31 July 2022

Review: Creatures the World Forgot

Blu-ray: Creatures the World Forgot (1971)

After hitting box office gold in 1966 with One Million Years B.C, Hammer continued visiting the pre-historic time period, concluding with 1971’s Creatures the World Forgot.

Directed by Don Chaffey (who also directed One Million Years B.C.) this particular outing is not only dialogue free (unless you include some particularly enthusiastic grunting), but also dinosaur free too, concentrating on family drama and tribal hierarchy as we follow one particular bloodline on their perilous journey through a hot and desolate landscape.

Starring former Miss Norway and ex-Bond girl Julie Ege, this plays out like a pre-historic Dynasty, swapping the shoulder pads for animal furs but keeping the family infighting and greed for power.

With no dinosaurs roaming around the danger comes from other tribes, some of whom are openly hostile, while others seem friendly enough…at first.

While never quite fully engaging with it while watching, I have to admit that it has stuck in my head since viewing, and the age old “power struggle” narrative is one that most people can associate with.

Aimed squarely at an adult audience (it had an ‘X’ certificate on release and even today it still rates an ‘18’ from the BBFC) this is definitely not for kids (I’d point them in the direction of The Valley of Gwangi…dinosaurs AND cowboys), and I can see quite a few adults becoming bored with the slow paced story too.

Certainly not the best Hammer movie or pre-historic movie, but some interesting special features and great packaging make it a tempting buy if the feature film interests you.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

High Definition remaster
Original mono audio
Audio commentary with author and critic Kim Newman (2022)
Hammer’s Women: Julie Ege (2022): profile of the Norwegian actor and model
David Huckvale on Mario Nascimbene(2022): an appreciation of the film’s by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
Three Children’s Film Foundation films directed by Don Chaffey: Skid Kids (1953): story about a group of young cyclists; A Good Pull-up (1953): a handyman gets himself into trouble at a workers’ café; Watch Out (1953): following the escapades of Dickie Duffle as he tours a film studio
Original theatrical trailer
Image galleries: promotional and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay on the film, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
UK premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition of 6,000 copies for the UK