The Earth Dies Screaming [Blu-ray]

Director: Terence Fisher Terence Fisher

Overview

In this sci-fi horror film, a test pilot comes back from a test flight and finds that England no longer exists, having been destroyed by robots possessing a killer touch that turns victims into zombies. The brave pilot rallies the survivors into fighting back against the robots, who are really aliens from another planet.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2016
UPC:	0738329206468
Original Release:	1964
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:02:00

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith; Animated image montage; Trailer gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Willard Parker	Jeff Nolan
Virginia Field	Peggy Taggett
Dennis Price	Quinn Taggett
Vanda Godsell	Violet Courtland
Thorley Walters	Edgar Otis
David Spenser	Mel
Anna Palk	Lorna
Elisabeth Lutyens	Composer

Technical Credits

Harry Spalding

Henry Cross

Terence Fisher	Director
Harry Spalding	Screenwriter
Robert Lippert	Producer
Jack Parsons	Producer
Henry Cross	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A clearly cheap "B" picture, The Earth Dies Screaming is a bit schizophrenic. It has a pretty darn good first half and a fairly lousy second half. (However, it must be admitted that even the better first half betrays its low budget origins, with an effective opening much of the footage of which is largely lifted directly from Village of the Damned.) Part of thye problem is that director Terence Fisher, who made his name as the helmer behind some of the Hammer Studios' finest horror flicks, simply isn't at home with science fiction. He does a fine job when dealing with the character interactions, making what would otherwise be simple stock figures have a bit more dimension. There's a great deal of care taken in these scenes, even when the writing is essentially dull. But when Fisher has to deal with the sci-fi elements, his heart just isn't in it -- which is compounded by the fact that the producers had no budget to spend on anything resembling special effects. Fisher is helped by his cast, with a very credible lead turn from Willard Parker, good turns from Virginia Field and Thorley Walters and an altogether delightful one from Dennis Price. But even they can't make up for the cheap-o robots, the script that makes no sense and a story that has absolutely no resolution. Screaming gets by because of its first part and the cast, but it's not the film it could have been.