Deep Fear

DEEP FEAR is a claustrophobic chiller that takes us beneath the streets of Paris. This isn't the usual catacombs movie, it takes us into an unexplored -except by taggers- region. As in other such films, there are ample opportunities for the young explorers to be threatened, terrified, and given a lesson in extreme caving along the way.

Some of the ultra-tight squeezes are reminiscent of movies like THE DESCENT, with some similar dangers.

One strength is that the aforementioned youths are not presented as annoying jerks, out to make a mockery of everything. In fact, they're all pretty serious. This makes it all the more effective when they finally reach their destination, and the true horror begins.

A gory, increasingly intense creeper with a perfectly grim finale...

It had the right atmosphere, dark, chilling foreboding Catacombs of Paris, it had the mysterious baddie (unfortunately, the trailer gives this away), the acting isn't bad, and yet, it misses the mark. The main actors are just carbon cutouts of every other "victim" list in horror we've seen elsewhere. In the short time we DO get to know them, they're not all that likeable. Once it reaches the final climax it seems it rushes to the finish line and then...end credits! Not a TERRIBLE film, but I strongly recommend watching the similarly themed "As Above, So Below" for a better overall Catacombs horror film!

This is your run of the mill horror movie about people poking around in places they really shouldn't be going in. That said, it does have some things working for it:

• Decent cinematography - There are some well shot scenes in the catacombs and sewers that give a very claustrophobic vibe and dark foreboding atmosphere
• Good Gore - There isn't much in the way of this for the first half of the movie, but when it shows up there is plenty of it and done in a way that is believable
• Competent Acting - All of the actors knew what they were doing and conveyed the correct kind of emotions when they needed to

On the other hand, it has some stuff that undercuts it:

• Awkward Music - There are a few times throughout the film where inappropriate music suddenly comes in that really takes you out of the movie and scratch your head wondering what kind of effect they were going for here
• Weak CGI - for the most part the things using it are kept hidden or use POV which negates this, but for example a scene of someone getting blown up uses some clearly CGI'd effects. Not close to the worst I've seen, but far from the best
• Lack of Explanation - I suppose this is more of a personal opinion, but there is never a reason why or how the bad guy survived in a place like this which can be a bit irritating
• Lack of Subtitles - This applies only to the (not-French) dialogue which is never given a translation but only comes up in the very end of the movie. It isn't needed, but it can be irritating to try and figure out what the person is saying when it might illuminate their backstory somewhat
• Generic Ending - I won't go into too much detail, but yeah, this goes the route of so many other horror films, and doesn't even explain how it happened which seems like a cop-out.

Overall though, definitely worth a watch for any horror movie fan.

This chatty French horror film has similarities with 2014's 'Up Above, So Below'. I found that film's success surprising for such a lacklustre production, so my enthusiasm for 'Bunker 717' (sometimes known as 'Deep Fear') was muted. The results here are pretty good.

Three students decide to celebrate their graduation by exploring the catacombs underneath Paris. They appear to be followed down there by a couple of skinhead ne'er do wells.

Things start off slowly and it's a pity some of the time wasn't spent allowing us to get to know the characters better; they are all fairly likeable, but sketchy. The main antagonist, who is impressive but used very sparingly, would also have benefited from some semblance of a backstory.

This is low-key, but mainly fun. The claustrophobic setting is well conveyed and there's a real sense of 'things lurking in the shadows'. This, and a convincing level of gore, coupled with an effective ending, makes for a fairly effective 80 minutes. My score is 6 out of 10.

How not to think about those two features. THE DESCENT, one of the most claustrophobic horror films ever made, that makes any audiences dizzy, disturbed, and CATACOMBS, a small horror film released in 2014, made by an American or British director, speaking of the same topic. It's actually a pretty good horror movie, well done, directed and shamefully never released in theaters. Good acting, convicing young actors. Nothing really new though, with an expected ending for this kind of movie.