Starring Christopher Lee, Patrick Allen, Peter Cushing, Jane Merrow, Sarah Lawson
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
While an author tries to keep his wife from discovering his former mistress has followed him to a small British island, the heat rises and rises without relief, and only a reclusive scientist knows why.
One of a pair of science fiction films director Terence Fisher, better known for his Hammer horror films, made for Planet Film Productions, the picture boasts appearances by Hammer stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, who do share scenes together, but play second fiddle to the love triangle between Allen, Merrow, and Larson. The film was based on a novel by John Lymington, and although the story is pretty similar to many sci-fi creature films, with people mysteriously attacked by unseen creatures building up to their eventual reveal, I was sufficiently interested and intrigued enough, although I felt disappointed Lee and Cushing didn't have larger roles. I first saw the film over a decade ago after having recorded it off cable television, but the length of the tape was not sufficient to cover the ending of the film, and with the film having been long absent from home video, I only just yesterday saw the film's ending in which the creatures' true appearance is revealed. They're visually striking but not mobile enough to bring enough menace to the picture's final act. I still found the movie worthwhile, but agree with friend Troy Howarth that it's far from a high point in the career of Lee, Cushing, or Fisher.
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