Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Unknown Terror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 5, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Silver Screams Cinema Collection.

With Halloween sneaking up on us all in just a few more weeks, some may be looking for some scary movies to fill the interim and properly set the mood. Imprint's Silver Screams Cinema Collection may not in fact offer any undiscovered masterpieces, but it's kind of a goofily fun time capsule which can transport willing viewers back to a simpler era when low budget (some may aver no budget) studios like Monogram and Republic churned out B movies with some kind of horror underpinning which were frequently utilized to fill out double feature bills. The six films aggregated in this set span the production years of 1944 to 1957, and if the films themselves are often unabashedly silly, they can at least intermittently offer some saving graces, and there are a ton of interesting trivia tidbits about some of the films included, some of which I'll mention in the individual reviews linked to below, which, when combined with some really enjoyable commentaries included for each of the films (including some multiple commentaries), may make this set a "must buy" for certain fans.

I mentioned in the The Vampire's Ghost Blu-ray review how that film had a certain Val Lewton-esque quality, and in a way The Unknown Terror can feel like a Lewton film updated to the late fifties. That said, this is more squarely in the "silly monster" genre than some of Lewton's more psychologically tinged horror opuses could be, but The Unknown Terror benefits from a supposedly exotic setting that ultimately includes what is referred to as a "Cave of the Dead", where some climactic mayhem which some may find unintentionally hilarious occurs.

Commentators Kim Newman and Stephen Jones make no bones about being incredibly excited to finally be able to see The Unknown Terror in a great looking transfer in the proper aspect ratio, since this is one of the rarer films in the Silver Screams Cinema Collection. That very fact may make any deficits in the plot and presentation seem irrelevant, since fans may simply flock to this release for the simple reason that it exists. Suffice it to say that the plot revolves around both physically and emotionally wounded Peter Morgan (Paul Richards), who has some romantic history with Gina (Mala Powers), as well as another kind of history with the guy who became Gina's husband, Dan Matthews (John Howard). In fact it was Peter's bravery in aiding Dan that led to his physical injury, and it is more than hinted that Gina's subsequent marriage to Dan is largely responsible for Peter's emotional angst.

When Gina's brother mysteriously goes missing while exploring the so-called Cave of the Dead, an expedition is mounted to rescue him, which of course includes the aforementioned ménage à trois. Now there are some unabashedly silly things about The Unknown Terror, including the terror itself, which at least in part comes off as a sudsy version of The Blob, but there are some really interesting little sidebars here involving the interloping Americans interfacing with the "natives".

The Unknown Terror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Unknown Terror is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint and Via Vision Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This "Regalscope" film looks largely fantastic in high definition, though there are a few isolated moments where what look like the "mumps" can show up, especially toward the middle of the frame and where heads and/or faces can look just slightly flattened and stretched. Otherwise, though, this is one of the nicer looking presentations in the Silver Screams Cinema Collection, with really appealing fine detail levels throughout, and some especially nicely modulated gray scale. Understandably some brief underwater moments don't offer the same general clarity as the rest of the presentation, and a few night or day for night shots are also just a tad murky. Grain is organic looking throughout the presentation.

The Unknown Terror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Unknown Terror features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that provides more than capable support for the film's sound design. Raoul Kraushaar's score sounds nicely full bodied, and sound effects are also surprisingly reverberant. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Unknown Terror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio commentary with horror / fantasy authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman

The Unknown Terror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may be a bit ironic that I found the "horror" element in The Unknown Terror to be one of the least interesting things about it. Instead, keep an eye on how the three Americans deal with the natives in the film. This offers some of the nicest looking video in the Silver Screams Cinema Collection, and once again the commentary from Stephen Jones and Kim Newman is informative and entertaining. Recommended.