Paris, the Eighties. Three students decide to celebrate their graduation with a visit to the Paris catacombs. When they discover the legendary 717 Bunker, little do they know it’s not the only thing Nazi soldiers have left behind them.
“Deep Fear” takes place in the late 1980s and focuses on four friends who celebrate their last day together before one has to join the military. Working their way down through the catacombs deep beneath the city of Paris, they discover a secret German bunker left over from World War II but soon realize they are not alone!
The fear element doesn’t come from monsters hiding in the dark, although that does come into play later on; instead, the movie shines a spotlight on claustrophobia and cleithrophobia (the fear of being trapped) as the friends have to squeeze through narrow passages and extremely tight spaces with nothing but the dark unknown depths ahead. In some scenes, the passageways they are crawling through shake and rumble, an effect of the Paris Métro above them, and the apprehension and anxiety the characters feel is relatable. While not claustrophobic, I found myself becoming increasingly anxious through some of the scenes.
When the friends reach a part of the catacombs that one of them claims he is unfamiliar with and is not listed on any of the maps, they begin to explore and quickly surmise it is an old German bunker from World War II. They quickly discover they are not alone and are being hunted by a zombified nazi soldier and dog. With no time to retrace their steps, the friends must formulate an escape plan or become a part of the bunker’s sinister history.
Director Grégory Beghin deliberately paces the movie. In the beginning, we are introduced to the characters and their circumstances, and when they finally decide to visit the catacombs, there is no big tension-filled lead-up to their revelation of its extremely restricted entrance; instead, the characters make their way inside and continue their conversations, allowing us to be privy to all going on in their lives, unaware of the horrors that await them. With the gradual foray into the catacombs, their communication slowly develops into concern as they delve further underground, and with each new obstacle, whether a group of violent skinheads or a natural anomaly, fear and apprehension slowly begin to build.
While I loved the overall look and ambiance of the film, I was disappointed by the movie’s finale. We are never told anything early on about zombified nazis waiting in the bunker, so for a film that is, at times, painfully realistic and emotionally accessible, the reveal of a nazi zombie diminished much of what came before. I would have much rather the narrative be about the characters becoming increasingly terrified when they realize they are lost and their flashlights and batteries are beginning to die; that would have made for a more intriguing story. As it stands, the zombie revelation comes out of nowhere, and its induction into the story is nowhere near as frightening as the claustrophobic atmosphere presented early on.
The ending aside, “Deep Fear” is wholly enjoyable and certainly not for those claustrophobic. It is comparable to the 2014 horror film “As Above, So Below,” which also dealt with the Parisian Catacombs but is far superior on every level. I could see the movie attaining cult classic status and maybe even a sequel but let’s hope it reaches a broader audience first.
“Deep Fear” recently premiered online at Fantastic Fest @ Home, the virtual companion to Fantastic Fest
