[Fantastic Fest ’22] ‘Deep Fear’ review: Too much going on in the Paris catacombs

Deep Fear takes place in the catacombs of Paris and deals with skinheads, Nazis, and has something to say about modern Parisian society. It is a part-thriller, part-horror, and throws in a bit of found footage. In other words, it has a lot going on. Sonia (Sofia Lessafre) and Max (Kassim Meesters) want to take their best friend Henry (Victor Meutelet, Emily in Paris) out for one last good time before he begins his mandatory military service. A tour of the rubble under Paris begins with hesitant excitement, but soon leads to danger the group could never have imagined.

The movie does a better job of handling the idea of fear better than the actual scares themselves. Being lost in a sprawling network of tunnels underneath a large city is frightening. Areas are tight and lighting is sparse. As Deep Fear progresses, the friends along with their guide Remy (Joseph Olivennes) head deeper underground and have no sense of direction. Along with the sense of claustrophobia, rats and dangerous traps are introduced. Again, they are something to think about rather than be scared of.

It is an odd feeling for the audience. Instead of conveying an actual sense of terror, Deep Fear makes people watching think, “That would suck if it really happened.” This would seem to make the movie more immersive, but that never happens. Part of this may be due to the lack of any sense of urgency. Things move at a quick pace, but even at around one hour and twenty minutes, the film seems very long. People scream, run, and look scared, but it all just feels like a series of moments rather than something to actually be frightened of.

Which is dismaying since the film does so many things right. Once the action picks up, there are some nice gore effects. The story builds to these moments, with things becoming increasingly violent. There are also lots of genuinely funny moments in Deep Fear. The characters may be a little too laissez faire, but they sound like real people plucked off the streets. Director Gregory Beghin also does an excellent job of paying attention to details. This is seen most by the attention given – and not given – to a pair of shoes.

Unfortunately, what stands out most about Deep Fear is how much stuff is going on. The skinheads that are so important early on are a nonfactor for the vast majority. Even though the focus is on the three friends, a number of peripheral characters are introduced with the end result being no one leaves an impression. Even the big bad is underwhelming. This is underscored by how easily the threat is dealt with before a predictable and nonsensical ending.

Deep Fear releases on Screambox October 11