American Simon Wells, on holiday in Weymouth, is set upon and beaten up by a motorbike gang led by the psychotic King. Later, Wells puts out to sea, taking with him King’s sister, Joan. Pursued by King and the gang, they take refuge in an isolated cove, where they stumble upon a top secret establishment in which radioactive children are being raised to safeguard the future of the human race after a nuclear holocaust.
Production Details
A Hammer production released by Columbia Pictures
Copyright MCMLXI Swallow Productions Ltd. – All right, reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate
The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the names characters or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional
RCA Sound Recording
Produced at Bray Studios, England
Black & White 86 mins Hammerscope
Filming Began: 7th May 1961
UK Release: 20th May 1963
Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire
Locations:
Portland Bill, Dorset
Weymouth, Dorset
Chesil Beach, Dorset
Stills from film
Click an image for enlarged slideshow
Cast & Crew
Red = Uncredited
Crew | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Hidden | Death | Age | Hammer Credited | Hammer Uncredited | Total Hammer |
Art Direction | Don Mingaye | 34 | 1 Jan 1929 | 8 Nov 2017 | 88 | 26 | 14 | 40 | |
Assistant Director | John Peverall | 32 | 1 Jan 1931 | 3 Oct 2009 | 78 | 21 | 21 | ||
Associate Producer | Anthony Nelson-Keys | 51 | 13 Nov 1911 | 19 Mar 1985 | 73 | 41 | 41 | ||
Based on the novel "The Children of Light" by | H.L. Lawrence | 55 | 22 Apr 1908 | 1 Jun 1990 | 82 | 1 | 1 | ||
Camera Operator | Anthony Heller | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Casting | Stuart Lyons | 35 | 1 Jan 1928 | 23 Feb 1998 | 70 | 8 | 8 | ||
Clapper Loader | Alan McDonald | 25 | 01 Jan 1938 | 01.01.1938 | 86 | 14 | 14 | ||
Construction Manager | Arthur Banks | 18 | 29 | 47 | |||||
Continuity | Tilly Day | 60 | 1 Jan 1903 | 1 Jan 1994 | 91 | 12 | 1 | 13 | |
Continuity | Pamela Davies | 5 Jan 1986 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Director | Joseph Losey | 54 | 14 Jan 1909 | 22 Jun 1984 | 75 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Director of Photography | Arthur Grant BSc | 48 | 1 Jan 1915 | 1 Jan 1972 | 57 | 31 | 31 | ||
Editor | Reginald Mills | 50 | 15 Jul 1912 | 1 Jul 1990 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Electrician | Jack Curtis | 3 | 23 | 26 | |||||
Executive Producer | Michael Carreras | 35 | 21 Dec 1927 | 19 Apr 1994 | 66 | 82 | 5 | 87 | |
Focus Puller | Harry Oakes | 42 | 16 Jan 1921 | 11 Dec 2012 | 91 | 53 | 53 | ||
Gaffer | Steve Birtles | 48 | 12 Nov 1914 | 1 Jan 2003 | 88 | 13 | 14 | 27 | |
Hair Stylist | Frieda Steiger | 59 | 29 Dec 1903 | 19 Aug 1993 | 89 | 28 | 28 | ||
Make-up Artist | Roy Ashton | 54 | 16 Apr 1909 | 10 Jan 1995 | 85 | 36 | 4 | 40 | |
Master Carpenter | Charles Davis | 8 | 8 | ||||||
Master Painter | Lawrence Wren | 11 | 11 | ||||||
Master Plasterer | Stan Banks | 5 | 5 | ||||||
Master Rigger | Ronald Lenoir | 39 | 1924 | 1998 | 74 | 4 | 4 | ||
Music Composer | James Bernard | 37 | 20 Sep 1925 | 12 Jul 2001 | 75 | 24 | 1 | 25 | |
Musical Supervisor | John Hollingsworth | 47 | 20 Mar 1916 | 29 Dec 1963 | 47 | 36 | 2 | 38 | |
Producer | Anthony Hinds | 40 | 18 Sep 1922 | 30 Sep 2013 | 91 | 84 | 1 | 85 | |
Production Design | Bernard Robinson | 50 | 28 Jul 1912 | 2 Mar 1970 | 57 | 46 | 3 | 49 | |
Production Layout | Richard Macdonald | 43 | 1 Jun 1919 | 29 May 1993 | 73 | 1 | 1 | ||
Production Manager | Don Weeks | 58 | 15 Nov 1904 | 1 Mar 1988 | 83 | 30 | 30 | ||
Property Master | Tom Money | 46 | 1 Jan 1917 | 1 Jan 1974 | 57 | 2 | 20 | 22 | |
Props Buyer | Eric Hillier | 43 | 1 Jan 1920 | 1 Jan 1975 | 55 | 16 | 16 | ||
Screenplay | Evan Jones | 35 | 29 Dec 1927 | 31 Jul 2012 | 84 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sculpter | Elizabeth Frink | 32 | 14 Nov 1930 | 18 Apr 1993 | 62 | 1 | 1 | ||
Second Assistant Director | Dominic Fulford | 43 | 19 Aug 1919 | 23 Apr 2007 | 87 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
Sound Editor | Malcolm Cooke | 33 | 22 Jun 1929 | 2 Dec 2008 | 79 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sound Recordist | Jock May | 58 | 1 Jan 1905 | 8 Jan 1991 | 86 | 30 | 1 | 31 | |
Special Effects | Les Bowie | 49 | 10 Nov 1913 | 27 Jan 1979 | 65 | 32 | 11 | 43 | |
Special Effects Assistant | Ian Scoones | 23 | 20 Feb 1940 | 20 Jan 2010 | 69 | 13 | 9 | 22 | |
Special Effects Assistant | Kit West | 26 | 2 Jun 1936 | 16 Apr 2016 | 79 | 1 | 6 | 7 | |
Special Effects Assistant | Terry Schubert | 25 | 01 Jan 1938 | 01.01.1938 | 86 | 6 | 6 | ||
Stunts | Jack Cooper | 40 | 1 Jan 1923 | 1 Jan 2010 | 87 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
Supervising Editor | James Needs | 43 | 17 Oct 1919 | 4 Feb 2003 | 83 | 110 | 1 | 111 | |
Wardrobe Supervisor | Molly Arbuthnot | 54 | 19 Dec 1908 | 31 Oct 2001 | 92 | 48 | 4 | 52 | |
Cast | Name | Age at Release | Birth | Hidden | Death | Age | Hammer Credited | Hammer Uncredited | Total Hammer |
Anne | Rebecca Dignam | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Bernard | Alexander Knox | 56 | 16 Jan 1907 | 25 Apr 1995 | 88 | 1 | 1 | ||
Captain Gregory | James Villiers | 29 | 29 Sep 1933 | 18 Jan 1998 | 64 | 3 | 3 | ||
Charles | John Thompson | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Control Room Guard | Fiona Duncan | 24 | Dec 1938 | 01.12.1938 | 85 | 1 | 1 | ||
Doctor | Edward Harvey | 67 | 4 Jul 1895 | 5 Aug 1975 | 80 | 1 | 1 | ||
Elizabeth | Caroline Sheldon | 13 | 01 Jan 1950 | 01.01.1950 | 74 | 1 | 1 | ||
Freya Nielson | Viveca Lindfors | 42 | 29 Dec 1920 | 25 Oct 1995 | 74 | 1 | 1 | ||
George | David Palmer | 14 | 01 Jan 1949 | 01.01.1949 | 75 | 1 | 1 | ||
Guard | Neil Wilson | 46 | 24 Jun 1916 | 24 Jan 1975 | 58 | 1 | 1 | ||
Henry | Kit Williams | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Joan | Shirley Ann Field | 24 | 27 Jun 1938 | 10 Dec 2023 | 85 | 1 | 1 | ||
King | Oliver Reed | 25 | 13 Feb 1938 | 2 May 1999 | 61 | 9 | 9 | ||
Major Holland | Walter Gotell | 39 | 15 Mar 1924 | 5 May 1997 | 73 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Mary | Siobhan Taylor | 13 | 01 Jan 1950 | 01.01.1950 | 74 | 1 | 1 | ||
Miss Lamont | Barbara Everest | 79 | 9 Jun 1883 | 9 Feb 1968 | 84 | 1 | 1 | ||
Mr Dingle | Brian Oulton | 55 | 11 Feb 1908 | 13 Apr 1992 | 84 | 3 | 3 | ||
Mr Stuart | Alan McClelland | 45 | 31 Dec 1917 | 24 Jan 1989 | 71 | 1 | 1 | ||
Mr Talbot | James Maxwell | 34 | 23 Mar 1929 | 18 Aug 1995 | 66 | 2 | 2 | ||
Richard | Nicholas Clay | 16 | 18 Sep 1946 | 25 May 2000 | 53 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sid | Kenneth Cope | 32 | 14 Apr 1931 | 14.04.1931 | 92 | 2 | 2 | ||
Simon Wells | Macdonald Carey | 50 | 15 Mar 1913 | 21 Mar 1994 | 81 | 1 | 1 | ||
Ted | Thomas Kempinski | 25 | 24 Mar 1938 | 2 Aug 2023 | 85 | 2 | 2 | ||
Teddy Boy | Anthony Valentine | 23 | 17 Aug 1939 | 2 Dec 2015 | 76 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Teddy Boy | David Gregory | 28 | 14 Mar 1935 | 30 Nov 2022 | 87 | 2 | 2 | ||
Teddy Boy | Geremy Phillips | 24 | 25 Oct 1938 | 25.10.1938 | 85 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Teddy Boy | Larry Martyn | 29 | 22 Mar 1934 | 7 Aug 1994 | 60 | 1 | 1 | ||
Teddy Boy | Leon Garcia | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Victoria | Rachel Clay | 13 | 01 Jan 1950 | 01.01.1950 | 74 | 1 | 1 | ||
William | Christopher Witty | 12 | 26 May 1950 | 26.05.1950 | 73 | 1 | 1 | ||
With | Tommy Trinder | 54 | 24 Mar 1909 | 10 Jul 1989 | 80 | 1 | 1 | ||
With | Victor Gorf | 1 | 1 |
Original Poster
Click to enlarge
Footnotes
From the novel “The Children of the Light” by H.L.Lawrence.
This highly off-beat production proved something of a headache and it was two years before it came down off the shelf and was released in an unsuccessful double bill with Hammer’s “Maniac” (1963).
There is no credit for Production Designer on the film, but sources name Bernard Robinson as the most likely candidate for the job.
English comedian, Tommy Trinder, has an uncredited appearance here.
Also uncredited as a Teddy Boy is actor Anthony Valentine in an early appearance.