release year: 1981
genre: horror
viewing setting: home VHS, 10/4/00
what I expected: wasn't sure
what I got: pretty good suspenseful and entertaining monster movie
synopsis: The Silver City mine shaft has been sealed since 1953, and when some miners re-open it, they find out why.
impressions: Pretty good. It was spooky, mostly by suggesting rather than showing the monsters. It had a tight story that moved along fairly well, without trying to be too complicated or contrived. The script was good, too - some of the characters had lines that made me laugh, for real (as opposed to laughing because they were corny.) A few minor problems: some scenes were so dark that I couldn't tell what was going on, less-than-stellar full-body monster effects. As I said, minor problems; this is a worthy monster movie.
acting: Good enough - and there were some genuinely funny moments. Also, any time I actually sit there and hope that two characters don't get killed, that says something.
body count: 7, plus 1 poodle.
final word: Average but well-done horror movie, worth seeing.
rating: C