MovieChat Forums > The Trollenberg Terror (1958) Discussion > I always wondered . . .

I always wondered . . .

posted 12 years ago by Deluge69-663-991830
1 reply | jump to latest

. . . How this film would have been if Nigel Kneale had scripted it, with Val Guest directing.

In many ways it bears similarities to their Quatermass Films and ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (which Tucker co-starred in). But I'm sure CE was not a Hammer Production like the previously mentioned.

Many of the same elements; mysterious disappearences and grisly deaths, off-screen monsters (until the finale), sense of mounting tension and suspense, etc.

And the girl's telepathic contact with the creatures brought ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN to mind.

As fond as I am of it, it did tend to slip under the Quatermass Films, perhaps due to a more limited budget and rushed production.

Still a favorite that's most effective at 2:00 AM.

[–] ghostgate2001 11 years ago

Agreed :) In my mind, this film is part of a small group of superior 1950s "creature feature" films - alongside the Quatermass films, The Abominable Snowman, Them, and Fiend Without a Face - which are distinguished by a more intelligent production than the routine schlock of the time.

If Nigel Kneale had scripted it, then I imagine slightly more would have been made of legends surrounding the creature, and (thinking of The Quatermass Experiment) he would probably have scripted an ending that was more cerebral, less incendiary.

You're right: this wasn't a Hammer film, unlike the Nigel Kneale films, but - as noted in IMDb's trivia section - there is at least one deliberate nod to The Abominable Snowman.