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X: The Unknown (1956)

6.1/10 IMDb 67% RT
IMDb Trailer

Army radiation experiments awaken a subterranean monster from a fissure that feeds on energy and proceeds to terrorise a remote Scottish village. An American research scientist at a nearby nuclear plant joins with a British investigator to discover why the victims were radioactively burned and why, shortly thereafter, a series of radiation-related incidents are occurring in an ever-growing straight line away from the fissure.

Best Release

Hammer Films · Limited Edition

Other Releases · 1

Cast

Dean Jagger, Leo McKern, William Lucas, Edward Chapman, John Harvey, Michael Ripper, Anthony Newley, Ian MacNaughton, Peter Hammond, Kenneth Cope

Runtime

1 hour and 21 minutes (81 minutes)

More movies under 90 minutes

Upcoming Release July 27, 2026

Label

Hammer Films

Edition

Limited Edition

Street Date

July 27, 2026

What's confirmed

Packaging
Rigid slipcase · High-end leather-feel slipcase with rigid inner box and digipak
In the box
120-page booklet
Double-sided poster (original one-sheets)
Eight art cards (lobby card facsimiles)
Discs
4 discs — 2 x UHD Blu-ray, 2 x Blu-Ray
Audio
English Mono
English 5.1
Subtitles
English · French · Italian

Special features

A Man on the Beach
Commentary by Toby Hadoke and Andy Murray
Commentary by Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr
Commentary by David Kalat
Archive 2003 commentary by Jimmy Sangster and Marcus Hearn
Commentary on A Man on the Beach by Neil Sinyard
Making-of documentary
Les Bowie special effects documentary
Joseph Losey career documentary
Sidebar: Tim Lucas and Stephen R. Bissette discussion
Archive 2003 Jimmy Sangster interview
Original trailers
Super 8 cut-down version
Image gallery

Editor's Notes

Note

The first 4K release of the Hammer film often pegged as the missing Quatermass entry, restored by Hammer and Silver Salt for the 70th anniversary. Three cuts are on the discs, the UK 1.66:1 theatrical, the 1.37:1 as-filmed version, and the US 1.85:1. The Limited Collector's Edition drops the digipak into a leather-feel slipcase with a 120-page book, art cards, and a poster of the original one-sheets. The standard 4K covers the same three cuts without the deluxe packaging. £123 vs £74 direct from Hammer's shop, street date July 27 2026.

noted May 1, 2026

Releases of X: The Unknown

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