Sam Neill is one of my favorite actors and 2010 sees him in not one, but two, new genre films. Of course there is Daybreakers on January 8, and then there is Under The Mountain, a new film from Jonathan King (Black Sheep) that was released in New Zealand on December 10. No word yet on any domestic release plans. This one seems to be aimed toward the tween crowd, but it has some amazing visual and creature designs. Based on the acclaimed novel by Kiwi author Maurice Gee, Under The Mountain has been in print since first published in 1979. The book has been a much loved classic for generations of younger readers and, in 1982, the story became a scary and hugely popular TV series that is vividly remembered today.

Synopsis: Teenage twins Rachel and Theo travel to Auckland to stay with relatives following the sudden death of their mother. Where there was once a psychic bond between them, now there is a rift as Theo, particularly, refuses to confront his grief. Rachel reaches out to him, but is rebuffed.Staying with their Aunt Kay and Uncle Cliff on Lake Pupuke, the twins are fascinated by the volcanic lake and the smell that seems to come from creepy old Wilberforce house around the shore. They visit Mt Eden, where Theo sees Mr Jones, a strange old man from whose hands fire seems to glow. When it seems the twins are being watched – and that the Wilberforces can smell them – Theo resolves to investigate the Wilberforce house. Inside, he and Rachel find what can only be an alien environment.They overhear Mr Wilberforce talking about something stirring beneath the ground. He says he will kill the twins if they find “the fire-raiser”. Rachel is alarmed and reaches out to Theo but, terrified of getting close to anyone since his mother’s death, pushes her away and sets out alone to find the fireraiser – the man he saw on the mountain top.

Source: You Tube

Tags: Jonathan King, Matt Gillanders, Matthew Chamberlain, Maurice Gee, Oliver Driver, Sam Neill, Sophie McBride, Tom Cameron