The Phantom Empire
PHANTOM EMPIRE. 1986
Director: Fred Olen Ray

Reviewed by Paghat the Ratgirl



The Phantom Empire The budgetless comedy-SciFi-Horror film Phantom Empire (1986) stars Sybil Danning as the amazonian Queen Zal from outer space, marooned in the Hollow Earth with Robby the Robot.

A group of scientists are exploring the Hollow Earth, searching for the lost city of R'lyla, named for H. P. Lovecraft's horrific sunken city, though not otherwise related to any Lovecraft tale.

Phantom Empire qualifies as a Haggardesque "Lost Race" tale. It has two lost races in fact, for the scientists encounter subterranean cannibal troglodytes, plus a prehistoric all-girl tribe that might rightly be called the Jiggly Boobies Tribe.

The Jiggly Boobies Tribe has apparently been subjugated by the alien Queen Zal, & they are eager to do her evil bidding.

The Phantom EmpireIn trash-director Fred Olen Ray's everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach, we are even provided appealingly retro dinosaur effects -- a real treat for us stopmotion-animation fans.

A typical scene in the subterranean world features Michelle Brauer (who made pornflicks under the name Pia Snow) in the role credited as "Cave Bunny" wearing a two-piece loincloth swimsuit, getting the top ripped off to bare her breasts in a fight scene.

Lots of in-jokes for horror & serial fans, fun to watch especially if you're with a clowning group of fans, but with successful moments of humor too widely dispersed to be quite as much fun watching it if you're alone.

Also featured are Russ Tamblyn, Ross Hagen, & that enjoyable weirdo Jeffrey Combs (of the ReAnimator films) cast unexpectedly as the handsome hunk.

For more dinosaurs, continue to:
A Sound of Thunder (2005)

copyright © by Paghat the Ratgirl



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