Under the Mountain

Under the Mountain is a science fiction adventure, based on the novel by Maurice Gee. Set in Auckland, New Zealand, two red haired twins called Rachel and Theo are staying with their Uncle and Aunt for a holiday.

> An old man called Mr Jones is interested in the twins for a special reason. Mr Jones is the last surviving member of an alien civilization. His people were at war with another race of creatures who go from planet to planet, turning worlds into mud and stone. The Earth will be next unless the twins can stop them. The invading aliens are shapeless, tentacled creatures who can assume human form. They are known only as the Wilberforces...

This was a very good show. The first time I saw Under the Mountain I was actually living in New Zealnd. I recognized a lot of the places Rachel and Theo went to because I was born in Auckland: the familiar volcanoes Rangitoto and Mt Eden, the district Takapuna, even the library. When I saw it again some years later I actually felt home sick. The story was also good because it wasn't too predictable. You actually wonder if Earth really has a chance when the future depends on two young twins.

You people DO know that there is a book of "Under the Mountain" by Maurice Gee, right? I mean, you'd be surprised how many people have seen a film and said, "Wow, that was amazing but I couldn't make head nor tails of it," when there's a written version waiting in the nearest library! I didn't even know that there was a filmed version until today!

Summary of Under the Mountain Theo and Rachael are redheaded twins from New Zealand. They learn at an early age that they are different as they can each find objects the other has hidden by reading the thoughts of their companion. Their powers are discovered by Jones, a member of a wise alien race who is searching for just such a pair of twins to use as a powerful weapon that will kill off the wilberforces, another alien race imprisoned on earth whose single goal is to destroy and conquer planets. Unfortunately the wilberforces have also discovered the true nature of the twins and are out to find them. Rachael and Theo must learn to use the weapon and overcome the pain it causes them before the Wilberforces wake up properly and destroy the planet

this aired on nickelodeon in the states back, hell, musta been 1983-85ish, as part of an anthology show called the third eye...others were "children of the stones" (now on region 2 pal dvd) and the haunting of cassie somebody...i was just a child when these shows were on, only 7 or nine, but i remember them capturing my imagination, and being able to follow the plots, for all of their convolutedness, because these shows didn't play down to kids, they embraced the imaginative nature of childhood and set us free to figure out what was going on...as i say, anyone has this anywhere, PLEEEEESE let me know, i'd simply revel in seeing this again...original tomorrow people too, if you please...and thank you.... hehehe...my stepbrother and i used to play under the mountain in the field behind my house...rainy days was for bad guy (muddy) parts, and clear was for the twins...no, neither of us played the girl...i was usually mr. jones....

I was looking for this series for years because I never knew the title. In Holland the show was known as "Monster Planet" and everybody else,as well as I,called it the "Mud Monsters".

Does anyone know if this show is available on VHS or DVD? Or else,a BIG begging to every TV-station in Holland to run this show again,please please!!

I saw it about 10 years ago and those monsters,especially Mr. Wilberforce: the alien chief.I will find quite funny now,but still I want to see it again.

I saw this when I was extremely young and it scared the living daylights out of me too! I was scared just going to bed in the night time for ages after , it really was scarier than anything else i ever saw when i was younger or anything I've ever seen since! Strangely enough i am a little nostalgic for the same reasons, would be interesting to see it now. The monsters were extremely scary and as far as I can remember there were no points when I actually felt the characters were safe. If I remember correctly the children had two rings or stones, blue and red and they had to somehow use them together to destroy the swamp like monsters. I think it ended well or with some sort of possibility in the future that the alien things would return.