Review: ‘Deep Fear’ delves into underground mayhem

Billed as “‘The Descent’ meets ‘As Above So Below,'” Grégory Beghin’s Deep Fear has a lot to prove. On a script written by Nicolas Tackian, the Belgian/French film manages to live somewhere between those films’ styles and moods while carving out something totally its own. Beghin brings tension and creepy-crawly dread to the screen, and it’s enough to slither right under your fingernails if you let it. Deep Fear doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, but it does dish up some delicious frights to satiate your hunger.

Sonia (Sofia Lesaffre) and her friends Max (Kassim Meesters) and Henry (Victor Meutelet) have just graduated and are seeking a thrill to celebrate. Unsure what to do, Sonia enlists Ramy (Joseph Olivennes), a catacombs tour guide who frequents Paris’ underground when he’s off the clock. Together, the group dares to venture below, most certainly against their better judgement.

The catacombs stretch out before them in all directions, and Beghin makes damn sure to impress upon the viewer exactly how expansive and cavernous the space is — and how tiny the group stands against such a backdrop. The dark oozes from every corner, filling every inch of the screen, making the action sequences that much more claustrophobic and suffocating. The atmosphere the director creates closes down around the characters and invites the viewer to partake in the festivities, as well.

But the tunnels are not the only danger. The group encounters some skinheads, who don’t take too kindly to strangers invading their so-called “streets.” In a surprising turn, Sonia proves herself a force to be reckoned with, as she more than holds her own against the wiles of others. You simply don’t mess with her and her friends.

Deep Fear unravels a deliciously nail-biting yarn. Once Ramy, Sonia, Max, and Henry meet-up with other self-proclaimed Cata-philes, things ratchet up to 100. Beghin builds and builds and builds the film like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube; there’s moments of unsettling, anxiety-inducing beats, punctuated with loud bursts of violence and action. It doesn’t matter that there’s so little blood on screen — Beghin more than makes it worth your while up until the bitter (and devastating) end.

Deep Fear hits Screambox and VOD tomorrow (November 1).

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