Subterranean horror
The real underground horror films, where the bulk of the film takes place in caves, tunnels, sewers, etc. The common factor is the dark, claustrophobic atmosphere and grim, remorseless predators (and perhaps mole people).
See also: Hollow Earth films, which are subterranean but not necessarily horror.
Further reading: Fearnet's guide to underground horror, although they also include films where creatures attack from below (it seemed worth a new list).
See also: Hollow Earth films, which are subterranean but not necessarily horror.
Further reading: Fearnet's guide to underground horror, although they also include films where creatures attack from below (it seemed worth a new list).
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- DirectorRupert JulianLon ChaneyErnst LaemmleStarsLon ChaneyMary PhilbinNorman KerryA mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.Based in the catacombs.
- DirectorHerbert L. StrockStarsRichard EganConstance DowlingHerbert MarshallA security agent investigates sabotage and murder at a secret underground laboratory, home of two experimental robots.
- StarsAndré MorellCec LinderAnthony BushellA team of scientists search for the origin and purpose of a mysterious capsule found on a building site.A spaceship has been unearthed in the underground and it brings weirdness with it.
- DirectorMonte HellmanStarsMichael ForestSheila NoonanFrank WolffA group of gold thieves pull of a heist and flee into the snowy wilderness, only to be pursued by a horrible, spider-like monster.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsJames DonaldAndrew KeirBarbara ShelleyA mysterious artifact is unearthed in London, and famous scientist Bernard Quatermass is called in to divine its origins and explain its strange effects on people.
- DirectorGary ShermanStarsDonald PleasenceNorman RossingtonDavid LaddWhen a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.A classic set on London's underground.
- DirectorTom AldermanStarsDeborah WalleyPaul CarrDavid G. CannonTrapped in a cave, five men cut the arm off of another companion in order to ward off starvation. After they are saved, their victim seeks revenge on them one by one.For the early scenes.
- DirectorJerry JamesonStarsStewart MossMarianne McAndrewMichael PatakiAfter being bitten by a bat in a cave, a doctor undergoes an accelerating transformation into a man-bat, which ruins his vacation and causes considerable distress for his wife.Not as "batty" as the name suggests, but it is bookended by subterranean horror.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsRobert ForsterRobin RikerMichael V. GazzoA pet baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives in the city sewers. Twelve years later, it grows to an enormous size thanks to a diet of discarded laboratory dogs injected with growth hormones. Now, humans have entered the menu.
- DirectorJames L. ConwayStarsRebecca BaldingFred McCarrenAnne-Marie MartinOtherworldly creatures are released from the bootleg tunnels underneath a small-town mining community, and begin chomping on the locals.
- DirectorAlfredo ZacaríasStarsSamantha EggarStuart WhitmanRoy JensonSpouses looking for silver in Mexico find a 300 year old severed hand driven by a demon.
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsKate MulgrewRip TornJames NaughtonThe 11-year old daughter and girlfriend of a man whose wife had been raped and killed in front of his daughter three years earlier are kidnapped by the same killer. Held captive in a bunker below Grand Central Station, the two plot their escape while the police try to track the kidnapper.
- DirectorDouglas CheekStarsJohn HeardDaniel SternChristopher CurryA bizarre series of sudden disappearances on the streets of New York City seems to point toward something unsavory living in the sewers.The acronym says it all: Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller.
- DirectorDon SharpStarsRobert PowellTimothy BottomsLisa BlountAn army experiment in submarine communications falls foul of the deadly secret hidden deep within the cave system housing their transmitter.A British horror film that sounds awfully like The Descent
- DirectorGeorge PavlouStarsDenholm ElliottSteven BerkoffLarry LambWhen high class hooker Nicole is kidnapped from her brothel, Rich businessman Hugo Motherskille hires her ex love Roy Bain to find her.
- DirectorMelanie Anne PhillipsStarsDan LunhamTerri BerlandRolf TheisonA group of explorers surveying an abandoned goldmine are trapped in a cave in, and find themselves at the mercy of a slimy, mysterious creature.
- DirectorLeszek BurzynskiStarsJay LeggettCameron MitchellSullivan HesterSeveral escaped prisoners and two hostage women along with a sheriff's deputy find themselves trapped in a mine shaft, where a cannibalistic mutant is hunting them for food.
- DirectorThierry NotzStarsAndrew StevensStarr AndreeffGeorge KennedyWhen chemical warfare leaves the world barren and filled with mutated monsters, a band of survivors in an underground complex battle one of the creatures that was able to break in.
- DirectorRalph S. SingletonStarsDavid AndrewsKelly WolfStephen MachtIn a very old textile mill with a serious rat infestation, deadly accidents start happening, but the corrupt foreman continues to put his workers in danger, until they discover a horrifying secret deep in the basement.
- DirectorJ.S. CardoneStarsLouise FletcherDavid BeecroftJames HongScientists experiment with Extreme Dream Sleep and find a Parallel Dimension. Now they find the door works both ways and something has come through.
- DirectorJon HessStarsJoseph BolognaDee WallaceRichard LynchA giant alligator makes a city lake his new feeding ground and must be stopped before he breaks out into the surroundings.
- DirectorDan O'BannonStarsJohn TerryJane SibbettChris SarandonCharles Dexter Ward's wife enlists the help of a private detective to find out what her husband is up to in a remote cabin owned by his family for centuries.
- DirectorCraig PryceStarsStephen McHattieScott WickwareBrion JamesSomething is alive beneath the surface of the graveyard. Something with the power to destroy and the power to heal. One man, a cop, is determined to kill this mysterious creature. Another, a scientist, is determined to capture and save this miraculous being. Stalking the creature in it's subterranean habitat, neither man is aware of the battle they are about to start. A battle for science, survival and revenge.
- DirectorPaul MatthewsStarsEmmanuel XuerebJack ChancerPeter TregloanA team of spelunkers, when investigating a system of caves beneath a small town, come across a hideous creature that can move through walls.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsMira SorvinoJeremy NorthamAlexander GoodwinThree years ago, entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease. Now, the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind.
- DirectorPeter SvatekStarsGillian FerrabeePascal GruselleRoy DupuisA man travels to an island with his girlfriend in search of his relatives, but he finds maybe more than what he wanted to know.
- DirectorRob GreenStarsJason FlemyngAndrew TiernanChristopher FairbankGermany, 1944. The forests of the Ardennes. A platoon of battle weary German soldiers, forced into confusion and retreat by advancing Allied forces, take refuge in an isolated Siegfried Line bunker.
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsMilla JovovichMichelle RodriguezRyan McCluskeyA special military unit fights a powerful, out-of-control supercomputer and hundreds of scientists who have mutated into flesh-eating creatures after a laboratory accident.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsSarah Michelle GellarNicholas BrendonEmma Caulfield FordAfter killing Caleb, Buffy conceives a plan to defeat the First once and for all. Willow invokes a magic spell that alters the ancient Slayer spell and gives Buffy the allies she needs to fight the Uber-Vamp army. An epic battle ensues and several good friends are lost. At the end, Buffy faces a completely new problem -- one she's glad to have.The final episode of Buffy ends in full subterranean horror-style, when the Slayers descend into the Hellmouth.
- DirectorTakashi ShimizuStarsShin'ya TsukamotoTomomi MiyashitaKazuhiro NakaharaA fear-obsessed freelance cameraman (Shinya Tsukamoto) investigates an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo.Strange film that taps into Richard Shaver's hollow earth theories.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsFranka PotenteSean HarrisVas BlackwoodTrapped in a London subway station, a woman who's being pursued by a potential attacker heads into the unknown labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city's streets.
- DirectorS.S. WilsonStarsMichael GrossSara BotsfordBilly DragoA prequel to Tremors (1990), this movie tells us about how the town of Perfection, Nevada became founded and how they defended it against the Graboids with the help of Burt Gummer's ancestor, Hiram.The prequel with a lot of action based in a mine, the rest (and other similar films) are dealt with in my other list: They Attack from Below
- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.The first of three caving horror films released in 2005
- DirectorBruce HuntStarsPiper PeraboMorris ChestnutCole HauserBlood-thirsty creatures await a pack of divers who become trapped in an underwater cave network.
- DirectorOlatunde OsunsanmiStarsSybil DarrowMustafa ShakirOgy DurhamIn a Asian desert, a team of explorers learn of a newly discovered cave system and set out to explore it. However as soon as they begin the descent, it becomes clear that this was a secret that should have remained below the surface.Originally The Cavern, the name was changed because of the two films above.
- DirectorUwe BollStarsChristian SlaterTara ReidStephen DorffA detective of the paranormal slowly unravels mysterious events with deadly results.Although the category really only applies to the later parts of the film it is classic subterranean horror, which doesn't save it from being terrible (although not as bad as AitD2, despite what the IMDB ratings might suggest). Does that sequence strike anyone else as being awfully similar to the underground parts of the Buffy episode "Chosen", mentioned above?
- DirectorAndy LauerStarsEdward FurlongSteve RailsbackCerina VincentA group of four teenage friends become trapped in a Mexican border tunnel where they fall prey, one-by one, to tortured ghosts who haunt it.
- DirectorFrank van GelovenEdwin VisserStarsVictoria KoblenkoKürt RogiersJop JorisAfter her father gets killed in an automobile accident, Kristel Lodema discovers that he was investigating an old mine where convicted child killer Andries Martiens died back in 1857. Kristel decides to check out the mine along with a group of young adults. However, the mine turns out to be haunted by the dangerous, murderous spirit of Martiens.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsTed LevineKathleen QuinlanDan ByrdA traveling family falls victim to a group of mutated cannibals in a desert far away from civilization.The hills may indeed have eyes but quite a lot of the film, and the end section involve what happens beneath the hills.
- DirectorDavid L. CunninghamStarsDaniel CaltagironeFlora MontgomeryNicholas AaronUrban Explorers are extreme sports' answer to computer hackers: a growing breed of thrill-seekers who thrive on infiltrating the planet's most dangerous man-made structures... Just because they can.
- DirectorJ.S. CardoneStarsLori HeuringScout Taylor-ComptonChloë Grace MoretzKaren, Sarah, and Emma Tunney are all moving to a small town in Pennsylvania where, unknown to them, in 1913, a horrid mine accident trapped dozens of children alive, underground. But there's a problem. They're still alive.
- DirectorElio QuirogaStarsSilkeOmar MuñozPepo Oliva8-year-old Jesús has been living in a crumbling underground facility since he was born with eight survivors of an apocalyptic war: the leader Maria and her lover Pablo, gays Lucas and Mateo, astronomer Magdalena, teenager Ana, soldier Pedro, and lonely Judas. They are permanently under surveillance, threatened by the contaminated mutants The Strangers, and once a day they have to lock themselves in their rooms without heating to protect against the dangerous ghosts The Invisibles that attack in the Cold Hour. They cannot go to the surface, destroyed by a nuclear war. When they need supplies, medications, and ammunition, they organize expeditions to a store. When the menace of The Invisibles affects the safety of the group of survivors, they need to reach the surface.Nine or so years after some kind of global war a small group of survivors cling on in an underground bunker menaced by The Invisibles, icy cold ghostly beings, and The Strangers, people infected with an enemy bioweapon (which means this film also has some crossover with contagious violence). Well worth a watch.
- DirectorRichard PepinStarsChristopher AtkinsColm MeaneyAngela FeatherstoneDisguised as extreme adventurers, a group of high profile thieves unknowingly lead a group of wealthy tourists on an expedition through an abandoned salt mine that is guarded by ancient creatures.
- DirectorJimmy ChengStarsTim ColeRob FairhurstWilly NelsonFour friends on a hiking trip discover an underground labyrinth where they are forced to play a deadly game.
- DirectorMaurice DevereauxStarsIlona ElkinNicolas WrightNeil NapierKaren boards a late-night train and fights with several other passengers to survive a murderous night after becoming trapped in a tunnel.
- DirectorJohn HarlacherStarsSebastian MontoyaRick PoliLarry SwansenIn a tunnel deep under Manhattan, the Old Man rules the citizens of Scum-City. He swears to lead them to a paradise within the hollow earth once he finds five noble souls; but until then his followers must steal and deal to support him. A terminally ill hunchback named Goliath, crazed by his approaching death, decides to find the five noble souls and present them to the Old Man;by beheading New Yorkers he deems worthy of the honor. Meanwhile, another Scum-City dweller known as The Kid tries to do the Old Man's bidding, tangling with deadly gangsters and eccentric drug dealers-even though The Kid is only nine and his main weapon is a water pistol filled with acid. As both Goliath and The Kid pursue paths they believe will lead to paradise, they rob, kill;and inevitably confront each other in a grand showdown.Also touches on Hollow Earth themes.
- DirectorTomm CokerDavid ElliotStarsShannyn SossamonPinkEmil HostinaVictoria visits her sister in Paris and goes to a rave in the catacombs under the city, on her first night. The remains of over 6,000,000 people are there and something evil is lurking in the tunnels.
- DirectorRandy DaudlinStarsTom SizemoreWendy AndersonRichard FitzpatrickA group of utility workers are trapped in a series of tunnels which, unfortunately, contain a scientist mutated by his own creation. The creature feeds instantly on a rat, becoming what it has eaten.
- DirectorLawrence AxeStarsStella ChethamHoward CohenThomas-James FisherA underground base is discovered and the left over spirits from when the base was used to torture solders remain.
- DirectorPeter A. DowlingStarsKip PardueVinessa ShawBreckin MeyerFour men out on a STAG NIGHT in New York prematurely exit an underground train after the soon-to-be-best-man begins to hassle two women. Trapped at a deserted station these six adults become the target of a gruesome manhunt when a secret gang of cannibal dwellers, living in the tunnels discovers them. Tensions will rise as they fight to make it through the night with all their limbs attached.
- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraStarsVinnie JonesBradley CooperLeslie BibbA photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.Bloody and brutal slayings on the underground, it rather dodges the full Lovecraftian ending from Clive Barker's story but it still works well (although I'd recommend you read the story for the full explanation, as the story makes more sense with it).
- DirectorSteve BarkerStarsRay StevensonJulian WadhamRichard BrakeIn war-torn Eastern Europe, a mysterious businessman hires a group of mercenaries on a routine mission to protect him not knowing of the long-hidden secret that lies there.Nazi zombies haunting a bunker that houses strange WWII-era technology.
- DirectorBelinda Green-SmithStarsLisa Marie DaviesAmy WatkinsTwo Sisters hiking in the woods fall through into a vast underground cavern and soon realize that they are not alone.
- DirectorJon HarrisStarsMichael J. ReynoldsShauna MacdonaldJessika WilliamsRefusing to believe her story about cave-dwelling monsters, the sole survivor of a spelunking exploration gone horribly wrong is forced to follow the authorities back into the caves where something awaits.Picks up where the first film finishes, and we have to go back underground and face the subterranean menace again.
- DirectorJason ConneryStarsCuba Gooding Jr.Ray WinstoneRon PerlmanAn elite group of soldiers on a covert mission to retrieve a scientist from an underground lab encounter an ancient evil in the facility.
- DirectorOleg AsadulinStarsPyotr FyodorovPyotr TomashevskiyAgniya KuznetsovaRainy summer evening... Young people are arriving at the new trendy club named Phobos which is still under construction. Or re-construction - since it's a former bomb shelter which is reconstructed to become a club. At first, the party sees nothing wrong, but soon the bunker doors turn out to be locked, and the teenagers get trapped underground without light and communication. At first, all of them are joking and do not realize how dangerous their situation is. Then they get frightened. All of them will need to cope with their fears before the bunker will let them free.
- DirectorCarlo LedesmaStarsBel DeliáAndy RodoredaSteve DavisAn investigation into a government cover-up leads to a network of abandoned train tunnels deep beneath the heart of Sydney. As a journalist and her crew hunt for the story it quickly becomes clear the story is hunting them.
- DirectorRafael EisenmanStarsJacob D. WoodySofia PernasAdrian R'ManteA group of friends fight for their lives against the lethal and ravenous creatures lurking beneath the Earth's surface. The group finds themselves at the mercy of creatures genetically engineered by the military to be expendable in battle. Though they fought countless battles in Iraq, these friends never knew real fear until they went underground.
- DirectorAndy FetscherStarsNathalie KelleyNick EversmanKlaus StiglmeierWhen a group of urban explorers venture beneath Berlin, their guide hurts himself and the group must struggle to escape the subterranean maze beneath the city.
- DirectorJulian HigginsStarsBertie HigginsMike AgrestaPhillip AgrestaAccording to legend, prior to his tragic death, Don Antonio Feliz hid a fortune of Spanish gold deep inside a well on his state. Decades later Angelina Feliz discovers a map revealing the secret location of her ancestor's treasure.
- DirectorMike FlanaganStarsKatie ParkerCourtney BellDave LevineA woman and her sister begin to link a mysterious tunnel to a series of disappearances, including that of her own husband.
- DirectorPaul GroveStarsElliot BalchinLauren KellegherDuncan MacInnesTrying to impress on a first date, Pete and Jake take Beki and Julianne to a secluded bunker in the woods. However, the 'action' turns out to be not as they intended. What is the bunker's secret? Is everything really as it seems? Who are your real friends?
- DirectorMaximilian von VierStarsJoanne GaleWesley GilbertRaj RayA story about a group of youths trapped in an old World War 2 bunker following a terrorist attack in London on the eve of the 2012 Olympic Games. How far will they go to survive?
- DirectorSteven SheilStarsMiki MizunoSam HazeldineArio BayuThe legend of Yamashita's Gold lures a treasure hunter and his group deep into the Indonesian jungle. Once they are trapped in an abandoned World War II Japanese bunker, they face the terrifying reality that the only way out is to go further in.
- DirectorRichard GrayStarsJoseph CrossBriana EviganRafi GavronA group of young friends make an incomprehensible discovery in an abandoned mine, but the more they try to change the future, the more they seal their fate.
- DirectorJeff ChamberlainStarsReiley McClendonAdam HendershottValerie C. WalkerFive school friends seek adventure on Halloween night in an abandoned, haunted mine, only to find to their horror that the ghostly rumors may be true as they fight for survival.
- DirectorJustin DixStarsNicholas BellNgaire Dawn FairJohn BrumptonA special forces unit sent, to infiltrate Pine Gap Australia's top secret underground military compound, come under attack from unknown forces.
- DirectorLuke TedderStarsBen ProbertJosh ReeveSteve McCartenA scientist and a broken spirited soldier discover that plant life has begun to grow again after spending years living in an underground settlement dying of radiation poisoning.
- DirectorDanny AllenStarsJames Kenneth DavenportJohnny OstleNicholas BurnhamCold, Dark, Damp. Deep in the depths of a disused Victorian tunnel network something is waiting, desperate, alone. James (James Kenneth Davenport) and Harry (Johnny Ostle) are exploring an old Victorian Tunnel network under their city that was used as an air raid bunker during the war. Harry is convinced that they are being followed; James is more focused on going further into the tunnels to notice. Despite Harry's protests they continue, ever deeper into the darkness.
- DirectorDavid L. HuntStarsChris ClevelandMatthew AlanMark HayterTwo brothers stumble across a hidden cave. They explore it but things turn sinister when they realise there's something down there, something that may have been responsible for their father's death.
- DirectorBen KetaiStarsBrent BriscoeKurt CaceresEric EtebariA crew of coal miners becomes trapped 600 feet below ground after a disastrous collapse. As the air grows more toxic and time runs out, they slowly descend into madness and begin to turn on one another.
- DirectorAdam de la CourAn Al Jolson 'look-alike', and a masked humanoid with a fetish for tubing, perform an ominous two-part vaudeville show to an empty theatre.
- DirectorLawrence WhitehurstStarsHollie BurrowsRebecca HolmesStephanie LeeLaura Robson is locked away in her bedroom, aching for the day she will be loved again. Her mother, father and siblings fear what they do not understand. Over the course of a single evening, each of the family visit Laura and the true feelings that everyone hides finally emerge.
- StarsMatthew NealVulnerable and scared Claire awakens to find herself bound and gagged, her captor next door. Can she escape before he enacts his sadistic plans?
- DirectorMike EdwickStarsSteve DeveyEmma JengSteven KamaraDaniel awakens in unfamiliar surroundings accompanied by a strange, shadowy figure he has never seen before. Is this individual even human? It soon becomes clear that whoever he is, he holds Daniel's life in the balance. The Advisor details the meeting of office worker Daniel Brown with his 'Advisor' - an entity whose job it is to help Daniel understand whether his life is worth living or not. Their meeting takes place inside a representation of Daniel's mind, where he has regressed to after receiving a fatal head injury.
- DirectorJohn Erick DowdleStarsPerdita WeeksBen FeldmanEdwin HodgeWhen a team of explorers venture into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.
- DirectorOklahoma WardStarsNicole AlonsoTorey ByrneTommy BallAn elite security team assigned the task of protecting the last known woman who can become pregnant, find themselves caught in an endless claustrophobic underground tunnel system. The team soon learns - the real horror is not the unstoppable force chasing them, but the ever shrinking tunnel itself.
- DirectorAlastair OrrStarsZachary SoetengaLindsey McKeonSofia PernasA group of friends travel to Panama where they convince a local woman to guide them into the jungle. However, when their guide goes missing, they realize that they've stumbled into the lair of horrific, bloodthirsty creatures.
- DirectorLloyd Lee BarnettStarsChristian OliverLes BrandtCary-Hiroyuki TagawaFramed for assassinating the Grandmaster, the Lost Ninja Clan must fight their way up an underground nuclear bunker filled with hordes of supernatural enemies, mutants, and flesh-eating zombies.
- DirectorMickey KeatingStarsAshley BellPat HealyJames Landry HébertPart crime caper gone awry, part survival horror film, this 1970s set thriller depicts a harrowing fight for survival after a pair of wannabe crooks botch a bank heist and flee into the desert, where they inexplicably stumble upon Carnage Park, a remote stretch of wilderness occupied by a psychotic ex-military sniper.
- DirectorNeko SparksStarsLieschen PogueAlan PietruszewskiSam MyersonAn archaeological expedition uncovers a prehistoric hominid burial site. When their team is unexpectedly attacked they are forced to take refuge in the catacombs of an unmapped cave. One by one they fall to an ancient predator.
- DirectorDean YurkeStarsBrie MattsonBrandon WardleSage MearsShadowed by a haunting presence in the redwood forest, five young hikers discover an abandoned goldmine dating back to the Gold Rush and descend into madness and greed as the pursuit of easy riches consumes them.
- DirectorBen WheatleyA band of misfits hunt down and kill underground, nocturnal monsters.
- DirectorPatrick BriceStarsDemi MooreJessica WilliamsEd HelmsCEO Lucy takes her staff on corporate team building in some underground desert caves in New Mexico. They get stuck there.
- DirectorAdam SchlachterStarsSandra EcheverríaKelly BlatzAlison MacInnisA group of young students is being stalked by a bloodthirsty creature, which starts to kill them one by one. Their only hope for survival is to try to find a way out before the cave becomes their grave.
- ShortStarsBirgit StauberMarco KlammerJulian ThomeBased on the events in Perfection, Nevada, this story takes place on a different continent. When a small group of people take a vacation trip, they soon find themselves followed by a strange underground creature.
- DirectorStefan RuzowitzkyStarsMatt SmithNatalie DormerJohn BradleyAfter an unprecedented global pandemic turns the majority of humankind into violent "Infected," a man gifted with the ability to speak the Infected's new language leads the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure.
- DirectorBradley ParkerStarsAlicia SanzAdan CantoWill PattonA group of four amateur adventurers who specialize in exploring remote and forsaken places pay a visit to Shookum Hills, a town in the remote Appalachian Mountains, which was abandoned decades ago due to a mysterious coal mine fire.