'Under the Mountain' Trailer

New Zealand is the hot destination for lavish film productions requiring beautiful landscapes; bleeding edge F/X technology, monsters and creature makeups.

Guillermo del Toro (The Hobbit, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) on New Zealand...
"It is infinitely superior to Hollywood for me. Because this is Hollywood the way God intended it. The creation of movies. And the structure to create those movies in the most technically perfect environment, but all around the pure love of filmmaking as opposed to the accounting, and the money, marketing, and everything that is wrong with making movies. You know you have a place that is creatively driven, but technologically, absolutely great. And if you have anything lacking and you say "we don't have this, we don't have that"; ingenuity and craftsmanship and devotion supply it as opposed to the idea of an idea of a marketing place that produces movies to a particular target audience, you know."

New Zealand's filmmaker Jonathan King, who wrote and directed fun horror/comedy indie film called Black Sheep, releases his latest offering Under the Mountain in December 2009. The film showcases some of New Zealand film industry's finest resources.

Sam Neill, Tom Cameron, and Sophie McBride star in the movie which is based on the novel by Maurice Gee.

The story follows two twins that have to fight against shape-shifting monsters that live under Aukland’s extinct volcano’s.

Synopsis
When teenage twins Rachel and Theo Matheson investigate the creepy old house next door, they discover the Wilberforces - shape-shifting creatures that lurk beneath Auckland’s ring of extinct volcanoes. Guided by the mysterious Mr Jones and with the help of their older cousin Ricky, the twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy this ancient evil - before it destroys them.