What Waits Below (1984)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Don Sharp

Writers:

Ken Barnett (story)
Christy Marx (writer)

Release Date:

21 November 1985 (West Germany)

Genre:

Action | Horror

Tagline:

Underground, no one can see you die!

Plot:

The U.S. government has been using deep caves in Central America as bases for a special type of radio...

Plot Keywords:

Cave | Woodville Alabama | Independent Film

Cast

Robert Powell	...	Rupert 'Wolf' Wolfsen
Timothy Bottoms	...	Maj. Elbert Stevens
Lisa Blount	...	Leslie Peterson
Richard Johnson	...	Ben Gannon
Anne Heywood	...	Frieda Shelley
A.C. Weary	...	Lt. George Barwell
Liam Sullivan	...	Lemurian elder
Jackson Bostwick	...	Hunter Prime
Richard Beauchamp	...	Santos Arias
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Avery	...	American soldier
Gary Cervantes	...	Hector Lopez (as Carlos Cervantes)
Dick Curtis	...	Lemurian
Rick Davis	...	Mercenary
Bruce Howard	...	Latin-American soldier
Billy Lee	...	Lemurian
James Mitchell	...	Lemurian
Kenny Moore	...	Lemurian
Tim Powell	...	Jim White
Brian Stevens	...	American soldier
Ned Vaughn	...	American soldier

Also Known As:

Secrets of the Phantom Caverns

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18 | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

McMinnville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Adams Apple Film Company

Buried deep.

Well this has been hiding under the surface, as it took a friend to mention about it for me pay notice. The copy I just watched happened to be there's too. 'What Waits Below' is a minor, but completely distinctive and enjoyable horror/adventure trek in some underground caverns. Neil Marshall's 2005 feature 'The Descent' might shoot to mind, but other than featuring albinos' (known as Lemurians') living the caves, the tone is much different. The adventure aspect easily beats out the horror elements that are looming. I found it to lose its way in the last 20 minutes, as the story shows up its lack of ideas and the script's thin base. Still after a slow beginning it keeps you watching and manages some effective shocks, interesting atmospherics and sprinkles of moody suspense with Denny Jaeger and Michel Rubini's edgily wounding score perfectly streamlining (if at times overshadowing) the presentation. Eerie locations and pastel set-designs within the cave system make it like you've entered another world and the make-up/costumes for the Lemurians' are quite standard. Director Don Sharp's tight and compact handling doesn't let its budget restraints entirely bog it down and the performances are mostly good. Robert Powell is an undervalued actor and makes light work of his performance by presenting an easy-going charm and class. Timothy Bottoms is efficient and the gorgeously fixating Lisa Blount gives a hardy turn. Modest low-budget horror/adventure item that goes on to promise more than it actually delivers.