The Lost Continent (1968)

Director:

Michael Carreras

Writers:

Michael Carreras (writer)
Dennis Wheatley (novel)

Release Date:

19 June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

A living hell that time forgot!

Plot:

This film starts out like the Love Boat on acid, as a cast of varied characters, with various issues...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Monster | Water | Sea Weed | Sea Monster

Cast

Eric Porter	...	Capt. Lansen
Hildegard Knef	...	Eva Peters (as Hildegarde Neff)
Suzanna Leigh	...	Unity Webster
Tony Beckley	...	Harry Tyler
Nigel Stock	...	Dr. Webster
Neil McCallum	...	First Officer Hemmings
Ben Carruthers	...	Ricaldi (as Benito Carruthers)
Jimmy Hanley	...	Patrick, the bartender
James Cossins	...	Nick, chief engineer
Dana Gillespie	...	Sarah
Victor Maddern	...	The mate
Reg Lye	...	The Helmsman
Norman Eshley	...	Jonathan, the prisoner
Michael Ripper	...	Sea Lawyer

Also Known As:

Lost Island
The People of Abrimes

Runtime:

89 min | USA:97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1968) | Sweden:15 | UK:X | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

In interviews Eddie Powell claimed that Christopher Lee was going to play the part Powell played.

Quotes:

[facing down the Grand Inquisitor]
Capt. Lansen: We're getting out. Now we can noisily, or we can go quietly. The choice is up to you.
The Grand Inquistor: Where are you going? You're trapped here like the rest of us. There's no escape.
Capt. Lansen: How do you know? Have you ever tried?
The Grand Inquistor: Our ancestors tried.
Capt. Lansen: I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about you.
The Grand Inquistor: It's God's will!
Capt. Lansen: It's your will, because you want it this way! You do it in the name of God through this child here because you haven't got the guts to do your own dirty work!
The Grand Inquistor: You speak bravely of escaping. How are you going to do it?
Capt. Lansen: I don't know, but we'll try.
[...]

This brought back memories.

When I saw this as a kid, I thought it was cool, because it had creepy monsters and a theme song that sounded like Andy Williams in some lounge. A group of forlorn passengers on board an unseaworthy steamship, which happens to be carrying high explosives, set sail for South America. They get caught in a hurricane, the crew mutinies, they get in a lifeboat, man-eating seaweed tries to eat the captain, then they find their ship again and go back on board. that's when the fun begins. The evil seaweed pulls the ship into the Sargasso Sea, where it is chow-time for all the creepy sea creatures that attack and devour the ship's passengers. Also on hand are a bunch of Spaniards who think it's the 1500's. They have managed to peacefully co-exist with these slimy creatures. They are ruled by a petulant boy-king who tries to seize the ship and it's supplies. Our heroes must battle the Spaniards and the monsters and get home.