Beneath Still Waters (2005)

(In French, On Cable TV, August 2021) In horror, it’s not infrequent to find the setting and atmosphere taking over the plot to no one’s displeasure. Beneath Still Waters isn’t all that conventional in terms of story (it has something to do with someone destroying a town in order to prevent its great evil from escaping), but the most memorable element of the film is the flooded town in which much of the action takes place, as the characters dive underwater to discover all about the ancient threat it contains. Directed by horror legend Brian Yuzna, the film easily promises more than it delivers… but it does score a few remarkable images along the way. Unfortunately, Beneath Still Waters doesn’t completely cohere into something interesting: the plot remains subordinate to the visuals, and as a result the entire thing is flimsily justified, with some basic implausibilities that remain unanswered — and an ending that doesn’t satisfy. My standards for horror are so low these days that anything halfway interesting that’s not a slasher gets bonus points. I still think that Beneath Still Waters is more interesting than other 2000s horror films, but I won’t push my luck into claiming that it’s any better.