Movie Reviews

‘The Deep Ones’ review: Predictable Lovecraftian horror knows how to have fun

Another stab at Lovecraft.

April 20, 2021

The Deep Ones is another movie based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft is one of the most influential writers in horror. He casts a large shadow that looms over the entire genre. It is not shocking that so much is indebted to him. What is surprising is that his resurgence in recent years has also come with proof of his violent racism.

Writers and filmmakers have long grappled with how to separate the author’s views from his famous works. Or maybe they have come to terms with the idea that the writings may have been born from his ideals. Neither situation is better than the other, but it may explain Lovecraft’s continued popularity. Whatever the case, adaptations like The Deep Ones keep being made.

Alex (Gina La Piana) and Petri (Johan Urb) have booked an Airbnb in order to recover from Alex’s recent miscarriage. When the arrive, they meet Russel (Robert Miano) and Ingrid (Silvia Sposs), the overly friendly couple that own the home. Before long, there is blood, tentacles, and lots of nudity. It is a very faithful adaptation of Loveraft.

Suffice to say, The Deep Ones is something of a modern day exploitation film. In other words, it is very predictable and a whole lot of fun. Tentacles come from places they should never have been to begin with and there is little explanation given for what is going on.

This is part of the fun when it comes to cosmic horror. While much of the scares are there to be seen, there are just as many in the mind’s eye. Where The Deep Ones stumbles is in how straightforward the eldritch terror is. While much is left to the imagination, it is still somehow predictable. Still, it does not take away from the B horror movie fun of the whole thing.