Below (2002)

Supernatural Adventure
Somewhat of an undiscovered film, many viewers might find "Below" just sitting on the shelf at a local DVD rental store. Upon closer inspection, it collects a recognizable cast and an interesting enough premise to warrant further exploration. Below is a film that will appeal to anyone who revels in Submarine films, but this particular one is a bit more on the haunted side.

So what makes Below better than the average spooky film? The WWII era based film is great period work, with clunky phones, large dials and tattooed, old school sailors who know that each new day is a blessing. The aspect of this script that is great is the fact it does an excellent job of allowing the cast and their ties to the storyline slowly soak in over time, without revealing too much before the film ends. The cinematic appeal is to be expected, with props going to the writers for making sure that each little surprise leads to another, without the viewer feeling they are being dragged along nor given too much revealing information too soon. More mystery than monster mash, Below is a film that definitely warrants more props than it has gotten, with a stellar cast and many suspenseful scenes that still leave one wondering just who else knows what, who is good or bad, and how the intriguing storyline will ultimately finish.

A ghost story in a submarine
An American submarine rescues the British survivors of an apparent U-boat attack, but that's not really the beginning of the story. As the film moves forward, the story of the USS Tiger Shark comes into focus, and provides the backbone for an interesting and competent -- if not particularly suprising -- submarine ghost story. Unlike a lot of modern ghost stories, "Below" isn't a gore-fest, and doesn't resort to cheap scares. (To be fair, you don't HAVE to use cheap scares when your movie is set in a subarine.)

The cast is surprisingly good, and they're ably directed by the mood-light-loving David Twohy. The supporting characters are appropriately colorful, even when the delve into the realm of cliche. The script shows the touches of both Twohy and Darren Aronofsky, which is probably why it lends itself so well to the weird blend of realism and fantasy that this story demands.

Fans of the kind of suspense you only get when a film is set underwater will find a lot to love in "Below," as will anyone who enjoys the occasional supernatural thriller. "Below" is successful because it crosses those two subgenres without diminishing either. All in all, a very satisfying little flick.

DAVID TWOHY > GENIUS, VAL LEWTON does DAS BOOT
I liked Pitch Black, I loved Chronicles of Riddick... I first saw this ... missed the very beginning... channel surfing... what the HELL is going on? What the heck is this really about? Genuinely scary... creepy... When it was over, I found out it was written and directed by David Twohy. What a flipping out loud GREAT movie. If you go into this totally blind, you will be AMAZED, captivated, enthralled. Now that I know what its "about", I still think it is a perfect little B-movie. Ive seen it half a dozen times now and have bought DVDs to give to my friends. No one involved in the making of this movie could possibly have thought this was going to be a hundred million dollar bloackbuster. It is VAL LEWTON doing "Das Boot".