Customer Reviews
A psychedelic blast from the past 
2005-02-07
I first stayed up to watch the Lost Continent when I was a kid. Always a fan of Hammer films, The Lost Continent is probably my favourite of all. Repeated viewings since have done nothing to diminish the film, if anything they have enhanced it. It is difficult to put this film into any single genre, it probably falls under a combination of action/fantasy/horror/sci fi.
It is based on the Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, although there are substantial and necessary plot revisions in the film.
The story is set on a rust bucket tramp steamer - the SS Corita, carrying an illegal cargo of high explosive, a dubious collection of passengers, and helmed by a moody, sarcastic captain - a typically strong performance from Eric Porter. Supported by a solid cast, this really makes the film tick.
Among the passengers, Hildegard Knef is convincing as the wife of an exiled dictator, whom she is fleeing from. Tony Beckley plays the drunken playboy Basil. Nigel Stock plays a doctor fleeing from his dubious past, with his daughter in tow. Benito Carruthers plays a thug, sent after Knef's character. Among the crew is Neil McCallum as the pious Chief Engineer, Reg Lye as the helmsman, and Hammer regular Michael Ripper as the crew's barrackroom lawyer. The first half of the film sees the interaction of passengers and crew, the ship get damaged during a hurricane, a mutiny, and the abandoning of the ship. Later some of the crew and passengers return to the ship and this sees the second half of the film where they encounter man eating seaweed, a graveyard of ships, gigantic crustaceans and celapods, and the survivors of the previous shipwrecks, ruled over by the Spanish Inquisition.
The dvd release has 8 mins of unrealeased footage which enhances and fleshes out the film nicely, making it a more complete viewing experience.
Despite its age, the film creates a truly original and imaginative fantasy setting, with its yellow skies, swirling mists, and oceans of voracious seaweed. Hammer imported the top SFX guys from Disney for this, one of their most expensive films, to give it its unique and original look. Enhancing this is the superb psychedelic musical score of Gerard Schurmann, coupled with the great title track, performed by The Peddlers.
For sheer movie originality and escapism, this one hits the spot. Sit back and let it take you away to a vivid and frightening world of imagination, with one of the most original movie scores ever, to accompany you on the way. Simply superb.
Unusual Hammer Horror Story Enlivened By Great Atmosphere 
2004-09-03
Coming out in 1968 around the time many of the famous disappearances were taking place over the Bermuda Triangle Hammer Studios latched onto a similiar type of theme when they adapted the novel by Dennis Wheatley called "Unchartered Seas", into one of their more unusual productions. Not boasting the usual array of Hammer talent with the exception of veteran character actor Michael Ripper, the studio in fact created in my belief a most unique story and setting for their latest effort that is rich in atmosphere and mystery. "The Lost Continent", certainly can't compare with some of Hammer's classic efforts like "Horror of Dracula", or "The Curse of Frankenstein", as far as quality or acting expertise are concerned, but it is another of those efforts that needs to be viewed on its own merits. Weird it might be considered by some but it manages to build up quite a level of suspense in its first hour where it is largely an adventure at sea and then rather dramatically when it turns into a science fiction saga complete with man eating sea weed, clawed monsters, eerie ship graveyards, and a strange lost civilisation that is a relic of the time of the Spanish Inquisition.
The action of "The Lost Continent", begins with a rusty, decrepit old steamer evading a coast guard customs vessel as it steams out to sea commanded by Capt. Lansen. The captain has his own special reasons for not wanting the coast guard to inspect his cargo. He is carrying a special shipment of illegal highly explosive material in drums that will detinate if they come into contact with water. Aboard the steamer is also a motley group of individuals who are all attempting to get away from something on the mainland and can't risk booking passage on an ordinary passenger vessel. Their reasons for travelling on this vessel are many and varied and range from escaping ruthless lovers, to fleeing blame for botched operations. Despite hurricane warnings Cpt. Lansen refuses to turn back and very soon the vessel is damaged in the storm and develops a leak which threatens to blow up the whole vessel as the water rises in the ships hull dangerously close to the explosive cargo. After the crew mutiny and take off in one of the lifeboats the captain decides to abandon ship and the tattered group have to survive a storm at sea, marauding sharks, and thirst under the blazing sun before they find their own ship again after a few days. After reboarding the vessel however a strange carnivourous seaweed envelopes the ship. deadly by nature it feeds on any unfortunate humans it comes into contain with and begins dragging the vessel away in the opposite direction. The group eventually find themselves in uncharted waters where the vessel is lodged in a strange ships graveyard. However this strange place also harbours not only man eating sea weed and terrifying crab monsters, but also other survivors some of which are the descendants of the original occupants of the galleon's stuck in the sea weed . One group are the decendants of Spanish Conquistadores who are ruled by a young boy titled "El Supremo", and who stage bloody reprisals against anyone invading their world. Members of the party are captured by the Spanish and before being sacrificed to El Supremo the men stage a breakout that sees the main gathering place of the Spanish "Court" go up in flames with El Supremo killed by one of his group who was actually directing things in this world. The survivors of both groups make it back to the vessel where a funeral is held for El Supremo just as the killer sea weed releases the vessel which then resumes its journey to safety.
Certainly one of Hammer's more unusual efforts from their golden period of the 1960's, "The Lost Continent", has I feel much of interest to offer the viewer. Looking critically at the special effects employed in the film certainly some of the giant crab monsters and in particular the octopus that the group encounter once they reach the outskirts of the lost continent are highly amateurish and not up to Hammer's usual standards. However monsters were never that studios speciality having of course built their fine horror reputation on characters like Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy. What is the standout here however is the aggressive man eating sea weed that is responsible for trapping the ship in the first place. All aggressive tentacles, and slippery multi coloured growth that billows out smoke, it is highly intriguing and really creates an impressive horror look and feel to the second half of the story. "The Lost Continent", boasts a fine international cast that do well with what are basically fairly unlikeable characters. Eric Porter does a sterling job as the shady Capt. Lansen who is responsible for the debacle because of his greed in wanting just one last big paycheck before he retires regardless of the danger. German actress Hildegard Knef also does well with the slim material available to her in the role of runaway Eva Peters who is being pursued by an agent of her former South American dictator lover. The supporting characters are just as colourful with the standouts being Nigel Stock as the morally corrupt Dr. Webster who meets a grizzly end courtesy of a shark, Suzanna Leigh as his wayward mantrap daughter Unity and Jimmy Hanley as the jolly "seen it all before", bartender Patrick. Hammer Veteran Michael Ripper complete with brutal facial scar also makes his mark in a small but pivotal supporting role as a member of the crew who decide to mutiny rather than risk their lives transporting Capt. Lansen's explosive cargo. The switch from adventure yarn to outright science fiction is well handled and the two sections of the film have very different looks to them which are illustrated in the vivid colour usage in both parts of the story. The first half has the natural hues of an adventure at sea while the last half, taking place in the never never land of the Sargasso sea has a spectacular red, gold and orange look to compliment all the surreal things that take place there. The look of this second half of "The Lost Continent", is what stays in the mind with the ship graveyard with the wrecks of centuries old galleons and the killer sea weed being its strong points. The excellent recreation of the bizarre society that lives there which is straight out of the era of the Spanish conquistadors also deserves special merit in its costumes and brutal rituals.
Certainly "The Lost Continent", would not be on everyone's list of top ten horror efforts but that is not to say it's not a movie that is enjoyable or in any way memorable. The performances alone lift this effort above your usual Saturday afternon fare and certainly the killer sea weed is a most unusual element to see in a Hammer film. No Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee in sight here in the cast as one almost comes to expect with a Hammer Production but as long as you put your mind in neutral and sit back for some incredible goings on in the Sargasso Sea involving all kinds of bizzare creatures and happenings then you are sure to have a fairly interesting viewing experience. Enjoy!
Great! Porter, Knef and Seaweed That Bites 
2004-08-07
One of my favorite rainy weekend movies, The Lost Continent also is one of the best ripe Hammer films of the Sixties.
A freighter is blown off course and finds itself in a fog-shrouded part of the ocean where the seaweed enjoys flesh and mutated creatures with claws scamper about. It's a mild horror version of the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda Triangle. Eventually the surviving crew and passengers encounter humans who scitter around the seaweed with paddle-like shoes and balloons. The ship these people are from is a Spanish galleon several hundred years old, the crew of which survived and bred into the generations, evolving an Inquisition-like culture on board.
It's really pretty good, thanks to the interesting ideas of seaweed that bites back and the evolved life on the Spanish ship, plus the skill of the two lead actors. And it has a great look. Eric Porter and Hildegard Knef were both heavyweights in the acting department. I'm not sure why they agreed to this film, but I assume the money was good. Porter is one of my favorite actors. He wasn't handsome enough to make a career as a movie leading man, but if anyone doubts his abilities to command watch him as Soames in the original BBC Forsyte Saga. Knef had a so-so career as a lead actress in a handful of American and British films, but returned to Germany for better stuff. She was sexy and self-confident.
Hammer Studios Meets Dennis Wheatley 2004-06-29
I just had the chance to view an old classic from Hammer Films. I refer to The Lost Continent which was based on the book UNCHARTED SEAS by Dennis Wheatley.
A tramp steamer sets out from Africa under the control of a strange captain. Aboard the steamer is a fortune in illegal explosives and some very desperate passengers. So desperate are the passengers that when notified of an oncoming hurricane they decide to press onward and not turn back. But before the hurricane hits and accident with the anchor ruptures the ships hull. Water is pouring into the hold where the illegal phosphor is stored. Some of the crew abandons ship in a failed mutiny. The rest, as well as the passengers, move the deadly cargo to drier parts. As the hurricane begins to hit the captain decides that they must all abandon ship.
Once in the life boat things get worse and stranger. With tensions high and tempers short fights break out. But before they can escalate to high the small craft finds itself amongst some strange seaweed. Once the weed proves deadly the survivors become indrawn until they bump into a ship stuck in the weed. The ship turns out to be their own and they reboard. They drift with the weed to a graveyard of ships located amongst some uncharted islands. Here the survivors find that others have survived as well. Descendants of many ships manage to survive including some Spanish Conquistadores and some very hungry monsters. A battle ensues and the ships survivors defeat the Spanish leaders and vow to keep trying to escape.
The Lost Continent was originally released in the late sixties and because of that suffers from a slow pace. But the pace is the only fault I find with this film. As one of Hammer's most elaborate and expensive films it stands as a classic. To insure the films quality, Hammer Films imported Bob Mattey, the special effects master from Disney, to handle the effects. From the film's beginning we are plunged into eeriness. Slowly the strangeness builds and we become convinced of the captain's madness. One of the passengers is even seen reading the Dennis Wheatley book. The film manages to convince the viewer of how desperate the characters are; a rare accomplishment. This one is really worth watching.
Great Surreal Adventure Tainted by Laughable Monsters 2004-04-12
I remember seeing this flick many years back on TV; it kept my interest for the first hour and twenty minutes , right up to when the colossal creatures appeared. They're so laughably bad I was FORCED to tune out.
After becoming a fan of Dana Gillespie (see her in "The People That Time Forgot" to learn WHY), and finding out she appeared in this pic, I ended up buying it on DVD. An open-minded second-look reveals a fine adventure yarn capped off by a very moody, surreal climax.
Quite a few reviewers state that there is no lost continent in the picture; this is not true. When the cast are in the Sargasso sea area you can clearly see mountainous land in the background; in fact, a character even proclaims at one point, "Look -- land!" Some of the cast even end up walking on the "lost continent" which is where they run into the laughable monsters (giant crab, giant lobster, etc.).
What works: There's lots of action and adventure. Eric Porter as Captain Lansen is strong. The human-eating seaweed is a plus. The surreal sets for the orangey Sargasso Sea of shipwrecks are fantastic. Dana Gillespie is incredibly beautiful. The balloon shoes and harnesses are creative. The plot keeps your interest even though much of the writing is weak.
What doesn't work: Except for Dana Gillespie (Sarah) the characters are all rather unlikable and the biggest flaw is that the creature F/X are horrible (did I mention that already?).
Final Analysis: "The Lost Continent" is not hailed as one of Hammer's masterpieces, but I think the main reason for this is the lousy crustacean monsters. The flick gets extra points for its high adventure and its undeniably great mood. The film will certainly be enjoyable for those of us who are attracted to "lost continent"-type adventure flicks (just bear with the relatively short crustacean sequence). And Dana Gillespie doesn't hurt.
This is a great movie! 2007-07-25
This film is incredible! Audacious! There are a ton of creatures and f/x. The atmosphere and characters! Wow! This is one of my all time favorites. So many criticize this movie, but why? The dialogue, characters are terse, there's always a dilemna even in first slower half, but second picks right up.
Don't let any negative criticism stop you! How dare they! How many creatures and gore and f/x and freaky deaky are there in their other favorite films of this period! Huh!!???
I love the first 45 mins of characters b's'ing! So what... the dialogue is interesting, each ends up with their own little twist! Seriously! There's a villianous character who, after 3 or 4 viewings, I realized wasn't a cad at all! Each one of them has a change! Incredible!
And all the creatura! and the fights! and the mystifyingness, and the dirt and filth! Wunderbar!!!!
Oh! How Could I Have Forgottten 2006-02-07
This is a classic film, one of Hammer's Best and that is sayihng a lot. Gotta love Hammer. You have a no nonsense captain carrying an illegal caro. A first mate who must have used Clairol Blond 4-32574X 013 box and can't be decisive. You have a Motley Crew of old sea dogs along with a passenger list of people who are running away from their pasts: including a manly but handsome Barbara Streisand look alike, a poorman's Michael caine and his daughter, a drunken piano player and a reject from the Rico Suave' Social Club and others. All of them on one rusty cargo ship. This ship ends up in trouble and the people react in various ways. Some new comers arrive at the ship including the extremely voluptuous Sara (Dana Gillespie) who in real life is a British blues singer but in this film sounds like a scandanavian lost girl. Lots of Killer weeds and Evil coneheads round up the cast. I almost forgot about this one until I bought it a few years ago. I saw this on TV when I was a kid and I am still waiting for the sequel.
Highly Recommended. This film has a very interesting story, I would love to see a prequel as well. Dana Gillespie is worth the price of this DVD alone.
Good flick. I just finished watching this for the umpteenth time and had to finally review it.
Thanks for the memories... 2005-12-29
Ahhh...memories of going to the movies each week all summer long as a kid. Back in the 70s in elementary school, students were given the opportunity to purchase a set of special movie tickets for about a dollar a piece (or was it a dollar for the whole thing?) and you could go see a different movie each week. Each year there were several new/different movies, but there were at least three that came back year after year. 1. the 1966 Batman with Adam West and Burt Ward 2. Big Jake with John Wayne and 3. Hammer Studios' The Lost Continent. I loved those three movies especially The Lost Continent with the writhing, man-eating seaweed vines and the giant crab-like monster battling the equally huge scorpion monster. Great fun. My uncle would take me every year to see all 10 movies through the summer and we always looked forward to the weeks when we'd get to see those three again. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the name of my favorite one and it took me over 20 years to finally find out what the name of that movie was (The Lost Continent). I finally found it on VHS at a video store in the mall back about 10 years ago. I wish I had known about the DVD release back when it came out...I would have bought that in a heartbeat! Lots of fun! Especially if you love monsters and crazy weird stuff in your movies!
Killer weed and an explosive plot 2005-08-01
A mysterious ship escapes port before they can detect that it is full of explosives that are triggered by water. This may prove to be valuable in the future. To make things worse a storm blows them off course into the Sargasso Sea. Sargasso means floating vegetable. Yes they are caught in a sea of floating vegetable and find an unusual society. Living there people from many ships that got vegetated over the centuries by weeds that would like nothing more than to eat you. How will they cope? Do they escape or are they assimilated. Watch this uniquely Hammer film and find out.
This is a classic Film 2005-05-02
overlooked masterpiece in the top 10 of all Hammer films and perhaps one of the most interesting films ever made. As good as the Reptile if not better: The photography and art direction by Arthur lawson who one the best color art direction in 1948 for the Red Shoes are the finniest of any movie made in the late 60's. Opening tune by the Pedlers is totally inappropriate and ads to the bizzare chain of events and colors. The narrative follows a cargo ship with explosives ready to blow up in a hurricane followed by a mutiny. This is about the first 30 minutes are the best part and like its own adventure story. Later things get unpredictable beginning with a shipwreck in a junkyard type island run by the Spanish Inquisition and surrounded by man-eating seaweed. On the way some of the characters are killed in a mishap with am octopuss monster. The captain of the ship is played very well by Eric Porter who was Moriarty in the BBC Sherlock Holmes series.
