What unknown force can be behind this (it’s aliens)? Can Bernard Quatermass stop thrusting his granddaughter’s picture in everyone’s punim long enough to get to the bottom of this (it’s aliens)? Only time will tell (It’s aliens).

I loves me some Brit sci-fi. Loves it. Now, for those who know NOTHING about British TV outside of PBS, think Mystery meets Doctor Who but without the huge budget. There is a whole lotta’ clever that has to get jammed into these shows, and that more than makes up for the low funds. Unlike some of the more space-based series, such as the previously mentioned Doctor Who as well as Blake’s 7, this show remained grounded and used the special effects (which were almost always pretty damned amusing) sparingly. Is there cheese here? Oh shit yeah, and some clunky dialogue here and there, too; but as this story chugs along, writer/creator Nigel Keale always somehow manages to suck you in and get ya’! You see, there’s actually a great deal of clever here; something that has perpetuated throughout the entire series, and that’s what makes this show so enjoyable… usually pretty dark, but enjoyable. It’s not about production values, not about the latest teen star with the weird-assed first name, but it’s about solid storytelling. No, it’s not the most slick thing out there, but it doesn’t have to be.


How's It Look, Smart Guy?
Ehhhhhh…. It’s alright, I guess. Not the crispest transfer I’ve ever seen, but it’s not from a dirty print at all. It’s fairly clean, just not given a whole lot of care in the artifacting department. Slightly above average. Naturally, this is presented in all of its 1978 fullscreen glory.

How's It Sound, Ya Bum?
It’s in English 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo, but what is there to show off, really? This is a TV show from 1978!!!! I thank my Maker that the music wasn’t given a 5.1 Surround or anything. Trust me. They did us a favor here.

You Think I Just Wanted The Movie, Pal?
This is a 2 disc set, so the second disc contains a couple of extra morsels.

First, there is The Quatermass Conclusion. Now, don’t get confused here. Yes, it’s a movie, but remember when I mentioned they edited the series for a theatrical release? This is it. It gets the story across without those pesky subplots with only a few scenes that are presented differently for continuity sake. It’s in fullscreen, too.

Next, and finally, is a DOCUMENTARY on the mysteries of Stonehenge from those fine, fine folks at The History Channel called The Enduring Mystery of Stonehenge. There are some nifty little tidbits in it, but the BIGGEST thing I got out of it was finally finding out what the fuck a “henge” was. (editor’s note: That was a clever Eddie Izzard reference.) That’s been bugging me more than who built the damned thing.

Bring Us On Home, Brother
This is Law and Order for dorks. Well, perhaps not Law and Order. Maybe Columbo. Yeah, let’s go for Columbo. The time period fits better, anyway. Not a whole lot of cash is up there on the telly, but the imagination sure is. It’s just a good solid and cheesy yarn that can be enjoyed even if you aren’t familiar with the rest of the series. Hippies get incinerated… more than once. That’s GOT to be worth something to you (It’s aliens).