The Unknown Terror

I remember seeing this as a kid on local TV and being somewhat put out by the fact that you never got a clear look at the infected natives (probably for good reasons) and that the killer fungus monster at the finale was obviously tons of soap suds mixed in with a little dry ice fog. Oddly enough it stuck with me and soon I was putting shampoo in my hair and screaming "The fungus,the fungus!" Still,the leads all do a good straight faced job and the script doesn't contain the amount of Ed Wood style howlers you'd expect it to.As far as I know this is also the last horror film to present calypso singer Sir Lancelot who had appeared in the Val Lewton Films I walked with a Zombie and Curse Of The Cat People. The song "You Got To Suffer To Be Born Again is a mix of genius and absurdity. Highly recommended to anyone who likes old B movies.

An explorer looking for the legendary "Cave of the Dead" doesn't return. So his sister, "Gina Matthews" (Mala Powers) and her husband, "Dan Matthews" (John Howard) decide to set out to look for him. Before they depart, a former acquaintance of both named "Pete Morgan" (Paul Richards) convinces them to let him come with them since he is an experienced spelunker. When they get to the village in South America where the cave is supposed to be near, they meet a strange American doctor, "Dr. Ramsey" (Gerald Milton) who denies knowing anything about it. At any rate, rather than detailing the entire story I will just say that this horror film is an obvious product of its time. And even though it is clearly a B-movie it isn't that bad. That said, while it isn't that scary it does manage to keep the suspense going for the most part. Recommended only for those who enjoy B-movies from the 50's.

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.

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...

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.