‘They dared to enter the Cave of Hell to explore the secrets of Hell and find the…’
The Unknown Terror is a 1957 sci-fi horror film about a millionaire who leads an expedition into a remote jungle to find his wife’s long-lost brother, but instead, the group finds a mad scientist who has created a fungus monster that feeds on the local inhabitants. Promoted as Unknown Terror
Directed by Western specialist Charles Marquis Warren (Back from the Dead) from a screenplay by Kenneth Higgins (Ghosts on the Loose).
The Emirau/Regal Films co-production stars John Howard, Mala Powers, Paul Richards, Gerald Milton, May Wynn, Duane Gray, Gerald Gilden, Sir Lancelot (<em>Zombies on Broadway</em>; <em>I Walked with a Zombie</em>), Patrick O’Moore, William Hamel, Charles Postal, Martin Garralaga and Charles Gray.
The mysterious disappearance of Jim Wheatley (Charles Gray), while exploring the “cave of the dead” near a Mexican village, brings his sister, Gina (Mala Powers), and her husband, Dan Matthews (John Howard), to the territory to search for him.
Embittered, crippled Pete Morgan (Paul Richards), insists on going along and reminds Dan that his condition is Dan’s fault since it happened in an accident in which Pete saved Dan’s life. Plus, Gina was Pete’s sweetheart before the accident.
Things become tense when native wife Concha (May Wynn) arranges for the men to be led to a place where they can hear the voices of the dead crying from beneath the earth and, while they are gone, a grotesque, demented man covered with a foamy fungus attacks Gina and chases her into the jungle…
Reviews:
“Warren directs briskly enough but the monsters are unintentionally hilariously funny – they are simply actors entirely covered in soap suds.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction
“The best part of the movie is the “fungus”. It is essentially soap bubbles and the evil creatures in the cave are just people covered in soap bubbles. I remember the creatures being kind of scary to me, but even then realizing they were pretty ridiculous. Of monster movies, The Unknown Terror isn’t much of one […] The movie isn’t very good and even as a child I knew it…” Basement Rejects
“Yes, it’s just soap suds, and yes it takes an hour before the suds start foaming… but if you can get into it, you might find it enjoyable watching the stuff flow down from the cavern walls, into little rivers at the bottom, over the long-haired natives and other hapless victims […] I wished that the zombies had been featured earlier, and more often. But I was otherwise reasonably entertained.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers
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” …singularly unimaginative trash […] includes Mala Powers (she runs through phoney foliage in flimsy negligees), John Howard (he climbs into the Cave of Death without even a flashlight) and Paul Richards (he watches the heavy bosom of Indian girl May Wynn). Now you know the real terror.” John Stanley, Creature Features
“We get the standard issue romantic triangle coupled with “the-natives-have-a-secret-and-are-restless” setup and enhanced by the “scientist-with-a-secret” plotline. Throw in a particularly disappointing monster that is only scary if the Scrubbing Bubbles terrify you, and you have an exercise in utterly routine science fiction/horror.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
” …Unknown Terror is not a good film. However, it doesn’t miss the “fair to good” category by much. A sprinkling of lackluster performances and some missed plot opportunities might be forgiven, but the special monster effects that induce giggles instead of gasps are the final nail in the coffin.” Films from Beyond the Time Barrier
“Nothing new in the mixture but short enough to be entertaining, although the fungus itself looks like over-keen bubble bath.” Alan Frank, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Handbook, Batsford, 1982
“In this variation of the mad doctor gambit, captives held in a cave are dosed with foaming, bubbling mold creatures. They wind up in a mess and so does the plot.” Variety, 1957
Trailer [480p]:
Free online on YouTube [1080p HD]:
Free online on YouTube [480p]:
Cast and characters:
John Howard … Dan Matthews; Mala Powers … Gina Matthews; Paul Richards … Peter Morgan; Gerald Milton … Doctor Ramsey; May Wynn … Concha Ramsey; Duane Gray … Lino; Gerald Gilden … Raoul Koom; Sir Lancelot … Himself; Patrick O’Moore … Doctor Willoughby; William Hamel … Mr Trainor; Charles Postal … Higgs the Butler; Martin Garralaga … Old Villager; Charles Gray … Jim Wheatley
Filming locations:
Leo Carrillo State Beach – 35000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California (cave)
Raleigh Studios – 5300 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Westward Beach – Westward Beach Road, Malibu, California (Matthews, Morgan, and Lino on horseback)
Technical specs:
1 hour 17 minutes
Black and white
Mono
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
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