Quatermass and The X-Files

[mmcirvin]

In my 2004 review of the adventures of Nigel Kneale's Prof. Quatermass, I described Quatermass II as "a nicely paranoid proto-X Files kind of story"; I was probably driven to that thought by similarities with the plot of the feature film The X Files: Fight the Future.

Turns out back in the Nineties, this guy argued that The X Files had ripped off substantial material from every single one of the Quatermass serials. I'm really not enough of an X Files fan to judge the parallels he draws, but I like the speculation that the incoherence of some of these stories came from Chris Carter lifting story elements from Nigel Kneale without entirely understanding them and pasting them where they didn't really belong.

(Via quod_scripsi on the LJ community for doctorwho, a show whose degree of Quatermass thievery is legendary.)

Comments

[lots42.livejournal.com]

This makes me consider LOL because I was just thinking how an episode of this current season seems to be copying the hell out of the old Who episode 'Robots Of Death'. The other one being the 'orbiting a black hole' episode.

Inaccessible work crew of humans, helpful but scary looking slave race, random murders, the Tardis goes a missing...okay, screw it that describes too much Who but you know what I mean.

Didn't like the new series

[timchuma.livejournal.com]

The sets are supposed to be shonky and the cosutmes laughable! Except for that one episode with the Dr's assistant being turned into a bird that made me feel funny.

Re: Didn't like the new series

[timchuma.livejournal.com]

That would be Nicola Bryant, she still looks hot!

It's not ripping off it's flattery!

[timchuma.livejournal.com]

At least that's what Tarantino says!

"The Matrix" thing in Dr Who is just a fluke.

When will we get to see some of these sci-fi stories set in ancient Rome bought to the screen? Supposedly it is quite a substantial sub-genre.