The Deep Dark (2023) (France)

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A team of miners (lead by complete badass Roland), working at one of the most dangerous mines in all of France, are tasked with guiding a professor underground so he can gather “samples” 1000 meters down. A landslide hinders their original route out so they have to look for a new exit. The team discovers an ancient crypt that ties into an old tragedy/legend and draw the attention of a malevolent creature happy for a new food source when greediness leads to the opening of a sarcophagus. They come across the remains of the vanished miners from the legend and an incredibly disturbing warning written on the walls in blood. More discoveries lead to more disturbing history. Not a great start. The professor finally shares what he’s after but it’s going to be too late to do much of anything for most of the team and maybe even the world… that’s Lovecraftian horror for ya. Amazing set design engulfs the viewer in an atmospheric underground world where every shadow could harbor something sinister, adding more danger to an already incredibly dangerous profession. More importantly, every dam character feels well-lived in and doesn’t come off as just popping into this reality to be served up as meat for the beast. We also spend some time with them going about their normal work, which is a hell of a way to garner sympathy because this job fucking blows and it’s about to somehow get so much worse. Which brings us, most importantly, to the monstrous threat dwelling deep in the darkness. It’s one gnarly lookin’ creature that combines an otherworldly presence with something reminiscent of human biology. Its hands are fuckin’ stellar… I don’t know how else to go about explaining it, the extended digits and movements are just pure nightmare fuel. Lite digital effects, costume work and puppetry bring the beast to life and it adds a proper level of uncanniness to its movements. It’s the underground creature feature I always wanted. The film runs more than 100 minutes but I never felt it dragging thanks to the damn thing firing on all cylinders. I am just so damn happy the French dropped the grating “Extreme Horror” fascination and turned their eyes towards monster flicks. There’s still some nasty violence but it’s not the focus of the damn thing. Between this and Infested, this is a new wave of genre films I can get all the way behind.