[REVIEW] Deep Fear

The infamous Catacombs beneath the city of Paris has been the inspiration for a good number of films. They’re mysterious even though they’re open to the public by appointment and tours. However, the mystery leads us to imagine what if they held things—gruesome things—beneath the streets of the City of Lights? What if you entered and were never able to leave?

Set in the early ‘90s, Deep Fear (directed by Gregory Beghin and written by Nicolas Tackian) opens up to us with three friends meeting up for one of their last nights before going off to the service. Sonia (Sofia Lesaffre) decides they need some excitement before her two friends Max (Kassim Meesters) and Henry (Victor Meutelet) have to leave the next day. When her “connect” Ramy (Joseph Oliviennes) shows up, she inquires about anything fun to do while in the city that will leave a lasting memory. Ramy has one idea, but it’s one that will leave more than a lasting memory for everyone.

The Catacombs turn out to be much more than any of the characters bargain for. Ramy is a guide (a Cata-phile, they call them) but an incredibly inexperienced one who has never really been through each tunnel he wants to take the group of friends to. The holes are claustrophobic-inducing, and you’re made to feel stifled with each time they have to go through the tight spaces, especially for Max, who is at least a touch claustrophobic. The biggest threat to them seems to be skinheads, who Sonia had a nightmare about after seeing them in the bar the evening before. The encounter leaves the group scared, but Sonia is able to fend them off by shooting one of them with a gun she spotted in Ramy’s backpack, leaving the leader of the pack bloodied and possibly earless. Once they get away, they believe that they’re safe—how wrong they are.

Not only do they get lost, but Ramy, who doesn’t want to admit it, does not know  the best route to escape. He leads them through a few fruitless passageways until they come across people Ramy knows, and they’ve found another hole that will lead them to the White Zone. No one has been able to get into there, but now that the hole has been cleared, they aim to get through to the other side. And once they’re on the other side, they encounter something much worse than a gang of skinheads.

Deep Fear offers some great jump scares and fitting moments of gore. There is an undercurrent of the sociopolitical issues regarding far right followers who believe their city to be overrun by foreigners who want to displace or replace the white people of the city. This fear, or unwarranted notion, is clear by the actions of the skinheads, and they are what represents that viewpoint brought up in the film. It’s always making Sonia its target, who fights back against it each time. However, the bigger fight is one that we see in the end, and one that leaves us knowing our character is in for a gruesome demise.

With plenty of moments to leave you on the edge of your seat, watching between the spaces of your fingers, and clenching your teeth, you will enjoy this film if you are ready to be scared. The story is easy to follow and you’ll root for the characters to survive, even when it seems bleak. This is a good watch for this creepy season that will leave you frightened of dark, clammy spaces where you don’t know what lurks behind the corner.

You can catch Deep Fear exclusively on Screambox November 1 and streaming on VOD.