OK. First things first. When I watch a film I haven't seen before, I try to keep an open mind. Sometimes this doesn't work, but this time, against all odds, it did.
I first saw the film on UK TV as a child under its alias, 'Secrets Of The Phantom Caverns', and it really stuck with me. A few years later I found it on video and still really enjoyed it, especially the lurid vid cover. Now I've managed to find it on DVD, titled 'What Waits Below' (its US title). I'm a very happy man. Its a cheapie, but it's great fun.
To be honest it has one winning factor to start with; it stars Robert Powell, an excellent British actor who is great in anything he does. This lifts the film out of the bin already. His recognisable voice is put to good use from the start with an eerie, atmospheric monologue, teamed with a picture that is gradually revealed to be a gigantic stalagmite, Goliath. From this point I was sucked in.
As the film continues we meet a few more recognisable faces from the horror genre such as Richard Johnson (The Haunting, Zombie Flesh Eaters) and Lisa Blount (Dead and Buried, John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness), who, along with other established actors such as Timothy Bottoms, all try and do their very best with the material they have.
This is the general motto with the film. Remember, it was done on the cheap, but I think that what's been done, has been done well. You could see it as a well-made, feature film version of Doctor Who, only without the Doctor if that makes any sense! I find the film very atmospheric and quite creepy. The only real mishap may be that when the things that 'wait below' are revealed, they are quite disappointing, but in context this doesn't matter for long.
OK, I've done my bit for the film and I hope that this may inspire other people out there to hunt it down and give it a go. Suck in the pride and remember to have a very big pinch of salt at the ready. Enjoy!
I first saw the film on UK TV as a child under its alias, 'Secrets Of The Phantom Caverns', and it really stuck with me. A few years later I found it on video and still really enjoyed it, especially the lurid vid cover. Now I've managed to find it on DVD, titled 'What Waits Below' (its US title). I'm a very happy man. Its a cheapie, but it's great fun.
To be honest it has one winning factor to start with; it stars Robert Powell, an excellent British actor who is great in anything he does. This lifts the film out of the bin already. His recognisable voice is put to good use from the start with an eerie, atmospheric monologue, teamed with a picture that is gradually revealed to be a gigantic stalagmite, Goliath. From this point I was sucked in.
As the film continues we meet a few more recognisable faces from the horror genre such as Richard Johnson (The Haunting, Zombie Flesh Eaters) and Lisa Blount (Dead and Buried, John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness), who, along with other established actors such as Timothy Bottoms, all try and do their very best with the material they have.
This is the general motto with the film. Remember, it was done on the cheap, but I think that what's been done, has been done well. You could see it as a well-made, feature film version of Doctor Who, only without the Doctor if that makes any sense! I find the film very atmospheric and quite creepy. The only real mishap may be that when the things that 'wait below' are revealed, they are quite disappointing, but in context this doesn't matter for long.
OK, I've done my bit for the film and I hope that this may inspire other people out there to hunt it down and give it a go. Suck in the pride and remember to have a very big pinch of salt at the ready. Enjoy!