Synopsis: A group of miners goes down a dark and deep mine for a simple task, but a landslide seals their exit and face an unknown creature that is as dangerous as a lion.
Review: Mathieu Turi is the director of ‘The Deep Dark’, which is a claustrophobic thriller that takes place in a cave. The film commences in 1856 with an explosion causing a tragic blast, creating a scoop full of events which foreshadow the doom that lies ahead for yet another set of miners who have been assigned to collect certain precious items. The story revolves around professor Berthier (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who takes a group of young men into a mine where he promises them will be filled with treasures. Yet the team’s overwhelming desire along with the professor’s need to go further in cave causes a landslide, thus keeping them stuck in the cave. As they try to look for a way out, they unravel a horrifying monster. A monster, that could’ve been better left alone.
In particular, I would like to highlight the use of black and white cinematography by Alain Duplantier, which is very special in this film. It manages to highlight the cinematography’s central theme and offers a sense of suffocation at the same time. As much as the visuals are captivating, one could grow weary of it over time, because of the lack of color. Turi’s direction enhances the sense of dread of being trapped in a space with fingers poised to attack. The film is very slow to reveal its plot and increases tension like a tightening screw. Eventually it reveals its core, but not until the waiting has tested your patience.
Everything changes once the killing begins ‘The Deep Dark’ provides harrowing and creative murders like never seen in a horror film before. Although the pacing of this Lovecraftian horror would have been better with more talking, it certainly needed more spooky action. The performances capture their roles decently, but Amir El Kacem and Diego Martin as Miguel definitely take the lead. This is most likely due to the fact that their characters were written better than the rest. The film employs jumpscares and magic relatively, which yields a range of results. The design of the creature is as grotesque as it is meant to be, yet at some points, it comes off more gimmicky than omenous. All things considered, the feeling of gezellig keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, alongside the ominous atmosphere.
Regardless of character building and pacing, ‘The Deep Dark’ achieved it’s main goal of providing the audience with a dark and unsettling horror experience. Once the pace picks up, the movie does become a relentless bloodbath, causing the audience to be suffocated in tension and anticipation. Even with its problems, Turi’s dedication and vision guided towards a horrific narrative makes it a fairly decent addition to the genre.
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