The Deep House (2021) Review

French filmmakers Alexadre Bustillo and Julien Maury team up once more to venture underwater with their new film ‘The Deep House’.

Urban explorers Tina (Camille Rowe) and Ben (James Jagger) travel across Europe for their video channel, exploring abandoned locations that are reportedly haunted. Eager to get those likes, the couple’s research takes them to the south of France where they seek a submerged sanitarium.

The trouble with the internet is that hidden gems rarely remain hidden for long. Overrun with revellers, it seems the locale is a bust until a fortuitous encounter with a local leads them to an intriguingly well kept mansion deep below the surface.

After the couple keenly dive in the film is shot exclusively underwater. Though there are initially some beautifully scenic aquatic shots, it does get old quite quickly.

A lot of the action feels rather clunky, not helped by the distracting diving gear worn by the leads.

The film plays off on the interactions between Ben and Tina amidst their growing fear, something that is difficult to convey when concealed by layers of diving equipment.

The Deep House is predominately in the style of a found footage feature but the lack of connection to the protagonists means it doesn’t have the realistic foundation needed to build tension in this way.

To try and make up for this, the film utilises some quite cheap jump scares that more often than not fall flat.

A lot can be forgiven thanks to a solid script, but the story itself feels fragmented as though too many elements have been shoehorned in where they don’t quite fit. Looking for redeeming qualities, a lot is riding on the performances of the cast. Sadly these come across quite wooden – so it’s not long before we feel the rot.

On paper, The Deep House had an appealing lure but the result is unfortunately just a bit damp.

Dazzler Media presents The Deep House on Blu-ray and DVD from 31st October

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