The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)

A very nice piece of 1960s low-budget British sci-fi/horror, 11 October 2007

What fun! I hope the over-abundance of negative reviews found around the internet don't dissuade anyone from checking out this very nice piece of 1960s low-budget British sci-fi/horror. The Earth Dies Screaming deserves to be seen. The plot is not dissimilar to that found in both The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man except that here we have a band of survivors and not a solitary individual. With the rest of humanity seemingly wiped out by an alien gas attack, a handful of varied individuals come together to seek safety in numbers. To make some sense of their situation and to better their condition, our heroes will have to avoid the alien robots and their zombie slaves – not to mention quarrels within their own ranks.

The Earth Dies Screaming has a lot going for it and at the top of the list is Terence Fisher. The man who directed some of the best that British horror has to offer was more than capable of adding atmosphere, tension, and a sense of isolation necessary for the success of this movie. Unlike some of his vividly colorful Hammer films, The Earth Dies Screaming was shot in stark but beautiful B&W. I suppose it's fitting given the nature of the movie's plot. The music by Elisabeth Lutyens is likewise stark but beautiful and compliments the images on the screen perfectly. The acting is solid. The cast may not be filled with A-list British horror stars, but everyone involved gives a good accounting of themselves. Dennis Price gives a particularly good performance as the selfish, self-centered character out for only himself. Finally, I love the ending. Some may argue that The Earth Dies Screaming doesn't really have an ending, but I would disagree. Sure, it's ambiguous, but that's as it should be. The characters' futures are just that – ambiguous.

8/10