Night of the Big Heat

Enjoyable British sci-fi outing of 1967, which sports not only a venerable Cushing-Lee pairing, but exciting scenes of overheating 1960's British automobiles to boot (the steaming, hood-up MG scene will be particularly horrific for current/former MG owners who've ever dealt with this aspect common to certain vintage British cars).

Filming must've required a specialist staffer just to continually drench the actors with fake sweat.

Of particular interest for Monty Python fans will be the final scene, which is the only time in the whole movie that the decidedly low-budget monster actually appears: no, I'm not going to spoil it for you!

I'm fed up with reading about how bad the spfx are supposed to be in this film. Personally, I blame Christopher Lee for saying bad things about them in his biography. Actually, this film is not bad. It is a story about ordinary people in an extra-ordinary situation (an alien invasion). The people are stuck in a claustrophobic setting (a pub on an island) and it's about how they confront what's facing them. This is a fairly faithful adaptation of the book it is based on. It's more character than spfx lead, and I suppose this is the problem for modern audiences who have short attention spans and lack the ability to follow a scene that lasts for more than 3 seconds. Still, if you like sci-fi from an age when people had brain cells (ie, HG Wells, Jules Verne, John Wyndham, etc...) and don't mind spfx that could have come from the early Dr Who serials and the original Star Trek series, then you may well enjoy this film. If you happen to think Star Wars was the greatest film ever made, then don't bother -- it'll be way above your head.

The short-lived Planet Productions managed to get the great Terence Fisher and Peter Cushing together again (like 'Island of Terror' a year earlier). Even Christopher Lee was persuaded to take part in this science-fiction flick!

This effort was actually filmed in February/March 1967 and, as such, would not have been a particularly comfortable film to make (the cast were covered in glycerine to create the sweaty effect!).

Fisher manages to create a suitably isolated feel to the whole film - the inhabitants, who literally "live in their little old world" are cut off from the rest of civilisation.

However, as with films of this kind, the low budget decidedly restricts the scope of the film. There is a ton of exhausting dialogue at the inn and the characters are not particularly interesting.

Peter Cushing's character of Dr. Stone gets very little screen time and it is strange not to see Cushing at the climax of the film!

Christopher Lee walks around very sternly, not particularly masking his discomfort well at appearing in such a film.

The creatures responsible for causing the heatwave in the film are cheap and nasty creations, that do nothing to enhance the credibility of the film.

Ultimately, despite the fact that the film is well-intentioned, it is far from Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee's best!

A sultry woman (Jane Merrow) travels to Fara, an Island in Northern UK, to work as the secretary of an author (Patrick Allen). The latter's naïve wife (Sarah Lawson) runs the Inn where everyone stays, including a polite man (Peter Cushing) and a standoffish scientist (Christopher Lee). It's the middle of the winter yet temperatures are rising to well over 100 degrees and people are turning up dead. What's going on?

"Island of the Burning Damned," aka "Night of the Big Heat" (1967) was made by the same short-lived company that released the similar "Island of Terror" a year earlier, both featuring Peter Cushing and director Terence Fisher. It walks the balance beam between sci-fi and horror and should be appreciated by fans of Lee, Cushing, Hammer, Amicus, Tigon and American International. It helps that some human interest is offered with a tense triangle. Interestingly, the secretary is overtly called a slur (for a loose woman) by the author, which is a little surprising for such seemingly "refined" people.

The story maintains your interest as suspense slowly builds, especially concerning what's causing the heat and the deaths. There's a deus ex machina but, hey, the story had to end. Merrow is pretty stunning, but her character needs slapped.

The film runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot at The Swan Inn and Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, England, as well as Dorset.

GRADE: B-/B

Hey guys! Whats the deal here? This film is one of my all time faves! The first time I saw it I loved it straight away. I love the Englishness of it all....the country pub....the warm beer!!!....feel that cheesy dialogue: "You were no untouched virgin when we met" etc.

Enjoy gawping at the stunning beauty of Jane Merrow in a wet bikini and more! This film is very similar to Fishers Island Of Terror,very much a companion piece. I never get tired of seeing this flick,I view my ancient tape every year. Dont expect a masterpiece and you will not be disappointed . Its corny,cheap but not tatty,with great photography,solid performances and lovely colour....ENJOY!!!