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Chosen Survivors/Earth Dies Screaming (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Our Price: £5.18 (subject to change)
Excellent double bill. "Chosen Survivors" - Tense and gripping. "Earth Dies Screaming" - Classic British, B&W Sci-fi movie.
Review date: 2008-08-26 Rating: 10 out of 10
"The Earth Dies Screaming" has already been excellently reviewed by others here. It is loaded with atmosphere made even more effective by the use of the black and white photography within the setting of a quintessentially English village. My favourite of all the science fiction movies I have seen so far. And I've seen a lot!
"Chosen Survivors" I had never heard of before and only have seen now because of purchasing this double bill DVD for "The Earth Dies Screaming". And so glad to have discovered what is a most worthwhile addition to the list of good sci-fi/thriller movies. It has a very effective and rather compellingly intriguing musical score, which I found most enjoyable to listen to in its own right. Also on the menu section of the dvd too.
The story itself seemed like a deep underground version of Big Brother, with the group of people holed up together for a number of weeks.
There were some scenes that looked like possible real-life cruelty, or at least distressing situations, for bats, which I didn't feel very happy about, especially as there was no disclaimer in the credits stating that none had been harmed in the making of the film, but I guess in older movies they didn't have to say that, but I see the bats were credited with having a 'trainer', so hopefully were looked after. - As I'd like to think the birds and fish were too. Hopefully none of the non-human members of the cast came to any harm. (I happen to care about these thing!).
Everyone involved played their parts excellently and the colour effects were utilised very effectively too. The story itself was all too plausable, given the untrustworthiness of many aspects of government. The movie kept my interest throughout and never became boring. Sadly often a rarity.
A well-discovered gem!
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Reviews
Worth watching
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 8 out of 10
Okay...now this film doesn't really have a story which explains the plot holes. However, the fact that nothing is ever explained makes the situation itself even scarier. But a lot of things including the ending just don't make sense. It also appears that a sub plot regarding a petty crook was cut from the film. It probably started by someone sayiong: Okay, we have two sets and these funky robot outfits. Let's make a film. However, as you would expect from Terrence Fisher the film is competently executed and at times actually quite frightening. There is a great scene where a woman hides in a closet while zombie like creatures are looking for her. A great suspense scene. The hole idea of the zombie like undead actually predates Romero's living dead and it looks to me as though the film has been a great influence at least visually. Some other scenes are also really very well made and it's all in all a very atmospheric film. I also loved the contrast of the cozy English countryside hotel where they are hiding and the terror outside. Again, one could argue that that's an idea predating Dawn of the Dead. All in all this film will not go down in film history but it's entertaining, well told and visually very well executed.
As far as Chosen Survivors goes, I switched it off after about twenty minutes. I found it too slow moving and just lost interest.
A little-known sci-fi gem from the 1960s
Review date: 2007-10-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
The Earth Dies Screaming is one of Terence Fisher's least well-known and most underrated movies. An atmospheric piece of apocalyptic science fiction (with a bit of cold war paranoia thrown in), it's a cheap, short second feature that overcomes its (very) limited budget to endure as a hidden gem of 1960s' British cinema. Featuring an eerie score by Elizabeth Lutyens and a strong performance of shifty menace from the great Dennis Price (A Canterbury Tale, Kind Hearts and Coronets), this tale of robotic alien invaders was filmed in the Surrey village of Shere, which has recently been invaded by a different kind of menace; tourists, who now apparently flock there after it was used as a location for the recent Cameron Diaz/Jude Law rom-com The Holiday.
Whilst it's nice to see Terence Fisher's 1964 B-movie find it's way onto DVD (albeit Region 1 only), it's certainly fulfilling its original function in that it's making up the lesser half of a double bill, in this case with a movie called Chosen Survivors, a film with a vaguely similar plot, but one which nonetheless originated in a different country and decade than the Fisher film. Considering other double bills in this collection include well-paired duos like Devils of Darkness (1963) and Witchcraft (1964), a better pick for a co-feature here would surely have been another of the lesser-known British sci-fi films of the 1960s, something like John Gilling's The Night Caller (1965) or Alan Bridges' Invasion (1966). In any case, I hope that The Earth Dies Screaming eventually sees the light of day as a Region 2 release in some form.
A Classic
Review date: 2007-10-25 Rating: 10 out of 10
The Earth Dies Screaming is a UK low budget Horror Classic.
If you are in the mood for a bit of fun then search this one out. It combines aliens, a quaint old english village, and zombies..... Who could ask for more in a film that lasts just over an hour.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Willard Parker
Thorley Walters
Dennis Price
Virginia Field
Vanda Godsell
Creators:
Willard Parker (Primary Contributor)
Virginia Field (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
EAN: 0024543459682
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Black & White, Colour, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2007-09-11
Universal product code (UPC): 024543459682
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 192 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Original Language)