DeepStar Six

We’re in the late 1980s and the undersea thriller is currently all the rage. Cunningham, a perpetually downbeat, uninspired director, cuts out practically the entire sci-fi component, choosing instead to focus on dull, violent horror.

There’s definitely no shortage of gore (mangled bodies such as the diver cut in half make a certain visual impact), but the suspense is anything but steady, and even the decision to hold off on revealing the creature is difficult to fathom – you have to wait a good 63 minutes before you can “admire” the crustacean-like monster’s features and its “Graboid” snout!

Even with boredom constantly threatening to rear its ugly head, the film is at least in part saved by a competent cast, with Miguel Ferrer a particular standout in the role of a nervous, clumsy engineer. The respectable special effects include a long series of scale models as well as a few touches of early computer graphics.

At first glance, the finale might seem similar to that of its contemporary “Leviathan” (1989), but it’s actually conceptually different in that it clearly expresses a pseudo-Christian moralism typical of the director – famous for his “Friday the 13th” (1980), one of the most sanctimonious horror movies in the genre’s history -, who grants salvation exclusively to the little family-to-be, and only after the future mother has directed a poignant plea to the good Lord.