Creatures the World Forgot

Don Chaffey – 1971 – England

Though not as well-known as others in the Hammer studio’s prehistoric cycle, such as One Million Years B.C. (1966), (also directed by Chaffey), and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), Creatures the World Forgot is one of the most mature and harshly realistic representations of primitive humanity in caveman movies before or since. Shot in Namibia and written and produced by Hammer’s Michael Carreras, the film details the everyday strife of existence and survival in one small tribe of Stone Age people.  Creatures the World Forgot is quickly differentiated from virtually all other movies of its genre by its stark and dirt-ridden landscape, and also by more important variations. Gone are the stop-motion animated dinosaurs of past films, as well as the dressed-up iguanas enlarged to stand in for dinosaurs. Most importantly, the language of the tribe is comprised of mere grunts and gestures; negating the need for goofy halting English or some sort of invented sci-fi dialect. The absence of even a single word of English throughout the entire film gives it an unusual prestige in terms of the world market, as it sidesteps the necessity of dubbing or subtitles; in other words, it plays in exactly the same form no matter where it plays.  After a devastating volcanic earthquake wipes out a good portion of the so-called ‘Dark Tribe,’ a power struggle takes place among two surviving alpha males. Mak (Brian O’Shaughnessy) prevails, assumes the mantle of chief, and leads his people across the desert towards a hoped for paradise.  The film has a resounding palpable quality to it that nearly all other films about Paleolithic people lack. The characters are symbiotically tied to the dryness and dust of the environment they move in; effectively conveying the reality of a time when ornamentation, bathing or any type of agriculture are still centuries away from being discovered. The people of the Dark Tribe wolf down the innards of a killed antelope on the spot where it falls and indiscriminately snatch up and devour any small live animals they find in their travels. Without sentiment, they leave to die any unfortunate tribe members who get lost, stranded or injured.  Also of interest in Creatures the World Forgot is the manner in which various tribe’s cultures, customs and religions are portrayed. At first it seems that dark and light hair are the only distinguishing features we’re going to see, but as the heroes encounter more people in their adventures, we meet a cave dwelling race that seems preoccupied with bears, and – most bizarrely of all – a tribe that is covered in ash and wears large round helmet-masks over their heads. These and many other details are what help make the film unique in its depiction of a truly savage and pre-industrial society.