Creatures of War #3: Deep Fear (2022)
DON'T sneak into the Paris catacombs. DO confess your feelings
Before we deep dive
I keep an eye on upcoming WWII themed creature features, but Deep Fear (aka Bunker 717) still flew way under my radar. Allow me to drag it into the light.
Since apparently I never watch these films in a good mood, Deep Fear found me at yet another low point. I was laying on the same twin bed I've been sleeping on every summer for over 2 decades1, and wallowing in some serious self pity. My hero came in the form of a French movie suggestion on Tubi. A rip off of As Above So Below surely, but it piqued my interest. I pulled my phone closer, and hit play.
Before we begin, I'll let you know I'm going to be vague on what happens in the second half of this movie. The experience is significantly better the less you know.
Review
I'll cut to the chase, I loved this.
Deep Fear spends a lot of time on character development. Sonia, Henry, and Max, are lead by Ramy into the Paris catacombs to celebrate Henry's upcoming military service. Catacomb parties, Neo-Nazi nightmares, and a secret tunnel exploration ensues.
The real action doesn't start until maybe the last 30 minutes. Personally, I appreciated the time spent on developing convincing characters. However, if you’re looking for something higher energy, look elsewhere.2 It's a movie that isn't afraid to build something up, only to violently tear it all down.
All together Deep Fear struck me as pretty original, but broken into parts it's an amalgamation of the superior movies that came before it. As mentioned before, the basic plot is very similar to As Above So Below (2014), and it's also very clearly influenced by The Descent (2005). In fact there's a tunnel collapse scene that feels like a direct rip off from The Descent. I don't necessarily consider the obvious inspiration as a detriment, but something to be aware of.
Deep Fear does a good job creating a very claustrophobic and hopeless atmosphere. It's also scarier than I expected, with a couple jumpscares that did get me. There's plenty of guts and gore once it eventually gets rolling.
There are very few elements I didn't love here. I will say the setting is in the early 90s, which felt unnecessary and poorly communicated. The last 30 minutes worked for me, but I can see why some people would call it goofy. I'm assuming if you're reading this, you're okay with some camp. The name Deep Fear, along with the alternative name Bunker 717, objectively suck.
Ok hold up. Isn't this a blog on supernatural war movies? I've mentioned Neo-Nazis (who are unfortunately real), but no supernatural elements. That's part of what I'm trying to hide in this review. The supernatural connection is questionable (see the “zombie?” on the poster picture above), but this movie fits my criteria, trust me.
Maybe the real deep fear, is love?
Was Max secretly into Henry? Were Sonia and Ramy a thing? Why else would you follow someone into this mess.
There's this scene down in the catacombs (before things went to shit) where Ramy is telling the story of his first time in the tunnels. He was trying to impress a girl he liked, but never actually told her how he felt. He then comments on how he missed his chance, as the camera pans over to an uncomfortable looking Max.
“You have feelings, you shut up, you miss your chance.” —but in French
I guess Max could have been into Sonia, but I saw yearning glances at Henry. Throughout the film Max is visibly more nervous than his friends. He didn't go on this trip for fun, he went to spend more time with Henry. Was friendship enough to lead him through a maze of crumbling caves and unknown dangers, or was he fueled by something more? I think Max had a crush, but I'm a romantic.
There's another scene early in the film where it's unclear (at least to me3) if Ramy is kissing Sonia, or if he's leaning in to tell her his plans. Henry also remarks on how something must be going on between Sonia and Ramy because she wouldn't follow just anyone into the catacombs. Sonia doesn't comment. I get it girl.
In Deep Fear, no one confesses their feelings for anyone. Maybe that's because I'm over analyzing it, or maybe crushes are just scarier than hell.
Moral of the story: confess your feelings before following your crush into dark unstable passages. Maybe you'll save yourself the trip.
You're rambling…
I would absolutely recommend Deep Fear. The caveat to that statement is that you have to be patient, and agree As Above So Below is a great movie. If you want something fast paced, or if you think As Above So Below is stupid trash4, skip this. 2022 was a great year for horror, Deep Fear is no exception.
I'm actively looking to get my grubby little hands on a physical english-subtitled copy.
Bonus
Some double feature suggestions that I won't explain but should be fairly obvious.
As Above So Below (2014)
The Descent (2005)
Barbarian (2022)
The Tunnel (2011)
This is at my Grandma's house, I'm an adult and don't sleep on a twin bed normally. Not that you can't be an adult and have a twin bed, but I just felt the need to clarify
I am once again recommending Green Room (2015)
I had to watch this on a tiny screen without my glasses so…
Get out 🫵