The Quatermass Xperiment

The Quatermass Xperiment

Year: 1955

Runtime: 82 mins

Language: English

Director: Val Guest

HorrorScience FictionMysteryMonsters aliens sci-fi and the apocalypseHorror the undead and monster classics

After the first British crewed rocket is launched, it disappears from radar, then returns in a blazing descent, crashing into a farmer’s field. Only one of the three astronauts survives the impact; he is mute and endures a grotesque physical and mental transformation as unseen forces close in.

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Timeline & Setting – The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1950s

Set in the mid-1950s, the film follows a contemporary spaceflight program and its unintended consequences. The narrative tracks the crew’s disappearance, the rocket’s return, and the rapid escalation of a public investigation. The period’s scientific ambitions and bureaucratic processes frame the tension as an alien threat emerges.

Location

England, English countryside, Westminster Abbey, London, zoo, River Thames

The story moves from a crash on an English country field to a laboratory on the Rocket Group grounds, then to various London locations including Westminster Abbey and a city zoo. It blends rural and urban settings to show how a spaceflight accident permeates everyday Britain. Key locales include the remote crash site, the scientists’ lab, bustling London streets, and iconic public spaces where the threat unfolds.

🚀 Space 🧬 Mutation 🕵️‍♂️ Mystery 🧪 Science 🏛️ Government

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:52

Main Characters – The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Meet the key characters of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Carroon (Richard Wordsworth)

A crewmember from the rocket mission who returns mute and increasingly mutated as an alien presence takes over. He develops a disfigured shoulder, then evolves into a predatory being that absorbs life from others, culminating in a terrifying, nearly unfathomable form. His decline drives the moral tension of science versus consequence.

👤 Protagonist 🧬 Mutation 🛡️ Danger

Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy)

Leading the Rocket Group, Quatermass spearheads the investigation and interprets the rocket footage to uncover the alien threat. He pushes for scientific solutions and ultimately orders drastic action to stop the creature. His resolve anchors the film’s scientific and ethical stakes.

👨‍🔬 Scientist 🧭 Investigator 🧪 Experimenter

Dr. Gordon Briscoe (David King-Wood)

Rocket Group physician who treats Carroon and studies the mutation in the laboratory. He observes the physical changes and wrestles with how to care for a patient who is rapidly becoming something else. He serves as the bridge between medical science and the alien threat.

👨‍⚕️ Healer 🧬 Scientist 🧪 Researcher

Marsh (Maurice Kaufmann)

Quatermass’s assistant who works on the rocket footage and helps interpret the events unfolding on screen. He provides practical support and participates in the mounting urgency as the mystery deepens. His role links the film’s investigative and documentary elements.

👨‍🔬 Assistant 📽️ Archivist 🧭 Collaborator

Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner)

Scotland Yard inspector investigating the crew’s disappearance and the strange fingerprints on Carroon. He coordinates the manhunt and tracks the evolving lead from the lab to Westminster Abbey. His pursuit emphasizes the procedural side of confronting an unknown danger.

👮 Investigator 🕵️‍♂️ Police 🧭 Pursuer

Judith Carroon (Margia Dean)

Carroon’s wife who hires a private investigator to help break him out of custody. She is traumatized by the disturbing changes in her husband and becomes a focal point for the personal cost of the mutation. Her perspective provides a human lens on the unfolding horror.

👩 Family 🧠 Observer 🧭 Investigator

Blake (Lionel Jeffries)

A Ministry official who chides Quatermass for launching the rocket without official permission, highlighting the tension between ambitious science and governmental oversight. He represents the bureaucratic voice that policy and procedure must sometimes restrain bold experimentation.

🧑‍✈️ Bureaucrat 🧭 Gatekeeper 🧪 Regulator

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:52

Major Themes – The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Explore the central themes of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👽 Alien Threat

An unknown life form from outer space infiltrates a human crew, transforming Carroon and feeding on life forces around London. The threat is both physical and existential, forcing characters to confront what is truly threatening Earth. The theme explores the fear of an inscrutable other and the limits of human control over discovery.

🧪 Science vs Authority

Quatermass and his team push forward with scientific inquiry while officials like Blake demand permission and oversight. The tension between experimental drive and bureaucratic caution drives the plot, highlighting how institutional constraints can collide with urgent discovery. The narrative questions who should steer dangerous research when outcomes are unknown.

🧬 Mutation and Identity

Carroon’s gradual transformation blurs the line between human and alien life, merging biology with a predatory existence. The mutation Seeps into behavior, memory, and social bonds, producing a creeping sense of loss and dehumanization. This theme examines how exposure to another life form can redefine what it means to be human.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:52

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The Quatermass Xperiment Summary

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