I saw this last night on the Sci-Fi Channel and it was a real scream. I like low-budget horror movies like this because the characters and plot elements are interchangeable and you know who is going to survive and who is going to wind up getting sliced and diced. This movie has the requisite bad guys, the average family man who turns into the stalwart hero, the strong, resolute, intelligent woman who kicks butt on the monsters, the helpless, screaming female and the adolescent boy who knows just what to do to help destroy the creatures. The basic plot involves an expedition into an abandoned salt mine in Switzerland to locate a cache of emeralds that are supposed to be in a hidden chamber. A previous expedition in the year 1948 met with a grisly fate inside the mine and the current treasure hunter/bad guy Marcel(David PALFFY) has come into possession of a map which he believes will lead him to Emerald City. Marcel hires John Palmer(CHRISTOPHER ATKINS) to lead the expedition and has his henchman on the surface "look after" Palmer's family as insurance against Palmer backing out once they're below ground. The bad guys stay in touch by means of those digital walkie-talkies that can transmit and receive over great distances. Unbeknownst to the party, the cavernous mine is home to thousands of giant, carnivorous, prehistoric rhinocerous beetles-supposedly the guardians of the treasure trove. These bugs can turn you into sushi in two seconds flat. Palmer, with sound logic, attempts to convince Marcel to abandon his quest and try to find a way out of the mine, but Marcel will have none of it. He's going to get those emeralds if it kills him. Don't these guys ever learn? As John's wife Samantha, ANGELA FEATHERSTONE is excellent. She reminded me of the Sigourney Weaver character in ALIENS- intelligent, resourceful, tough, and strong. She uses her fluency in a second language to short-circuit a plot to kill her and her teenage daughter Emily. When a fissure appears on the surface and the bugs start coming after her and her daughter, Samantha is more than a match for them. She can shoot like Annie Oakley and uses a shotgun to great effect. She is just amazing to watch. I was very impressed with her. I like movies which have strong female characters like her. I admire women like that. The counterpoint, of course, is Emily(CHELAN SIMMONS), who spends the second half of the movie screaming non-stop. It was just hilarious to watch her running around screaming her head off while Mrs. Rambo stood her ground and had the bugs make her day. The movie resolves itself in a comfortable manner and left this reviewer with a good feeling. No loose ends. I enjoyed it very much. A good formula flick with believable characters, shocks, suspense, and fine special effects. Definitely worth a look.
