At the Earth's Core (1976)

Director:

Kevin Connor

Writers:

Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel)
Milton Subotsky (screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

They're in it DEEP now!

Plot:

A Victorian era scientist and his assistant take a test run in their Iron Mole drilling machine and end up in a strange underground labyrinth ruled by a species of giant telepathic bird and full of prehistoric monsters and cavemen.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Eccentric | Giant Monster | Beautiful Woman | Lizard Monster

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Doug McClure	...	David Innes
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Abner Perry
Caroline Munro	...	Dia
Cy Grant	...	Ra
Godfrey James	...	Ghak
Sean Lynch	...	Hoojah
Keith Barron	...	Dowsett
Helen Gill	...	Maisie
Anthony Verner	...	Gadsby
Robert Gillespie	...	Photographer
Michael Crane	...	Jubal
Bobby Parr	...	Sagoth Chief
Andee Cromarty	...	Girl Slave

Directed by
Kevin Connor

Writing credits
Edgar Rice Burroughs		(novel)
Milton Subotsky		(screenplay)

Produced by
Harry N. Blum	....	executive producer
John Dark	....	producer
Max Rosenberg	....	producer (as Max J. Rosenberg)
Milton Subotsky	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Vickers		(as Mike Vickers)

Cinematography by
Alan Hume		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Ireland
Barry Peters

Production Design by
Maurice Carter

Art Direction by
Bert Davey

Makeup Department
Joan Carpenter	....	hairdresser
Robin Grantham	....	makeup artist
Neville Smallwood	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Graham Easton	....	production manager
Robert M. Hodes	....	executive in charge of production: Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Causey	....	first assistant director
Andy Armstrong	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Guy Travers	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Vic Simpson	....	construction manager
Michael White	....	set dresser
Bill Beavis	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Frank Graves	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Atkinson	....	sound editor
Gordon K. McCallum	....	dubbing mixer
George Stephenson	....	sound mixer
Ken Barker	....	dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ian Wingrove	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	process photography

Stunts
Joe Powell	....	stunt arranger (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Derek V. Browne	....	camera operator (as Derek Browne)
Mike Frift	....	camera focus
John Golding	....	focus puller: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Rita Burgess	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Vickers	....	music player (as Mike Vickers)

Other crew
Arthur Cleaver	....	production administrator
Doreen Soan	....	continuity
David Sheldon	....	production executive (uncredited)

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)
• Amicus Productions
• Burroughs Productions Inc.

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1976) (UK) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1978) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• CMV Laservision (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Cinema Club (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Manga Films (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (????) (Canada) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Midcore Ltd.  services

Also Known As:

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | Spain:T | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

German Import DVD has Super-8mm version (English Audio), as a special feature.

Quotes:

Dr. Abner Perry:You cannot mesmerise me! I'm British!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies (1990) (V)

Edgar Rice Burroughs was never like this.

This film begins with a wonderful piece of music and an excellently tense and edge-of-seat sequence in which Victorian scientists (played by Doug McClure and Peter Cushing) drill into the depths of the earth in their 'Iron Mole'. You truly believe you're going to see a great film to rival 'The Land That Time Forgot'. But then the two companions arrive in the underground world and encounter their first monster, which is quite obviously a man in an outfit which looks like a dinosaur with a parrot's face. From here it's downhill all the way as the intrepid scientists encounter ovens with tentacles on strings, fire-breathing critters with clearly visible flame-thrower nozzles and pterodactyl-people who, when they fall down, explode for no apparent reason. It's a shame the special-effects are so awful, as the storyline is quite interesting with some good situations and the music is excellently atmospheric. But what we have here is a good script let down by poor execution. All I can say in this film's favor is it's watchably bad. But I'd have been a lot happier if it was watchably good.