Revenge of the Revenant Review 1: The one where the Earth dies, without much screaming, really

 

Title: The Earth Dies Screaming

What Year?: 1964

Classification: Prototype/ mashup

Rating: That’s Good! (4/4)

 

As I write this, it’s been about a year since I returned to blogging with my blog The Trendy Troodon, and a little over 3 months since I started doing movie reviews with my Space 1979 feature. In the course of that feature, I have thought on and off of doing something a bit different, and the one thing that kept coming to mind was what I had already tried on my Exotroopers blog: Review zombie movies, and particularly the very weird zombie movies. I had further debated what to start with, including several that I either reviewed or considered for Space 1979 (ironically including Zombie). What I finally went with happens to be the one that took the least time to watch, a little post-apocalyptic gem with one of the most preposterous titles of all time.

Our story begins with trains, cars and planes crashing, apparently because the operators are already dead or unresponsive. In the aftermath, we meet our hero Nolan, driving through a town littered with the bodies of the dead. He begins meeting up with survivors, starting with a fellow named Taggart who briefly holds him at gunpoint. Our hero reveals that he is a test pilot, who returned from a flight to find civilization in the immediate area wiped out by a mysterious chemical or biological weapon Soon, he has gathered a modest ensemble cast that includes an older woman named Violet and a couple expecting a child. They also meet strange figures in space suits that pick off hapless Violet when she tries to get their attention. When Violet returns to life, Nolan realizes that the perpetrators of the attack are reanimating the dead to finish off the survivors. The band must retreat to guard the expectant mother, while Taggart runs off on his own. As the finale approaches, Nolan makes a desperate foray to find the invaders’ base and take back the planet.

The Earth Dies Screaming was a British film produced by the prolific Robert Lippert and directed by Hammer veteran Terence Fisher from a story and script by Harry Spalding. Per the lore/ Wikipedia, Spalding reported the title was originally suggested as a joke. The running time of the film was 62 minutes, only slightly longer than an American television drama. The generally accomplished cast included American William Parker as Nolan, character actor Dennis Price as Taggart, and crossover stage actress Anna Palk as the mother-to-be Lorna. The movie followed several earlier films in combining a “zombie apocalypse” concept with a more standard alien invasion plot, including Invisible Invaders and Plan 9 From Outer Space. The title resurfaced as an alternate name for the 1983 Atari 2600 game Final Orbit, and may have been the basis of the Tom Waits song “The Earth Died Screaming”.

I first looked up this movie not long after I first signed up for Netflix, after previously reading about it in Peter Dendle’s awe-inspiring reference guide The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. It immediately stood out as a movie that is almost inexplicably good. The acting is highly competent, the story is zippy, and the very minimal effects generally work.  It further follows genre conventions in portraying an apocalypse that still leaves the infrastructure of civilization mostly intact, a concept that might not hold up today but is used to good effect. Having learned a lot more about British sci fi, I now recognize that what it is really like is an early episode of Doctor Who, which first aired about a year before this movie reached theaters. Knowing what I do about studio production in general, I doubt very much that the movie actively imitated the show. However, I very seriously considered classifying this as a “runnerup” under the categories established for Space 1979. I have declined to do so mainly because many/ most of the parallels rise simply from being weird British SF and having no perceptible effects budget.

On deeper consideration, what’s really “weird” about this movie is simply how forward-thinking it is. As already noted, some of this can be put down to established or emerging conventions of the “post-apocalyptic” subgenre. Even so, the execution is well-done and remarkably raw for a still relatively early film. The earlier scenes are more effective in this respect, as the characters overcome initial mistrust, perhaps a little too quickly. The arc of the expecting couple is of further interest, given that pregnancy was only somewhat less taboo than sexuality in general in the 1950s and ‘60s. In this as in other respects, the movie is neither sentimental nor evasive; the only dated or awkward moment is when the father and other male figures are removed from the delivery room, a typical conceit that is still no worse than the melodramas of more recent years. What must be emphasized above all is that this is shoehorned into the space of an hour, and still never seems especially rushed.

The undead and especially their extraterrestrial masters could easily be considered the low point of the film. Even by the standards of the time, the invaders are ludicrously bad. They are presented as robotic, with closeups revealing metallic grills over the eyes and mouth, but still wear space helmets and what might be air tanks on the back. They seem unable to do more than lumber along, which judging from the quality of the suits might be literally true. They are formidable enough, however, with the only casualty being to a well-staged collision with a car. What keeps them interesting is that they don’t seem to care enough about the remaining humans to do anything about it themselves. When they begin reanimating their victims, it seems to be first and foremost to spare themselves the trouble.

Naturally, these proto-zombies supply the most memorable moments of the movie. The first few seem to study the survivors and their hideouts rather than actively attacking. In a further twist, the survivors re-deanimate Violet well before there is any clear provocation. The only visible difference from the living are their genuinely unnerving eyes. In a minor “Mandela effect”, I remembered the effect from earlier viewing as an glow, but it really looks more like the sheen of ball bearings. Unlike the bots, they can be killed by gunfire, and not just shots to the head. There is a little ambiguity whether they retain memories, personality or independent will, particularly when Taggart is brought back. He leads the invaders to the survivors’ hideout, and even stays standing when the formula destruction of the invaders’ base knocks them out.

Following the format of Space 1979, I plan to offer “one scene” as representative of the movie. My pick for this one is a sequence when the father-to-be returns with an armful of money from an unguarded bank. He openly admits the stress of preparing for a baby as he lays out what he might have done with the money if he had gotten it when it was wanted or needed. Finally, he starts throwing the money in the fire. Amusingly, while the other survivors have so far been skeptical whether getting the money was worth the trouble, someone still starts pulling the money back out. It’s all an anti-materialistic theme already present in the genre, but more effective than usual, and it still anticipates the consumer-culture satire of Dawn of the Dead fourteen years in advance.

To rate this and other movies in the lineup, I have chosen to adopt a new and somewhat simplified ratings scale, in part because I don’t expect nearly as much variation in quality and production values as I have dealt with in Space 1979. As usual, I will very much grade on a curve. Objectively, even with all it does right, this one certainly isn’t up to the standards of Night of the Living Dead, much less the films of the following decades. But for a film with a possibly lower budget, made in a setting where official and studio-imposed censorship were even stricter than in other Western nations, it’s a scrappy little fighter that can still hold its own, especially against the schlock that was flooding the market in another 10 to 15 years. It’s all the more fitting as the one to (re)start this feature, and take me back to the scene of the genre. “You never know…”

 

As an epilogue, here’s my revised ratings system.

That’s Good! (4/4): Production values, effect, story, acting and character development are good, within some allowances for budget, technology and potential censorship, with a valuable message or moral. Compares favorably with other movies in the horror, science fiction and other genres. The “zombie” concept is used and portrayed effectively, with innovative or unusual developments of the idea compared to Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc.

 

It’s Okay! (3/4): Production values, script and concepts are generally good, with limitations or unevenness in budget, development and “message”. Generally inferior to more influential and/or higher budget movies in and outside the genre. The “zombies” as portrayed are interesting and convincing, with some creative differences from the premises and “rules” of Romero’s films.

 

What the Hell??? (2/4): Carried over from Space 1979; has significant problems with production values, script and conceptual consistency. Compares unfavorably to Romero and other genre films, with further problems rising from a provocative and controversial “message” as well as gore and other explicit content. Remains interesting for (sometimes very!) unusual variations on the “zombie” concept.

 

For Crying out Loud!!! (1/4): Also carried over from Space 1979; problems with production values, script and concept becomes severe. Very inferior to other contemporary films in and outside genre, often relying on gore and deliberately offensive content at the expense of development and consistency in the story, characters and concept . Potentially interesting variations of the “zombie” concept are greatly hindered by limited or wholly inconsistent presentation and development.

 

Ow, My Brain!!! (Not Rated/ NR): Difficult or impossible to evaluate or classify on its own terms. Clearly good and sophisticated production values, effects, and writing overlap with bizarre concepts, problematic narrative style and deliberately offensive content. Of interest primarily for very unusual variations on the “zombie” concept, as well as involvement by filmmakers who would become important and influential for their later work.

 

Needless to say, more to come!