John Carradine, whose entire role consists of narrating from a chair
and never meeting the rest of the cast, sends four scientists down
in a diving bell that snaps its cable and sinks into a subterranean
cavern — a glowing "petrified world" where the survivors bicker,
pair off, and dodge stock footage until they find a volcanic vent to
ride back to the surface. Made by Jerry Warren, one of the true
minors of 1950s exploitation, from a script padded out around
underwater footage shot in Santa Catalina's real submarine gardens.
It is exactly as slow and threadbare as that sounds, which is why
it remains a fixture of public domain sci-fi collections and
late-night movie marathons. The film is in the public domain.
Sci-Fi · Horror · Adventure
