Terence Fisher’s classic fuses sci-fi horror with zombie elements, which is why some consider it a precursor to Night of the Living Dead (1968). When humanity is wiped out by a mysterious gas, space robots begin to take over and bring the dead back to life. A small group of strangers in a rural British village attempt to stop the invasion. The film was scored by pioneering composer Elisabeth Lutyens. The first woman to score a feature film in Britain, she also worked extensively for cult horror production companies Hammer and Amicus Productions, earning her the nickname “The Horror Queen.” 

Director: Terence Fisher. Cast: Willard Parker, Virginia Field, Dennis Price, Thorley Walters. 1964. 62 minutes. UK. B&W. English. 35mm. Print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. 

All film screenings of Sound Off: A Celebration of Women Composers are available here.