The Unknown Terror

When an explorer goes missing, a team is assembled to track him down, leading to the dreaded "Cave of Death". On their way, they encounter the bizarre Dr. Ramsey (Gerald Milton). He's a scientist of the mad variety, who also cans his own fruit. Ramsey is working with local fungi. He's very enthusiastic about his work.

We soon discover that something sinister and unnatural is going on.

THE UNKNOWN TERROR sort of plods along, becoming a caving adventure / rescue mission. This goes on up until the final revelation of the "terrible truth". Is it worth the wait? Well, not really. That is, unless gurgling soap bubbles freak you out. To be fair, they're somewhat effective in a low-low budget way.

Recommended for sci-fi fans who love sentient sludge and / or seeping slime...

6.1/2 stars. Far better acting then often seen in B 1950s American sci-fi horror, and more moments of reasonably decent dialogue than one would expect. Similarly, the score is more serviceable then expected. The climactic sequence, which lasts longer than is often the case in this kind of low-budget feature, is full of fun if simple special effects.

Naturally, the movie, being very much a product of its time, contains liberal doses of sexism and racism, so be forewarned.

I was able to acquire a copy of this little flick recently.I remembered it from my youth but still had some trepidation due to all of the snooty reviews of the flick.Well ol' evilskip is here to tell you that it isn't nearly as bad as it has been touted.

An expedition is lost somewhere in South America near the cave of death.Well a second expedition is mounted to find the first. Before long we've got some nasty looking zombies and a mad scientist who has created an unstoppable killer fungus.Granted, the fungus looks like it came from a dish washer with an overactive thyroid but what could you do with $12 for special effects?>

Again this isn't a classic by any means.But in the right frame of mind it is a pleasant way to pass 70 or so minutes.

Charles Marquis Warren was a western specialist; he directed nearly all this except two horror films, this one and BACK FROM THE DEAD, an adventure thriller: FLIGHT TO TANGIERS and a Foreign Legion movie DESERT HELL, now totally unavailable. Unfortunately. So this one is a pretty good surprise, especially in LBX excellent copy. The story itself is not really exceptional but from a film maker for whom it was not the speciality, this is for me a tour de force, a very good B picture. I dream to purchase all the Regal movies in LBX from this period: late fifties and early sixties. Many and many gems to find.

1957's "The Unknown Terror" was a production of Robert L. Lippert's Regal arm distributed by 20th Century-Fox, shot in Darryl F. Zanuck's new CinemaScope process under the working title "Beyond Terror" but redubbed RegalScope for these little 'B' pictures (other Regal efforts include "She Devil," "Kronos," "Ghost Diver," and this film's cofeature "Back from the Dead"). They only lasted three years before receiving a name change to Associated Producers ("Return of the Fly" and "The Alligator People" were among the first under this banner), but the week long schedule on a fixed budget of $100,000 apiece did not change. "The Unknown Terror" certainly looks poverty stricken, its depiction of a Caribbean island village consisting of one cramped street crowded with extras, starring John Howard ("The Invisible Woman," "The Undying Monster") as millionaire explorer Dan Matthews, determined to find his wife's missing brother lost in search of the fearsome 'Cave of Death' (which we see before the opening credits). The actual hero is Peter Morgan (Paul Richards, "Phantom of the Rue Morgue," "Beneath the Planet of the Apes"), who was crippled after selflessly saving Matthews from certain death, so Dan feels obliged to offer him the job of guide, his wife Gina (Mala Powers) insistent on coming with them. Things quickly take an ominous turn when the native who led the way to the tiny village disappears, the lone nearby American Dr. Ramsey (Gerald Milton) providing accommodations for the trio but remaining secretive about the dreaded cavern. There's a sacrificial altar, a fresh corpse (the victim's tongue already cut out), and death dealing islanders covered in fungus that the doctor has discovered; unfortunately, the special effects crew accomplished this by covering the actors in cotton wool and soap suds, which has earned the film a certain notoriety, though not enough to keep it from falling into near total obscurity after its 20 year TV run. This author confesses a nostalgic affection for this admittedly minor effort, despite the many questions that go unanswered, though it's no surprise to learn the fate of Gina's missing brother.