Dive, Dive My Darling: A Review of “The Deep House”
Of course, all the best underwater haunted houses are in France.
Jim Butcher, author of the bestselling “Dresden Files” books once created an entire fantasy series on a dare. He was tasked with combining 2 completely unrelated tropes into a compelling story, which he did with aplomb. The resulting novels, “The Codex Alera” reminded me of the latest film from accomplished French duo Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. Instead of combining Pokémon and a lost Roman legion (it’s good, I swear), Maury and Bustillo merge the haunted house movie with aquatic horror. It almost shouldn’t work, but their film “The Deep House” is one of the best horror films of the year.
Ben (James Jagger) and Tina (Camilla Rowe) are maybe the least-annoying Youtubers committed to film, which is an achievement in itself. They have a channel on urban exploring, and their quest for hits takes them to a lake in France that allegedly hides houses submerged by the creation of a dam many years ago. Dismayed to hear the houses aren’t in “streaming condition,” the couple hear about a structure that still stands intact in the man-made lake. In no time, they scuba up, and take their drone with them to the bottom of the lake, where they find the titular house. Things go downhill from there.
Despite the high concept, the film itself is restrained, at least for a while.
There’s no ominous droning score as we first see the house because Maury and Bustillo know plenty of surreal images will speak for themselves. Their script (adapted into English by Julien David) contains a ticking clock device, where Ben and Tina only have a limited amount of air for their excursion. Every frightened gasp adds to the feeling of claustrophobia, which never quite wears off. I’ll leave it to the viewer to discover what Ben and Tina find behind the door that’s blocked by a life-size crucifix. Like many parts of the house, it's simple, but jaw-dropping.
“The Deep House” isn’t a found footage film, but it sometimes takes the POV of their camera or drone. Combine that aesthetic with the loose plot and the film can feel less like a feature and more like a “V/H/S” segment, albeit a really good one.
Once the scuba gear goes on, it doesn’t really come off, so we’re forced to experience the characters’ reactions through their masks and communicators. Luckily, the terror is sustained and the visuals stay eerie until the end. Plus, there’s some good ol’ fashioned nihilism straight out of the French Extreme movement.
Until we can finally pull a copy of “Livide” from Dimension Films’ cold dead hands, “The Deep House” is a prime showcase for Maury and Bustillo, some of the best foreign horror directors working today.
“The Deep House” Premieres November 5, 2021 on EPIX & for Digital Purchase via Paramount Home Entertainment
