Director – Chad Ferrin (Parasites, Tales from the Crapper)
Starring – Gina La Piana (Ali G Indahouse, 30 Days to Die), Johann Urb (Arrow, Resident Evil: Retribution), and Robert Miano (Elvis from Outer Space, Legend of Fall Creek)
Release Date – 2020
Rating – 2.5/5
Like many genre fans, I’m a huge fan of H. P. Lovecraft. When I was in middle school I started reading Goosebumps and when I ran out of installments to read I found myself checking out Stephen King and some of the collections of local ghost stories from the school library. While in a library near my brother’s I found a collection of Lovecraft’s work and that was it.
Soon I was reading his stories and watching his adaptations like Re-Animator and From Beyond. A few weeks ago I saw that The Deep Ones which is based on Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth. I was really interested in this one so I reached out and was able to get a copy to review. I actually received a pretty rad care package that included some tentacles, an awesome mug, and some Kraken rum. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young couple who rent a house in a beachside community. However, their neighbors are extremely old fashioned and take care of themselves. Their strange encounters with them continue until the young man starts abandoning his wife to be with them leaving her alone until her friend arrives. Soon she discovers that they are a cult of sorts that worship a creature in the sea. **Spoiler Alert**
I’ve seen some extremely effective and horrifying Lovecraft adaptations over the years. I’ve also seen some bad ones. The Deep Ones lands itself somewhere between the two. It’s watchable but I could recommend several others that are better. The film is able to craft a solid story but lacks in other ways. It wasn’t a bad first time watch but I will probably never watch it again.
The acting in this one isn’t bad but I really hated the characters. They were all very annoying and extremely flat. They all lacked depth and the film gave them no development. I don’t want to blame the actors because I’m sure they did the best with what they were given but I was expecting them all to die.
The story for this one was actually pretty solid. It had good pacing and even though I was familiar with the story I was still unable to completely predict everything. With that being said, the film lacked atmosphere and tension to make the story effective. I enjoyed it but it could have used a classic horror touch.
Finally, this is not a bloody flick. We get some cool tentacles props and some visual effects but nothing as appealing to Lovecraft fans as Dagon and The Resurrected. Overall, The Deep Ones was a honest attempt at a Lovecraft adaptation. The story had plenty of promise but the flat and unlikable characters meshing with the straight scenes with no tension made for a film that just doesn’t cut it. It’s alright for a first time watch with a few fun moments but nothing more.
