The Earth Dies Screaming
Encyclopedia
The Earth Dies Screaming is a 1965
British
science fiction film
directed by Terence Fisher
. It stars Willard Parker
, Virginia Field
, Dennis Price
, Vanda Godsell
, Thorley Walters
, David Spenser
and Anna Palk
.
in London
. Location filming
was done at the village of Shere in Surrey
. It was one of several 1960s British horror film
s to be scored
by the avant-garde
Elisabeth Lutyens
, whose father, Edwin Lutyens
, designed Manor House Lodge in Shere, a small property which features prominently at several points in the film.
Later, a test pilot (Parker) seeks cover in a village pub, having survived the "attack". Gradually six other survivors congregate in the pub, all puzzled by the deaths, and initially at a loss as to why they are the few still alive. It transpires that they were all cut off from outside air at the time of the deaths: The pilot was flying; a young couple were hiding in an air-raid shelter; another woman was sick in a hospital inside an oxygen tent. They conclude it must have been a gas attack from a foreign enemy.
However, when military help appears to arrive, it is soon clear that all is not as it seems. The spacesuit-clad visitors they assume have come to help them are in fact alien visitors, and the survivors must be quick to defeat them and save themselves.
video game. The game is set in space, and has you shooting down satellites and fighter ships.
UB40
had a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1980 with a song with the same name as the film, but the song's subject matter was a post-nuclear holocaust.
Tom Waits
has a song called "Earth Died Screaming" on his 1992 album Bone Machine
. The song and name were inspired by the title of the film, despite Waits never actually seeing it.
Earth Dies Screaming is the name of an experimental band in Austin, Texas
. Contrary to popular belief, the band actually takes their name from the 1983 Atari
video game.
The title is referenced by a Dalek
in the Doctor Who
episode Victory of the Daleks
who says "The Earth Will Die Screaming".
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
directed by Terence Fisher
Terence Fisher
Terence Fisher was a film director who worked for Hammer Films. He was born in Maida Vale, a district of London, England.Fisher was one of the most prominent horror directors of the second half of the 20th century...
. It stars Willard Parker
Willard Parker
Willard Parker was an American film actor.He was born in New York City on 5 February 1912. He was earlier a tennis pro. Although he had some stage experience, he mainly appeared as a second lead in films from 1938. He was tall and had wavy hair...
, Virginia Field
Virginia Field
Virginia Field was a British-born film actress.Born Margaret Cynthia Field in London, her father was the judge of England's Leicester County Court Circuit. Her mother was a cousin of Robert E...
, Dennis Price
Dennis Price
Dennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
, Vanda Godsell
Vanda Godsell
Vanda Godsell was an English actress.-Early life:She was born near Bristol into the well known Godsell family, best known for its brewery based in Stroud. Her father was an officer in the Navy and served in the Battle of Jutland whilst her mother, Muriel, was the sister of novelist and actress...
, Thorley Walters
Thorley Walters
Thorley Walters was an English character actor.He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in Two-Way Stretch and Carlton-Browne of the FO...
, David Spenser
David Spenser
David Spenser is a Sri Lankan born British actor. He is the elder brother of actor Jeremy Spenser.-Selected filmography:* The Earth Dies Screaming * Some May Live * Battle Beneath the Earth...
and Anna Palk
Anna Palk
Anna Palk was an English actress.Palk was born in Looe, Cornwall, England and was educated at Rise Hall Convent in Yorkshire and trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. She followed this with rep at Bristol, Leatherhead, Derby, Newcastle and Leeds before embarking on...
.
Production
The film was shot in black and white at Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Location filming
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
was done at the village of Shere in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It was one of several 1960s British horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s to be scored
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
by the avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Elisabeth Lutyens
Elisabeth Lutyens
Elisabeth Lutyens, CBE was a significant English composer.- Early life and education :She was one of the five children of architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and his wife Emily, who was profoundly involved in the Theosophical Movement...
, whose father, Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
, designed Manor House Lodge in Shere, a small property which features prominently at several points in the film.
Plot summary
As the film opens, people all over Britain are mysteriously collapsing, apparently dead: Trains careen off their rails; cars crash into walls; commuters drop to the ground where they stand.Later, a test pilot (Parker) seeks cover in a village pub, having survived the "attack". Gradually six other survivors congregate in the pub, all puzzled by the deaths, and initially at a loss as to why they are the few still alive. It transpires that they were all cut off from outside air at the time of the deaths: The pilot was flying; a young couple were hiding in an air-raid shelter; another woman was sick in a hospital inside an oxygen tent. They conclude it must have been a gas attack from a foreign enemy.
However, when military help appears to arrive, it is soon clear that all is not as it seems. The spacesuit-clad visitors they assume have come to help them are in fact alien visitors, and the survivors must be quick to defeat them and save themselves.
Trivia
The Earth Dies Screaming was used in 1983 as the inspiration (and title) for an obscure Atari 2600Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
video game. The game is set in space, and has you shooting down satellites and fighter ships.
UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
had a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1980 with a song with the same name as the film, but the song's subject matter was a post-nuclear holocaust.
Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
has a song called "Earth Died Screaming" on his 1992 album Bone Machine
Bone Machine
Bone Machine is a critically acclaimed and award-winning album by Tom Waits, released in 1992 on Island Records. It won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, and features guest appearances by Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, Primus' Les Claypool, and The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards.Bone...
. The song and name were inspired by the title of the film, despite Waits never actually seeing it.
Earth Dies Screaming is the name of an experimental band in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Contrary to popular belief, the band actually takes their name from the 1983 Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
video game.
The title is referenced by a Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode Victory of the Daleks
Victory of the Daleks
"Victory of the Daleks" is the third episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Mark Gatiss and first broadcast on BBC One on 17 April 2010....
who says "The Earth Will Die Screaming".
External links
- The Earth Dies Screaming at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...