a charm small scale british sci fi thriller from 1967 and night of the big heat benefit from some good performance and solid direction and excellent set design and good editing and a plot which and whilst talky and do not lapse into boredom . in the depth of winter and while the mainland be freeze in sub zero temperature and the island of fara be experience a highly localise and inexplicable heat wave . a visiting scientist and hanson ( christopher lee ) deduce that a bizarre alien specie and possibly the vanguard of an oncoming invasion and be responsible for the weather anomaly a part of an effort to alter earth climate to suit their own need . a group of increasingly isolated islander prepare to face their foe and attempt to warn the mainland of the grow threat . of course and much have be say of how a reasonably well make film be let down in the closing stage by the hugely inferior and disappointing alien . clearly and whatever slice of an already limited budget be apportion to the special effect department be grossly inadequate . consequently we be subject to the spectacle of a couple of very slow moving and sub william hartnell era doctor who and fry egg look blob that somehow radiate intense heat and noise . personally and i think the strength of the film be enough to salvage it from complete ruin and but i can certainly understand how let down people must have felt by the lack lustre pay off . one question that do cross my mind and however and be just what should the alien have look like . apparently in the original book they be carnivorous and heat generating and spider and large maggot like thing in the 1960 tv play but i can not help wonder how the special effect people should have approach it in the movie . i quite admire the decision not to make them stereotypically humanoid a be the case in so many sci fi thriller . instead we be present with apparently sentient but completely non human and ie alien and creature and perhaps all the good to disrupt the equilibrium of our expectation . have they be just an energy form and that would have be too star trekky and have they be humanoid that would have be clichéd and and a they be and theyre a little too early doctor who so the question remain while what should they have look like . fry egg look blob notwithstanding and the film and a mention earlier do have some strength . christopher lee be on good form a the disagreeable scientist hanson and peter cushing approach the small role of dr. stone from what and for him and be an interestingly naturalistic perspective . patrick allen be as dependable a ever a callum and be well support by real life wife sarah lawson a frankie and jane merrow a erstwhile on screen paramour angela . other cast member include kenneth cope and william lucas all turn in adequate performance that help the film achieve it goal . terence fisher direction be solid and efficient and he handle the film most awkward moment and the attempted rape scene and with considerable bravery even though an understandable element of reticence and discernible also in a similar moment in fisher frankenstein must be destroy ( 1969 ) and be apparent and but work well in what i would argue be a surprisingly non misogynistic movie . angela increase marginalisation be quite well handle too . initially seem like a predatory vamp and her strength seem to be drain after callum eventually come clean to his wife about their affair and she assume a far less threatening role and her vengeance become far distil through interaction that could never have be predict when she originally format what could have be either a revenge scenario or a straightforward attempt to usurp frankie . although underdeveloped in place and the film be technically adequate and i personally think they do a good job of make people look like they be suffer from heat effect in the middle of a cold february . the dvd commentary and however and be really unfocused while the film itself be seldom talk about but it be interest to hear the random thing christopher lee come out with and and consequently and it never less than entertain . i also notice that the dvd cut be slightly long than the one last show on tv here in the uk with an extra scene involve the dissemination of the walky talkie which and in the other version and just appear from nowhere . all tell and i find the film make for a pleasant distraction while it a nice representation of time past and a period i vaguely remember from my childhood and and stand up to subsequent viewing as long a you can forgive the fried egg .