Mathieu Turi’s latest supernatural thriller, The Deep Dark, ventures into Northern France in 1956 where we meet Amir (Amir El Kacem), cash-strapped and in need of work as he sets out from Morrocco to the Northern French mines for work. Tasked with joining the crew one day with archeological professor Berthier (Jean-Hugues Anglade) tagging along to collect samples, the crew, led by Roland (Samuel Le Bihan) finds itself blowing up a gallery to access a long closed-off mine.
As the story progresses, it is revealed the mine is potentially haunted by a dark legend – encompassed by a band of miners that found themselves trapped a century prior. For what its worth, and with specific thanks to the professor’s true intentions, that legend rears its ugly head in the form of a hidden chamber containing a number of artifacts, mysterious glyphs, a sealed tomb once never to be opened, and a vicious, godlike creature that wants out from its underground grave, and will tear through as many pounds of flesh and ounces of blood it wants to make it so.
That’s the sum-up of Turi’s claustrophobic new thriller, penned by Turi in his third feature, kicking things off with an explosive flashback before jumping a century later to commence the main story before we meet Amir in the present day. The cast, which also lists Diego Martin as Miguel, Marc Riso as Polo and Bruno Sanches as Santini, brings a peculiar array of supporting characters all from mostly different backgrounds. Interestingly enough it’s Amir who gets just a little more flack for his Moroccan background.
Per the film, skin and nationality go out the window according to the ever diligent Roland, once everyone is leveled into the mine where survival and teamwork prove pivotal with the dangers and risks involved. The film is especially adept at keeping the viewer interested regarding the danger, namely upon introducing Roland as he rescues an injured worker from the mine and promptly commended by his boss. With Roland leading the team for its next expedition, it’s up to him to hold Berthier’s feet to the fire, suspecting that the professor may have some other ideas apart from any “samples” he insists on collecting.
Suspense and gory thrills begin to set in as does the film’s chilling moral tale of the decline among the miners as some decide who gets a share of the “priceless” findings, who not to tell, and who to kill to keep their secrets, well… secret. Special effects are mostly practical in presentation with the film’s devastatingly lanky antagonistic creature who has no compunction about dragging dudes twice the average speed, hoisting their corpses on mantles in ritualistic fashion, squeezing people to death, reaching claws-first and ripping their guts out from behind like the world’s worst cuddle-buddy, or ripping their heads off and using them as mouth pieces like the scene in Independence Day but very much more R-rated.
The Deep Dark is a cerebral tale that escalates into a story fraught with rigor at times, amidst its more slow-burn, cerebral pacing. Bihan and El Kacem are fantastic as leads with great supporting cohorts to help carry Turi’s energetic fantasy horror in promising fashion, making The Deep Dark all the more worth spotlighting in your horror needs.
