**Posssible Spoilers**
Doomwatch (1972) is a quintessentially British horror movie from the 1970s. Whilst not a Hammer House movie you would be forgiven for mistaking it for one. Unlike a lot of Hammer House movies that featured some sort of supernatural foe Doomwatch uses pollution and disease for its source of horror. Like a great many "older" horror movies I found myself enjoying the movie but I believe that for many horror fans the movie will seem tame and dare I say it boring. For those watching in the early 1970s I can understand how this film will have had a more striking impact given that the green movement was probably still in its infancy when it was released. For those of us watching it for the first time in 2018 we are used to the doom and gloom of environmentalists and thus the movie does not have the impact it once had. Somewhat like the boy that cried wolf, eventually you stop taking it seriously.
The plot to Doomwatch is one that delves into the area of pollution, and the effects that pollution of the enviroment might have on people. An environmental group, ominously called DoomWatch, go to make routine tests on a small island off the coast of Cornwall called Biafe. Dr Shaw is sent to get samples. but when he arrives he encounters a less than freindly population who regard him with suspicion. When the results of the tests come back it is clear that something is not right. As he investigates the issue he also discovers that there are people on the island suffering from a condition called acromegaly. He must find the source of the disease whilst at the same time not get killed by the uncontrollable and violent disease sufferers.
In some ways this movie reminded me of the Wicker Man in that they both concentrated on small island communities, inward looking and hostile to outsiders. On a technical level the movie was well executed with reasonably good acting from all case members. The special effects, such as they were, were good enough to convey the illness but look dated by todays standards in my opinion. The cinematography was also reasonably good, if somewhat unremarkable.
6 out of 10
Summary: Modern day horror fans, particularly those with a love of gore should probably look elsewhere, whereas those that enjoy a Hammer Horror type movie should consider viewing it.