After mysteriously inheriting an abandoned coastal property, Ben and his family accidentally unleash an ancient, long-dormant creature that terrorized the entire region — including his own ancestors — for generations.
Oakland, California, in 1978, Ben (Matt Whelan), his wife Jules (Luciane Buchanan), and young daughter Reia (Zara Nausbaum) are struggling to pay their bills when they are visited by an attorney representing Ben’s late mother. He informs them that she owned a coastal property in Oregon many years ago, that the deed got filed incorrectly, and it now technically belongs to Ben as he is her next of kin. He is surprised to learn of this because, in all her years, she never mentioned anything about it before, but out of curiosity, they decide to visit the location and stay a couple of days. Overlooking the ocean, it is a creepy, old, dilapidated house, and they immediately decide to sell it as they could use the money, but over the next few days, they encounter an ancient evil that has remained buried deep underneath the house…until now!
Director Scott Walker, in only his second directorial feature after 2013’s “The Frozen Ground” with Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, knows all the horror tropes used to make a genuinely scary horror movie, and he uses them all to his advantage; a dark, uninviting water tank – check. A creepy old unwelcoming house – check! Scary monstrous sounds at night – check. And the list goes on. While many filmmakers incorporate the desired horror tropes into their films, it’s in their execution that they fail. Here, Walker’s convincing cast goes from a blissfully naive family to full kick-ass mode when their young daughter Reia is taken. Knowing they must enter the tank because that is where the monster dwells, they do so without hesitation as their daughter’s life hangs in the balance. When Ben is seriously injured, Jules steps up to the plate, and one can’t help but compare her to Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley, similar to her unwavering tenacity to locate and save Newt in “Aliens.”
Cinematographer Aaron Morton imbues the film with imagery of unrelenting dread, shot in glorious anamorphic widescreen. The combination of his unsurpassed camerawork, Walker’s deft direction, and compelling performances from the entire cast elevate “The Tank” above many recent horror films that failed to deliver the most crucial aspect of its genre; horror. When someone enters the tank, you don’t need eerie music and frightening sound effects to enhance the mood; the locale itself is enough to send shivers down your spine. Roger Corman once said, “Never show your monster in the daylight.” And he was correct. Once your monster appears during the day, it loses the scare appeal, and while it may still be ferocious, the fear factor is gone. Director Walker wisely follows this advice, keeping his reptilian creatures squarely in the shadows and the darkness. Where they are supposed to be.
In Theaters Friday, April 21st, and On Digital April 25th
