Doomwatch (1972) User Reviews

Intriguing film about a scientist arrives in an isolated island to investigate weird happenings , including ecological message

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 2 September 2020]

In a far-flung island called Balfe just off the Cornish coast arrives a doctor (Ian Bannen) tasked by a government agency to investigate strange events , as he has to study the after effects of a recent oil tanker spill , as the waters surrounding become contaminated by chemical dumping . Once there the locals are very cold towards him and rather disturbingly they reject him .Along the way he finds a corpse in some local forests and he is also hitten by a deformed man in a barn . There he meets a beautiful children teacher (Judy Geeson) who helps him figure out the causes that create rare results on local people . An ecological nightmare gone berserk! Now on the big screen - Doomwatch means terror . A new terror!

This is a nice chiller , though a little bit boring and slow-moving, being based on a British famous notorious TV series which made star Robert Powell before his role was killed off . In fact in this story results to be one of 13 titles included in Avco Embassy's Nightmare Theater package syndicated for television in 1975 , series regulars Simon Oates , John Trend , John Paul take a back seat appearing as secondaries , while the real protagonists Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson provide decent interpretations . Doomwatch refers to the name of a Government environmental that assigns underling scientist Dr. Del Shaw , Ian Bannen , on an allegedly routine mission . As Ian Bannen gives an acceptable acting as a scientist who discovers a chemical company is dumping poison into local waters causing horrible consequences when the villagers eat the catch of the day , while Judy Geeson is pretty good as the local schoolteacher, who aids him on Balfe . Other prestigious secondaries showing up are as follows : Percy Herbert , Norman Bird , the veteran classic actor George Sanders as a Minister , Geoffrey Keen habitual support in James Bond films and a young James Cosmo.

It contains a splendid and atmospheric musical score by the prolific John Scott . As well as Kenneth Talbot's rich cinematography full of colour and with varying shades of red. The motion picture titled Doomwatch or Island of the Ghouls (United States) Holocausto radiactivo (Spain) was professionally directed by Peter Sasdy with some flaws and gaps , as it has some scenes that result to be of variable quality . Sasdy was a fine craftsman who directed a lot of fims with penchant for terror, Adventure and thriller such as : Taste the blood of Dracula, Countess Dracula , Hands of the Ripper, Nothing but the night, Doomwatch, Young warlord, King Arthur the young warlord, I don't want to be born, The devil' undead, 13 Reunion, Rude awakening, The two faces of evil, The lonely lady, among others . Rating 6/10. Acceptable and passable. The picture will appeal to British chiller aficionados.

Slightly disappointing

[Prof-Hieronymos-Grost · 6/10 · 19 January 2009]

Scientist, Dr. Del Shaw is sent to a remote Cornish island to investigate the effects of a tanker spill on the local wildlife. On arrival on the island, he is immediately struck by the strangeness of its inhabitants, they are dismissive and suspicious of him, they seem wary of outsiders and he struggles to find a room for the one night of his stay. As he goes about his business collecting marine samples, he is aware that he is being followed, he begins to feel he may be in danger, some odd nocturnal goings on make him even ,ore suspicious that there is something amiss on the island and when he finds the shallow grave of a child he knows for sure there is. The set up is excellent, both in mood and atmosphere, one is left with the distinct impression that a Wicker Man type plot is imminent, but sadly the film never lives up to those lofty heights and instead turns out to be more of an ecological drama, interesting but never as compelling as it could have been.

Watchable, but it doesn't add up to much

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 29 June 2016]

Heavyweight casting and an intelligent script do nothing to dispel the atmosphere of lethargy surrounding this production, which often threatens to be stodgy and dull but somehow retains interest despite this. An adaptation of a popular BBC TV series at the time, this follows the typical plot of having an outsider arrive at a mysterious village where the villagers are rude, unwelcoming, and hide an unwholesome secret. Except this time the plot is grounded in scientific realism and the 'monsters' aren't really monsters at all – just unfortunate townsfolk who have become diseased by some toxic fish off the bay.

The film has generally good production values all round, and handling the directorial chores is the steady and solid Peter Sasdy. The script is literate and the mystery unfolds at just the right pace. It's just a shame that all the building menace never has a pay-off; there is little or no action in this movie, unless you count a man having a fight with a dog at one point. Ian Bannen makes for a campaigning, slightly stuffy lead, whilst Judy Geeson has nothing to do except tag along on some scenes; a Scully to Bannen's Mulder she is not. The cast is packed out with interesting British character actors, ranging from Percy Herbert to Shelagh Fraser, as well as John Paul and there are two big-name cameos from a tired George Sanders and also Geoffrey Keen as a couple of bigwigs. DOOMWATCH isn't bad, just a bit bland; UK viewers may have fun spotting the familiar faces and second-guessing the plotting, but it doesn't add up to that much in the end.

The Village Of The Doomed!

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 2 August 2013]

Doomwatch is directed by Peter Sasdy and adapted to screenplay by Clive Exton from the TV series written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. Ian Bannen, Judy Geeson, John Paul, Simon Oates, Jean Trend, Joby Blanshard, George Sanders, Percy Herbert, Shelagh Fraser and Geoffrey Keen. Music is by John Scott and cinematography by Kenneth Talbot.

An environmental research agency known as "Doomwatch" sends Dr. Dell Shaw (Bannen) to the Cornish Island of Balfe to research the effects of an oil spill. Once there Dell finds the villagers on the island are hostile and secretive and it soon becomes apparent that something is very amiss on the island.

Inbreeding and Immorality?

Doomwatch has its problems, with some average acting and logic holes the size of the Moon, but its highlights far outweigh the flaws. Mixing environmental concerns with sci-fi horrors, even though Doomwatch is not a horror film as such, it's a film that boasts a credible script and high interest value with its mystery.

Essentially the narrative is split into two parts. The first part of the film is suitably eerie. Once Dr. Shaw arrives on the island there's a sense of doom enveloping the place. The inhabitants act oddly suspicious and the makers introduce distorted angles to emphasise the fact that something is badly wrong here. John Scott's music is perfectly off- kilter and foreboding and with the pace of the story purposely sedate, this allows Sasdy to fill the sense of place with paranoia and creeping unease.

The picture then shifts at the mid-point when the mystery of the island is brought to the surface. We then find ourselves in the middle of a science fiction story wrapped around a heart breaking revelation brought about by corporate idiocy and ecological negligence. Into the mix comes ignorance, be it from the islanders, the church or the mainland authorities. It builds up a head of steam in the last quarter, where passions run high and the final act leaves an impression that's hard to shake off.

Add some lovely location photography around real Cornish locations, and some skillful underwater shots as well, and this definitely has much to recommend. Yes it's dated in that 1970s British independently budgeted way, this is a Tigon production after all! But give it a chance by not expecting a Mutant Wicker Man type horror movie and you may just enjoy it more than you expected. 7.5/10

oh, mercy, mercy me

[march9hare · 7 November 2004]

An environmentalist group ( a la early 70s ) somewhat sensationally named "Doomwatch" takes an interest in some peculiar goings-on on a small island near the UK. As a disclaimer, we never saw the BBC series so we don't have any previous notions to compare this film against but, having said that, the film is an enjoyable, cautionary tale about pollution and official stonewalling. Some people have lamented over the film's obviously modest - read: small - budget, but in our opinion this does not handicap the effort. If anything, it serves to highlight what can be achieved by the use of good writing, good acting, and good directing. Though not a horror film per se, its moody atmosphere and imaginative makeup does blur the line between suspense and horror quite effectively, and does actually manage to make you care about the people in it, most notably the character of Dr. Shaw. It's been pointed out that this film does bear a certain resemblance to "The Wicker Man", but in our opinion this has been overstated; yes, in both films an investigating official is stranded on a small island with lots of local strangeness, but that's about the only common ground between the two. Both are enjoyable, but for totally different reasons. Bottom line: while "Doomwatch" may not be a great film, it is a pretty good one. Try it.

"Does your bucket need emptying?" I liked it.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 8 July 2006]

Doomwatch refers to the name of a Government environmental watchdog & starts as head scientist Dr. Quist (John Paul) sends underling scientist Dr. Del Shaw (Ian Bennen) on a routine assignment to a small island named Balfe just off the Cornish coast to study the after effects of a recent oil tanker spill. Once there the locals are very cold towards him & rather disturbingly he finds the body of a child buried in some local woods, he is also attacked by a deformed man in a barn. Having examined some of Dr. Shaw's samples the scientists at Doomwatch discover that the local wildlife & seawater is full of a artificial hormone growth stimulant, a stimulant that has been dumped into the sea by an unscrupulous waste disposable company. Since the islanders eat fish contaminated with the hormone they begin to develop a disease known as acromegaly which makes the suffer very aggressive & deformed, a large proportion of the island has become infected but they are very wary of outsiders. Can Dr. Shaw convince them to have proper medical treatment & stop the disease from spreading even further...

This English production was directed by Peter Sasdy & was a direct spin-off from the BBC TV series of the same name that ran between 1970 & 1972, I have to admit right now that I have never seen a single episode of the TV series so I cannot compare the two but I really rather liked Doomwatch the film. The script by Clive Exton starts out like a horror with it's unfriendly villagers hiding a terrible secret, the outsider, the isolated location, dead bodies & deformed people but then goes into thriller mode as the illegal chemical dumping takes center stage while the whole film is wrapped up with plenty of moral & environmental message's which in todays ultra polluted world are very relevant & pretty topical. Many have said how slow Doomwatch is, this is something I disagree with as I found it very entertaining, consistently engaging & a very worthwhile way to pass an hour & a half. I liked the story a lot, it manages not to give too much away too early which keeps things interesting. Even now I also think it's quite an original film, I can't remember seeing another film like it. The character's are good, the dialogue isn't too technical & I never felt lost or confused & I thought it was a satisfying film to watch although the climax felt a bit rushed & a bit flat.

Director Sasdy does a good job, the opening 20 odd minutes where he sets the story up is great. There's a cool atmosphere that you might expect to find in a Hammer film of the period, he manages to create some nice tension & some effective scenes although it's not really scary overall. There's no blood or gore but that's not what Doomwatch is about, the misleading artwork featuring deformed mutants probably doesn't help as Doomwatch isn't a straight horror or sci-fi but it does have horror & sci-fi elements.

Technically Doomwatch is fine, it has 70's written all over it but that suits the story perfectly. It's generally well made on location in Cornwall which looks cold all the time. The acting is good.

Doomwatch isn't for everyone but I liked it a lot. I liked the story, the mystery, the well thought out script & atmospheric locations & make-up effects. I doubt I'll watch it again anytime soon but if your looking for something a bit different & your a sci-fi/horror/thriller fan then Doomwatch may be worth an hour & half of your time.

Snoozefest.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 26 October 2021]

Don't expect much but an environmental lecture in this overly talkie movie that rambles on and on about dumping in waters off of England and really reveals nothing the audience didn't already know. It's a 90 minute finger wag that could have been taken care of as a 20 minute segment from a news magazine show rather than wasting the talents of British actors like Ian Bannen and George Sanders. It deals with how eating contaminates fish makes the consumers sick and does nothing but set off a bunch of silly conspiracy theories and arguments with the federal government and those deemed responsible. While admirably filmed, it is overly dramatic throughout with a ridiculously booming musical score and painfully slow paving. Watching paint dry is more interesting like this.

Probably the most realistic movie about the environment ever

[Zakerias · 7/10 · 9 July 2004]

Whenever I want to watch a late-night BBC movie, I always check the IMDb site first to find out if it is worth to stay up for. At first I had my doubts about this one, but I'm certainly glad to have seen it.

Without being patronizing, idealistic or action filled, this movie is the most realistic movies about the environment. Some might say it lacks gore and monsters, but that is not the point of this film. It has interesting twists and turns and the characters all are reacting very unexpected. Again, this may confuse the average Sylvester Stallone fan, but for me it was very pleasant to see a movie with intelligent plot.

The movie could be seen as some thriller/horror crossover, but the strange thing about this one is that the story isn't about zombies and that it has a unsatisfying ending, which is good. No pointing fingers, no big stormy weather scenes and no action hero stuff.

If you hated "The day after tomorrow", you'll like this one. Cause this one might prove that environmentalists aren't always right...

I give this one a 8/10

Better stick to 50' episodes

[Coventry · 3/10 · 17 August 2004]

Doomwatch – the movie – comes forth as a spin-off from a TV-series with the same name. I only saw 3 episodes of that series and then they took it off the cable here in my country. Too few viewers, apparently… That always happens to decent series. So I was pretty enthusiast about catching the long feature film when the BBC programmed it recently. Yet, after two viewings, I must say I liked the 3 episodes a lot better. The plot offers too few aspects to fill a complete film with and tends to get boring quite easily. In fact, it would have been perfectly accurate if this were a 50 minutes episode as well. No offense to the people on this site here but the plot synopsis, as described on the film's main page, is rather misleading. It says: `The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat fish caught in those waters become cannibalistic mutants'. Judging by this two-line summary, horror fans might prepare themselves to see a good old-fashioned 70's shlock-and-sleaze film, with adorably cheap make-up effects and awful production values. Fans of this type of cinema will feel cheated because `Doomwatch' is more of a theoretical intelligent film, loaded with environmental messages and criticism towards society. This isn't necessarily a negative aspect, but it could have used a bit more action and entertainment value, if you ask me. I like story-driven horror, but there should have been at least a bit of excitement.

The film has more than enough horror potential, though. The substance is perfect for it, while cast and crew are experienced in the field as well. Directed by Peter Sasdy, who previously made some of Hammer's best vampire films like `Countess Dracula' and `Taste the Blood of Dracula', and starring George Sanders, who's one of my personal favorite actors since `Village of the Damned' and `Psychomania'. Altogether, Doomwatch is worth a look if you're in a semi-clever mood…but don't think about seeing it when you're having a few friends over with beer and pizza.

Since when is this horror?

[tuikie · 7/10 · 20 July 2004]

Firstly, this is NOT a horror movie (And who thought up the cannibalistic islanders?). The film is about the devastation that comes from the pollution of one the islands beaches with synthetic hormones.

The islanders, having been made to suspect that the physical and mental deformities they're suffering from are caused by generations of inbreeding, regard the coming of an environmentalist as a threat to their community. They hide the sick and try to make sure that nothing 'wrong' is found. The movie is about the struggle of an environmentalist to find out what's the matter with the island, and then the struggle to educate the population about the cause and possible solutions for the problems.

All in all not a bad environmental drama, reminds me a bit of the Minimata disaster in Japan. I give it a 7 out of 10, mainly for the atmosphere on the island and the balls it must have taken to make this film in '72.

Sub-Standard Film Version

[Theo Robertson · 5/10 · 19 December 2002]

Whenever the BBC has a SF hit on its hands it decides not only to hand out film rights but to hand out film rights where their series will be remade as inferior products like the films based on the QUATERMASS serials or the first two DOCTOR WHO stories to have featured the Daleks , or most disappointingly of all an original screenplay based on the classic DOOMWATCH series .

The problem with this screenplay is that it pushes all the regular characters from the show like Dr Ridge into the background while the action revolves around Dr Shaw , a character who never appeared in the series . The story itself - and the budget too for that matter - would have been adequate for a 50 minute episode of the show but seems somewhat stretched out . Ironically if the producers had decided to adapt one of the original BBC scripts like TOMORROW THE RAT instead of having an original screenplay this film might have been a classic

Pleasurable slow burner

[Tender-Flesh · 8/10 · 23 October 2009]

I came across this film by accident while I was looking for movies with George Sanders that I could watch online. This film was one of his last before his unfortunate suicide at the age of 65. I'm sure he did some high living because he is a very old 65 in this film.

That being said, most people, especially horror aficionados, probably won't cite this as a horror film, per se. I also happen to agree with them. However, it has enough of a horrific element, a sort of Lovecraft meets X-Files, that I was compelled from beginning to end. Some viewers might say there is no real payoff, but the film itself as a whole is the payoff. As much as I enjoyed Nothing But The Night, which I rewatched again recently, you might imagine my delight at finding(afterwards) that this film was also made by Peter Sasdy. Mr. Sasdy must have enjoyed the locale of this film because I believe it is the same isle used in Nothing But The Night made one year later.

The plot involves a environmental research group called Doomwatch(based on a TV series) who sends out one of their researchers to collect some data from an island were there was an oil spill. The research was to find out what sort of effects the spill caused to wildlife in the area. The researcher, one Dr. Del Shaw(played exquisitely by Ian Bannen), arrives on the island and finds himself hampered at every turn by the locals who shun him immediately. They are unfriendly, mysterious, and even violent at times. He meets one person on the island, a schoolteacher, who is an outsider like himself, though she's lived there two years. She, too, is untrusting of the new visitor, but she quickly warms to him while the rest of the inhabitants remain cold and aloof. The film cuts back and forth between island investigations and lab work back at Doomwatch HQ. Apparently, someone has been dumping chemically enhanced pituitary secretions sealed in cannisters into a No-Dumping zone on one side of the island. The navy also had previously dumped toxic waste there(hilariously, or rather, sadly, no one seemed particularly concerned that toxic waste cannisters were dumped in the ocean near an inhabited fishing village). Here's where George Sanders come in. He has more than a cameo and, as many veteran actors tend to do, he is starring in a low budget thriller before his untimely death. However, while this film is low on budget and scares or effects, it makes up with excellent acting in spades. Sanders looks incredibly old as the Navy Admiral or whatever his rank is, but his scenes are still quite good. The villagers, once they learn of the cause of their distress(being deformed by eating fish that ate the pituitary chemicals), revolt against Dr. Shaw and are even willing to kill him to keep their community safe from mainlanders.

The directing is in keeping more in line with a TV movie, not quite as good as Nothing But The Night, but the acting, "gush" , is stupendous for such a modest budget feature. Ian Bannen is very good and the only place I recall seeing him before was as the Leper in Braveheart(he got under my skin(heh) in that role).

This is a good Sunday afternoon film that even kids could watch(the mutated villagers aren't all that scary). Highly recommended for buffs who get off on refined acting. God, how I want to find that island and live there. It's so quaint looking. I just want to throw on a nice turtleneck sweater, a pea coat, and an ivy cap and just sit in the pub smoking the old calabash pipe.

An honorable attempt at a message movie.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 8 May 2017]

This feature film version of the British TV series of the same name uses some of the actors from the show, while adding Ian Bannen and the lovely young Judy Geeson for name value. Bannen stars as Del Shaw, a doctor with the title department of the government. They investigate effects of pollution on the environment. Del is sent to Balfe, an island community where the locals go out of their way to NOT make him welcome. What's more, chemical dumping in an off limits area has affected the fish in the waters and subsequently the islanders that have eaten them. In addition to being surly and violent, they fall victim to acromegaly as well.

Overall, this is a reasonably absorbing story, but pay no attention to false advertising. This is NOT a horror film, but more of a drama that tries to play things in a somewhat realistic manner. Thrills and suspense are minimal. The makeup effects are decent, but you don't see much of them until the end. The story is pretty simple, and straightforward, with clear cut villains and heroes. Actually, it tends to work better when Bannen's not around. The supporting characters are fine, but Del is a rather ridiculous guy, and Bannens' performance is not one of his better ones. He tends to shout his lines, and overreact.

Geeson has some appeal as a schoolteacher who is something of an outsider herself, and wants to maintain her relations with these superstitious and religious islanders. John Paul (Dr. Quist), Simon Oates (Dr. Ridge), and Joby Blanshard (Bradley) all come from the series, and they do alright. George Sanders is the special guest star, with Percy Herbert ("One Million Years B.C."), Shelagh Fraser ("Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope"), Geoffrey Keen (who appeared in four of the James Bond adventures), Norman Bird ("Cash on Demand"), and James Cosmo ("Trainspotting") all providing solid support.

"Doomwatch" scores some marks for good intentions, and for ending in a believable enough manner.

Six out of 10.

Hugely disappointing

[spotlightne · 4/10 · 26 October 2013]

I bought this on DVD and was expecting to sit back and watch a British classic.

But far from it. It was below average stuff and the story never really got passed some toxic material being dumped and people infected.

I also think Ian Bannen was miscast. It's hard to see him as a right thinking doctor, when he displays this rather weird persona, particularly when he raises his voice.

Who can forget him in Fright (1971)...

I think if a different actor had been cast, such as Ian Ogilvy, who I believe was making a lot of horror appearances during this time, then the film might have been slightly better.

Having that said, the story was weak, and there were limited action and scares - if none at all.

Only a 4/10 from me.

Good adaptation

[hengir · 15 June 2006]

The television series that predated the film was for its time one of the first to use ecological awareness as the driver for a series. It stated baldly that the misuse of science and technology is rotting the foundations of life; the air we breathe, the land we walk on, the sea that surrounds us. The first series particularly was gripping and shocking.

For the film the Doomwatch team of the television series take a lesser part and Ian Bannen becomes the 'star' of the movie. At first it appears to be going towards a zombie film but the director Peter Sasdy keeps a restraining hand on the narrative so it exerts a firm but steady hold on the viewer. It becomes instead a domestic drama which shows the human cost of environmental spoliation. Ian Bannen gives a fine performance as he seeks answers on the unwelcoming and dour island. There is good acting all around, though the George Sanders role is not worthy of his talents, and modest but effective make up effects.

The scene near the end where Bannen is confronted by the 'monsters' is sad and moving. This is not a monsters amok scene but one filled with bewilderment, pain and despair. The end of the film is bleak but appropriately so. There are no easy answers. Early on in the film there seemed a possible romance between Bannen and Judy Geeson but that is nullified by the greater drama around them. A low budget film but more unsettling than other megabuck films on the same theme.

creepy but a little bit slow

[marcgreenman · 7/10 · 30 July 2020]

This film actually reminded me of the wicker man, although it has very little in common with that film. there is a strong environmental message as the navy is dumping canisters of radioactive waste into the sea, causing a hideously disfiguring disease known as acromegaly in the local population. this is actually quite difficult to watch and takes doomwatch out of the territory of sci fi into horror movie territory, which it does quite well. most the the effort is made by one character, who had to confront some very difficult situations; i don't know whether this is a feature film attribute, as i don't think the tv series would have been quite the same.

Goodwatch

[Lejink · 6/10 · 30 September 2012]

I was about 11 when the popular BBC TV series of the day "Doomwatch" aired and vaguely remember watching it at the time. Back then, if a TV show took off it would often be stretched into a film (it still happens today of course, witness "The X Files" or "Sex and the City"), although it was usually comedy shows which got the movie treatment then ("Porridge", "Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads", " Steptoe and Son" etc) rather than dramas.

So watching this was like reliving a little of my childhood, but it did live up to my expectations in engaging and entertaining, if not exactly thrilling me. Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson (plus the ever-smooth George Sanders as a Navy bigwig) are added to the normal cast to give a little star-power to proceedings and both acquit themselves well, although the former does look a little silly at times in his chic white skip-cap!

The plot is reminiscent of the "Damned" pictures of the 60's but also anticipates "The Wicker Man" in its depiction of an establishment figure exploring a mystery in a closed island community, although the latter of course, played up the horror content and came up with a much more dramatic climax. The direction is satisfactory although I found some of the night scenes to be poorly lit and almost impossible to make out clearly.

The ecological message at the heart of the show, sorry film comes through loud and clear, but I guess my unintentional slip there confirms the contention that it rarely breaks out of small-screen mode to really pass muster as a cinematic experience.

One for the living room and not the theatre.

bland

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 13 August 2008]

Ian Bannen stars in the big screen version of the British TV show concerning a British government organization that keeps an eye on the effects of pollution. After an oil spill Bannen is sent to check out a small island where an isolated fishing community lives. Once he arrives he finds he's not welcome and that something weird is going on. Is it related to the spill or the near by naval dumping site ("Its just low level radiation, nothing to worry about")? Will Bannen get out of there alive? I've wanted to see this film for decades thanks to pictures of the deformities that appeared in horror film books. Now that I've seen the film I'm not sure why its classified as a horror film. Mostly this is a slow plodding procedural and by the numbers thriller as Bannen tries to figure out what is going on and the taking steps to help the people. There is in actuality only about an hours worth of plot which they stretch to 90 minutes. Other than the location filming this is pretty much the classic example of a TV episode blown up for the big screen with too little plot stretched to fill too much time. The result is a rather dull film. Perhaps watching this with commercials it might have been better but curled up with the lights off I found my attention wandering.

Disappointing. (and the low level radiation remark was made by Bannen who knew that couldn't possibly be the problem- so much for 1972 science)

What a bizarre film

[Hayden-86055 · 6/10 · 18 November 2020]

Doomwatch is definitely worth a watch for Hammer fans, even though it's made by Embassy Pictures it plays out the same way. It starts off quite ordinarily with some fantastic shots of the desolated island village, the hero played by Ian Bannen, who is actually a very, very good actor in this despite what anyone says, is not given a warm welcome and is treated as an outsider. Some big stars here are George Sanders, Geoffrey Keen from James Bond, Judy Geeson and Shelagh Fraser who plays Aunt Beru in Star Wars. All in all it has a pretty good cast.

Starts off as a horror film but quickly turns more mystery oriented as Dr Del Shaw (Ian Bannen) discovers polluted water and fish that is turning the villagers very aggressive and giving them an extreme form of acromegaly, Dr Shaw explains this phenomenon surprisingly well in an impassioned speech nearing the end of the film. This is what makes the film stand out as it's not linked to the supernatural at all and is a genuine illness. Bannen's character confronts the idea of religion with divine intervention and inbreeding, the villagers want to explain the disease away instead of seeking help. An especially powerful scene is near the end where Dr Shaw and the schoolteacher Victorian Brown (played by Judy Geeson, another outsider) are about to ring for help when confronted by what appears to be mutants threatening to kill them, bravely Shaw goes ahead and rings for help anyway but instead of attacking the very human "mutants" instead break down into tears and start crying. It's quite a moving scene, they feel like they're being invaded and unlike the usual Hammer horror films where the people with issues are portrayed as monsters in this they are portrayed as real people with real emotions and a strong desire to be left alone. In that sense Doomwatch is a very strong emotional film.

Unfortunately, a lot of the film is let down by overlong and boring sections trying to test out the water and fish in a lab, these go on for too long and there's a quite tedious subplot about who dumped the pollution in the sea and what to do about it, I would much rather be at the island.

6/10: Very intersting watch for Hammer fans

Lacking in the horror department

[Stevieboy666 · 5/10 · 17 March 2020]

A scientist from London visits an island off the Cornish coast to investigate pollution but the unfriendly, suspicious locals make it clear that he's not welcome. This premise is very similar to that British classic The Wicker Man, the latter being made after Doomwatch. I can remember seeing a still of one of the island's mutants in a horror book when I was a kid, then being rather disappointed a few years later when I first saw the movie. It is a perfectly good sci fi thriller in terms of storyline and the acting, locations, etc are fine. It just lacks much in the way of horror, bar a couple of scenes, it's simply not exciting enough. Shame as I'm sure it had potential to be a decent shocker.

Could have been so much better

[g-hbe · 6/10 · 19 June 2006]

Being a fan of the 1970's BBC 'Doomwatch' series, I had always wanted to see this film but never got the chance. At Last I caught it on the TV the other day and I have to say I felt a little let down. Obviously money was in short supply and the production values were not noticeably better than the TV version, but at least the story was far more low-key and thoughtful than most of the horror/sci-fi films we have to suffer. I found myself constantly comparing it to some of Nigel Kneale's output, and in many ways it stood up quite well. One final point - I wonder how John Paul (the main character in the BBC version) felt at having to play a rather distant second fiddle to the 'star' Ian Bannen?

This big screen version is just as grim and downbeat as I remember the TV series to be

[Colbridge · 5/10 · 23 June 2021]

I remember catching the original BBC TV series of Doomwatch as a kid and found it to be quite unsettling and grim although I didn't really know what was going on. The big screen version made in 1972 is just as grim and downbeat as I remember the series to be only this time with an over excitable Ian Bannen guest starring and it being more on location than confined to a studio.

The producers obviously didn't think the series regulars had enough star power to pull in cinema goers as they get side-lined into supporting roles. It's left to Bannen and Judy Geeson to try to make sense of an uninspired script which takes itself far too seriously in an earnest attempt to raise questions about corporations damaging the environment.

Whilst the film is often mistaken as a horror it is much more science fiction along the lines of Quatermass than horror as nothing horrific really happens, but it does unsettle being set on a remote island with strange locals who have something to hide.

The finale is neither shocking nor unexpected and for a big screen outing it doesn't try hard enough to give the audience something to get their teeth intobut having said that it has just enough intrigue to make you stick with it thanks to a familiar crop of guest supporting actors like George Sanders and Geoffrey Keen. Hammer Films director Peter Sasdy keeps things plodding along whilst attempting to create a taut atmosphere out of a clunky script within the constraints of the low budget provided by Tony Tenser's Tigon films.

No doubt fans of the original cult series will be curious enough to want to check this out.

Environmental Monster Movie

[mickdansforth · 8/10 · 2 October 2004]

This one feels a lot like the beginning of Wickerman, with out all the singing.

An investigator from Doomwatch, goes to an island to investigate strange occurrences and come up against a wall of close mouthed villagers. He picks up hints that all is not well.

Monsters. Monsters!

Now this movie was made in 1972, and follows a British TV show of the same. (Which of course desperately needs a US DVD release.) Oddly, the Environmental cause for some of the things, is Genetically Engineered Food. A current Hot Potato Political Topic that has Industry Giants spending Millions of Dollars to quash any Ballot Initiatives for Food Labeling. On the other side, Nuclear Waste is briefly used as a red herring, but Nobody, and I mean Nobody, seems worried about Nuclear Waste.

A Cool and Fun movie, just slightly on the weak side.

Somewhat realistic but uninteresting "horror".

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 10 July 2004]

Why is this movie regarded an horror movie anyway? It doesn't have any real monsters in it and there aren't any scares.

The movie relies on the mystery and the atmosphere with as a result that some things are not always happening fast enough. The atmosphere itself is actually quite good and for some reason it reminded me of "Sleepy Hollow". The way the villagers behave towards the main character are almost identical at times.

At times the movie gets a very realistic feeling but there are too many dumb and uninteresting things in the movie to be regarded as a completely realistic one (especially towards the ending of the movie).

Not a bad movie but too uninteresting and it has too many missed opportunities.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Interesting but slow moving British Sci-Fi with a bit of an identity crisis

[mwilson1976 · 5/10 · 14 February 2020]

In this big screen adaptation of the popular BBC TV series of the same name created by Gerry Davis and Kit Pedlar (the brains behind Dr Who's iconic Cybermen), Ian Bannen stars as an investigator working for the British ecological watchdog group nicknamed Doomwatch. He discovers that locals living on a remote Cornish island are becoming violent and hostile towards outsiders, as well as showing signs of physical deformity, after eating fish contaminated by drums of growth stimulants that have been dumped offshore by a shadowy government agency. Despite being released by Tigon Films (the people who brought us Witchfinder General and The Blood Beast Terror), and directed by Peter Sasdy fresh from completing work on Hammers 'Hands of the Ripper,' Doomwatch isn't really a horror movie at all, and genre fans may be put off by the talkative script and lack of action set pieces in this eco thriller which still seems strangely relevant in these modern times. It was released in the States as Island of the Ghouls.