The Best Science Fiction Film of 1968: Quatermass and the Pit

In 1968 a science fiction film produced in England appeared in American theaters that dealt with the repercussions of finding an ancient extraterrestrial artifact. The discovery of this artifact acts as a sort of sentinel; a clarion call from the alien intelligence that sets in motion a series of events that will forever change the course of the human race. The movie wasn't a huge box office sensation, but is today considered one of the classic examples of the science fiction genre, and a multitude of fans consider it to be one of the greatest movies of the decade. And, no, I'm not talking about 2001: A Space Odyssey. Produced under the title Quatermass and the Pit, but released in the US as Five Million Years to Earth, the film is one that should definitely be on your Netflix queue.

In many ways, Quatermass and the Pit-which is how I refer to it since that is what you should look for when conducting a Netflix search-is absolutely the equal of its much more famous brother, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Where Stanley Kubrick had his extraordinary talent and an equally extraordinary budget, Quatermass and the Pit has an extraordinary idea. The discovery of the monolith on the moon in 2001: A Space Odyssey initiates a journey outward toward contact with an alien intelligence. In Quatermass and the Pit, the discovery is here on Earth and eventually the realization comes that Martian colonists have been buried deep beneath the ground for millions of years. A spaceship is found and nearby are also the fossilized remains of what may possibly be some missing links; inside the spaceship are insectoid corpses. They may remind you of the empty locust shells you used to pick off pine trees when you were a kid.