Night of the Big Heat (1967)

Sadly Over-hyped

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

A remote Scottish island is having an unseasonal heat wave, and the islanders are increasingly drawn into a struggle against mysterious and deadly forces.I quite enjoyed this movie; I came into it with low expectations and they were mostly met, but it was still a watchable film. However there are problems; firstly anyone who has been to a remote Scottish island will quickly tell you that, unsurprisingly, there are usually Scottish people there. Also, lush rolling fields, deciduous woodland, and tall trees on the skyline are all features that are largely absent; wild and windswept is more the look.... The setting for the film looks a lot more like the home counties, for the simple reason that it is; the hotel is 'The Swan Inn', in Milton Keynes village, which is still there, and still looking about the same despite having burned down at least once since the film was made.All the people in the film are glistening with glycerine throughout to signify the heat, and the men all have (rather variable from shot to shot) ridiculously enormous wet marks on their shirts. The ladies seem rather more to 'glow' instead, and Peter Cushing's character (a doctor!) bafflingly doesn't seem to have twigged that keeping his jacket on when it is 108 degrees mightn't be the best idea.Despite all the mega pit-stains etc it doesn't look that hot; the film was shot in February and it must have been very uncomfortable to be swanning around outdoors in a damp shirt for days on end. Amusingly (and significantly as it turns out) near the beginning of the film, whilst it is meant to be hot, you can very clearly see that it is raining heavily nearby.The film is hardly a glowing tribute to the cooling systems of British motor-cars (an MG midget boils up after a long drive and a Triumph Renown boils up after less than three miles.....) nor the pressure retaining qualities of a well known brand of bottled lager. Nor is it the finest hour for any of the actors involved, either. Several of them scream horribly in the film and I couldn't help but (rather unkindly) wonder if this is how they sometimes woke up after this film, having had more bad dreams about it.But Cushing and Lee, not trying overly much, not given a good script to work with, are still eminently watchable by comparison with most other films. And the film isn't badly made for the most part; the rest of the cast are OK really, even if Patrick Allen only has two (barely distinguishable) settings to his voice, both 'very gravelly'.If you dial in your expectations to '1960s Dr Who movie', plus more suspense and a certain amount of, uh, 'adult interest' (by the standards of the time) then you will have it about right.Not a brilliant film by any means but certainly worth a watch.

For those of you who enjoy shouting at your TV, then this is definitely one for you. I was expecting more from this film due to the cast involved, however, don't be put off from watching this just yet upon my initial hearsay, as it distinctly falls under that well known cliché of, "so bad, it's good". Actually, it's bloody awful, but it's still kinda good in it's own way, and worth at least one watch for the sake of belief. Very reminiscent of 'X:The Unknown' (1956), and also the far superior of all the intense-heat movies, 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire' (1961), so much so that it's practically a hard-neck, no shame, amalgamation of both, except the drama is pretty much borderline of mid-afternoon soap operas.If you enjoy seeing lust-filled, dormant rapists bite a clenched fist before they attack, people who have immense trouble in trying to outrun poached Brontosaurus eggs, or pointing fingers at why walkie-talkie batteries aren't as delectable as car batteries, (let alone why the plastic casing doesn't melt), to name but a few perks and irregularities, then fear not, because this is the shout-fest you've been looking for.To be honest, I'd give it a 1/10 right across the board for it's acting, script, special effects, etc, but due to it's surreal and laughable entertainment value, it's getting a more than charitable 5/10 from me. You could do worse on a lonely weekday night out in the sticks.

Despite having a title that makes it sound like a soft core porno film Night of the Big heat is a major disappointment. Fisher not quite the director genius he is now made out to be shows that sci-fi was definitely not his sort of thing. Christopher Lee gives yet another shouty and stiff performance typical of this particular period. Just before The Devil Rides Out and just after Rasputin the Mad Monk he barely gave a decent performance, from the lamentable Fu Manchu films, through euro tripe such as Theatre of Death and Circus of Blood and finally this, it was probably his worst period in his long 60 going on for 70 year career. Many would say the part of Hanson is underwritten and Lee can do very little with it, but look at similar underwritten and poor roles Peter Cushing and Vincent Price were given during their career and they always gave it their best shot, so its no excuse really. Cushing's scenes are limited but he does the best with his small role, even refusing to remove his jacket so he looked different from Lee and Patrick Allen. The real star of this film comes in the shapely form of the sultry Jane Merrow, she simply sparkles with wanton sexuality in this film, pity she never became a bigger star she had what it took for sure.

Another Planet Films production which, on the whole, is superior to ISLAND OF TERROR (1966) - in fact emerging, for about two-thirds of its length, as a reasonably compelling and effective bit of sci-fi on QUATERMASS lines (likewise, originating on TV and with the plot's heat-wave angle inspired, perhaps, by THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE [1961]).However, the appearance of the silly-looking aliens at the climax lets the film down (given the exaggerated horrified reaction, earlier on, of the victims when facing them - as yet unseen by the audience!) but, then, the score, the handling and the performances (with Christopher Lee an unusual and, therefore, interesting 'hero') are, again, above-average for the genre - even if Peter Cushing's 'guest star' role isn't one of his best (despite what Leonard Maltin says in his "Film Guide"!). Still, perhaps the best thing about the entire film is the way it successfully integrates a tension-filled romantic triangle (treated in a remarkable, and unexpectedly, adult manner) - involving Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson (a married couple in real life!), and the sluttish Jane Merrow - amid the gripping 'invasion' plot.As with ISLAND OF TERROR, the print utilized for this DVD transfer has undergone no visible restoration - and the film's quality, with respect to its presentation, suffers accordingly! The accompanying Audio Commentary, then - featuring Lee, scriptwriting couple Pip and Jane Baker, and moderator Marcus Hearn - is all over the place, but is certainly animated enough to remain consistently interesting throughout.