Listen, I’ll applaud any movie that returns monsters to their calculated and cunning glory. Too many titles are out there that uses monsters for jump-scares or romance, so Beneath Us All was already off to a great start from the jump! Filmed by Painted Creek Productions in association with Westside Warrior Films and Cama Productions, Beneath Us All tells the terrifying tale of a small family in a secluded house that’s slowly ravished by an evil entity. Having found a lost item deep in the woods, a young woman unknowingly unleashes a vampire-like creature that slowly preys on the bodies (and souls) of her loved ones. It’s a dark movie for sure, but that’s the type of cinematic atmosphere I bet its creators were hoping for.
Beneath Us All is written by Brett Miller and directed by Harley Wallen. It was produced by Harley and Kaiti Wallen. It features cinematography by Alex Gasparetto and edited by Johnny Flynn. It stars Sean Whalen, Maria Olsen, Yan Birch, Angelia Danielle Cama and Malachi Myles. What this cast and crew created is the type of movie you want to watch when you’re in a bad mood. The type of movie you want to watch when you’re pissed off at someone or feuding with members of your own family. This isn’t a criticism by any means, as movies are supposed to make you feel a certain emotion. However, it can’t be all doom and gloom. There needs to be some match-flame in the darkness. With Beneath Us All, the only thing you can do is hope for a quick and painless ending… for its characters, not for you!
The hopeless atmosphere matches perfectly with the style of filmmaking and behind-the-scenes choices pictured within this flick. The lighting is low, and a foggy filter is placed over scenes where all is not as it appears to be. It gives a strong sense of anxiety and inner-turmoil, and when you get to know the characters – you slowly learn why their emotions are plastered all over the screen. The characters just seem so suspicious, and you really start to wonder what’s going on that’s not taking place during the script. Alternative motives? Jealousy? A little bit of both? All of these things culminate in an experience that, again, takes you back to a better time in monster movies. Remember when you couldn’t really trust anyone except the main protagonist? That’s how I felt here.
Beneath Us All doesn’t have anything I can criticize outright. The locations were on point for this narrative. The special effects, whether make-up or otherwise, weren’t over the top or cheesy in the slightest. The actors all dug deep to pull out performances outside of the range of normal. Sad considering this is one of the last performances from now-retired superstar Maria Olsen. The only thing I didn’t like, honestly, was the scores. To me, this really makes or breaks a scene. And, without blasting anyone in particular, they just seemed amateur for an otherwise well thought out piece of cinema. If I’m reviewing a vampire flick and barely mentioning the vampire, then you know there’s a lot more to this narrative than a long-forgotten creature of the night.
Beneath Us All is moody and macabre… and I absolutely enjoyed it. Final Score: 8 out of 10.
