Valdemar (Lucien Pan) is a well-known artist who is married to his muse, Linda (Ingrid Pitt). Since he has been painting portraits of his wife, his work has been in demand and Valdemar is beginning to gather some wealth by selling them. Valdemar and Linda take a trip to the jungle to bring some exotic settings to his work. Linda begins an affair with their guide, Chuck (Keith Larsen). Chuck and Linda start scheming. Once Valdemar finishes his latest batch of paintings, they plan to kill Valdemar and run away together.
At a nightclub Valdemar runs into an old acquaintance, Dr. Salani (Joseph de Cordova), and his associate, McAvoy (John Yench). Salani tells Valdemar that they are going on an expedition to find a waterfall that is reported to have some unusual properties. The natives believe it is cursed. Valdemar decides to go along and take Linda. Chuck is hired as their guide along with his assistant, Tumba (Joaquin Fajardo).
At the waterfall Salani and McAvoy notice a couple local tribesmen that seem to glow in the dark. The members of the tribe are secretive and hide from the newcomers. Salani and McAvoy tell Chuck to have samples taken of the water. Chuck sends Tumba down to the pool near the waterfall to get the samples. While he is there Tumba is grabbed by something glowing, is pulled under the water, and dies. Chuck goes into the pool and pulls Tumba out. The rest of the bearers become afraid and want to leave.
Back home Salani and McAvoy do experiments with the water on a mouse. They notice that the mouse begins drinking an inordinate amount of water. They come to the conclusion that the water is radioactive and emits what they call “omega rays”. The radioactivity causes the mouse to overheat and drink excessively. Finally, the mouse dies and spontaneously combusts. The locals in the area of the waterfall seem to have become immune to the effects of the radiation but have taken on a phosphorescent glow.
Valdemar finds out about Linda’s and Chuck’s affair. He buys a gun to kill them but then finds out about the radioactive pool under the waterfall and what it does. It gives him a better idea on how to handle his cheating wife and her lover.
“The Omegans” was released in 1968 and was directed by W. Lee Wilder. It is an American low-budget science fiction thriller.
The title is a bit of a misnomer. The only reference to it is when the scientists give the name to the strange reaction of the test mouse and label the culprit as Omega Rays.
It’s not a really bad movie but it does conform to Director Wilder’s usual expertise of making not-so-great movies. Also, there isn’t all that much science fiction here. It’s also a rather talkie film with some jungle montage for a little padding and some bland acting. It’s not as strange as any other Lee Wilder movie. I’ve seen a few of his films and they are all low budget with strange plots.