BY LEE PFEIFFER
In the 1960s, enterprising producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff were riding high through their production company American International Pictures. They specialized in making low-budget crowd pleasers that ranged from "B" horror and science fiction films to zany "beach" comedies. They had established a stable of stars who they could depend on to top-line these movies, none of which were blockbusters, but most of which turned a decent profit in an era in which a decent profit was sufficient to please studio bosses. There was no greater star for American International than Vincent Price, who had often teamed with producer Roger Corman for a number of highly successful film adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's literary works. When Corman and Price had exhausted most of the more promising Poe works, Corman moved on to other projects, establishing himself as a legend in the movie industry. Price, however, remained at the disposal of American-International. He was never overly-selective about the films he agreed to star in, though even the worst of them benefited from his presence. Nicholson and Arkoff kept mining the Poe pot of gold by the weakest of links, as evidenced by "War-Gods of the Deep", of which it has been said that Price didn't even read the script until a week before filming had commenced. Nicholson and Arkoff had authorized a film inspired by Poe's poem "City in the Sea", with Dan Haller and George Willoughby producing. The movie was directed by Jacques Tourneur, who had brought to the screen at least two films that are now regarded as classics: "Cat People" and "Out of the Past". However, throughout most of his career, Tourneur did not enjoy the appreciation retro movie fans now show for his work. Instead, his talents were considered workmanlike and he was largely relegated to directing mediocre and forgettable films. ("War-Gods" would prove to be his final movie.)
"War-Gods of the Deep" (released in some countries as "City Under the Sea" and "City in the Sea") was a production fraught with problems from the very beginning. Charles Bennett, who wrote the first draft of the screenplay, was disheartened when Louis M. Heyward was hired to significantly rewrite his concepts to add some humor to the movie. Heyward's contributions included introducing a major comedic character, Harold Tufnell-Jones, played by David Tomlinson and the inclusion of a pet hen which he absurdly carries with him throughout the film. This was enough to make Bennett disown the final version of the movie. Similarly, there was also a falling-out between producers Haller and Willoughby. The production also lost some luster when plans to cast Boris Karloff in a key role fell through and he was replaced by John Le Mesurier. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios outside of London, with the movie's few exterior shots filmed on the Cornwall Coast. The film seemed to capitalize on audience fascination during this era with science fiction stories that were set in underground lairs or cities (i.e. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "The Time Machine", "First Men in the Moon", "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Mysterious Island.") However, "War-Gods" pales in comparison to those similarly-themed films.
The movie, which is set at the beginning of the 20th century, opens in a British coastal town where strange occurrences have the inhabitants in distress. People are mysteriously disappearing and in one case, a missing man turns up dead in the surf. Ben Harris (Tab Hunter) is an American mining engineer working in the area. He makes the acquaintance of Jill Tregillis (Susan Hart), the American daughter of a local hotelier. When Jill vanishes, Ben and quirky local artist, Harold Tuffnell-Jones (David Tomlinson) launch a search only to accidentally be sucked into a whirlpool that deposits them in a secret underground city beneath the sea. It is ruled over by an aristocrat known as The Captain (Vincent Price), who overseas a civilization that has existed here for over a hundred years. The Captain informs them that, due to atmospheric conditions, the inhabitants never age and will enjoy eternal life. The city is guarded by the Gill Men, who are half-human, half-fish, who are the remaining survivors of a once thriving neighboring city that has that been all but obliterated. The Captain and his followers have installed an elaborate system of pumping air into their water-tight bubble that prevents them from drowning. They exist in apartments and rooms that have been carved into undersea caverns. He rules with an iron fist and sends the amphibious Gill Men to procure needed equipment from the local village and to occasionally kidnap people for various reasons. It becomes clear that he thinks Jill is the reincarnation of his beloved late wife. The Captain explains that an once-dormant undersea volcano is now activated, which is all-too-apparent to his captives. The seabed rocks with explosions and the Captain is desperate to find someone who can stem the inevitable destruction of his city. Ben buys time by pretending to be a scientist but with the clock ticking down, he knows he and his friends must escape before the ruse is discovered and they are sentenced to death.