The Deep House (2021) Review – An Underwater Haunted House Horror

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing a haunted house horror movie with a difference – The Deep House.

Haunted house horror with a difference

The Deep House follows the story of a pair of YouTubers on the hunt for a supposedly haunted sanitarium in a small town. After learning that the location is actually hidden deep underwater. The pair throw on their diving gear and head down to check it out. A decision they will soon come to regret.

“I like the idea of taking an old-fashioned tale of ghosts and the paranormal and setting it deep underwater. What with all the usual risks that come along with diving.”

At its core, The Deep House is a fairly traditional haunted house horror movie. The major difference, however, is that much of the action takes place underwater. A tantalising prospect, perhaps? I like the idea of taking an old-fashioned tale of ghosts and the paranormal and setting it deep underwater. What with all the usual risks that come along with diving.

We also have the ever-so-common, shoe-horned in social media element here, too. Our influencer pair are desperate for more attention, hence their trip into a dark and murky lake. Whereas many horror movies absolutely zero in on this theme. The Deep House places it as something of a plot driver rather than an essential facet of the film.

Sure, the opening 40 minutes are filled with research, location scouting, and dry land references to the couple’s YouTube career. But I wouldn’t say it gets in the way, all that much. It serves more as an excuse to stretch out what could probably be fit into a 20-minute short into a feature-length film. The deep water thrills are what we are here for. I am happy to report that the underwater sanitarium is the highlight of this movie.

Fairly effective horror

The underwater location looks fantastic. The logistics of diving add to the tension because it’s just not that common of a location in horror. It makes for a whole new gaggle of reasons that our protagonists can’t just escape their predicament. The Deep House doesn’t do anything new. There isn’t anything here that you wouldn’t see in any other haunted house themed movie. It just so happens that everything moves a little slower, everything is a little more buoyant, and it’s all a bit more damp and hazy.

“The underwater location looks fantastic. The logistics of diving add to the tension because it is just not that common of a location in horror.”

To be honest, it would still be a fairly effective haunted house horror movie set on the land. The underwater location is just lagniappe. As mentioned above, this is a rather unique looking movie. It deserves praise simply for the technical aspects, alone. You aren’t going to see too many films that look like this. There are some clever uses of diving tools to create tension and the ever-present threat of running out of air is fairly unsettling, as well.

The Deep House shines most when it is simply playing out like a fair ground ghost train ride and delivering one jump scare sequence after another. Characters slowly make their way through the dark and creepy looking house. They find horrifying things that hint at the location’s sordid past. They see things in the corner of their eyes and are spooked by shadows before things escalate in a major way. It’s pretty effective stuff and very much what you would expect from this type of movie.

Sleepover horror

There is almost a sleepover horror quality to The Deep House. The jump scares are very reminiscent of movies like Annabelle and the like. It’s easy to watch and doesn’t demand too much of the viewer. The pacing is fine and the movie manages to keep the horror going fairly consistently.

I could see a group of teens really enjoying this; laughing at each other as they jump out of their skins at some of the scares. Debating what is going on in the house, laughing at how dumb the characters are etc. It’s just easy viewing, popcorn horror.

“There is almost a sleepover horror quality to The Deep House. The jump scares are very reminiscent of movies like Annabelle and the like.”

There is a place for this type of movie in the genre, especially when it is included in your Netflix subscription. Some people have little interest in getting into some deep psychological horror. They just want something quick and easy to throw on and enjoy. The Deep House is perfectly fitting for this type of horror experience. Sure, it is completely predictable and you will see everything coming but it is still a fair amount of fun.

Poor writing and character development

The Deep House suffers from a few major issues. For one, its characters are fairly unlikable and difficult to care about. There is so little character development here, Tina and Ben just come across as being a bit annoying. The dialogue is a massive problem, as well. Written by Alexandre Bustillo of the fantastic French New Wave horror movie Inside, with assistance from Rachel Parker and fellow director Julien Maury. This is a movie produced in English by writers from France; the result is dialogue that can feel very unnatural.

Tina’s tendency to use Frenglish can be rather annoying and it never feels anything other than forced. Ben talks like he may have lacked oxygen at birth, speaking in a slow manner with basic, simple, sentences. It’s all a bit awkward and doesn’t flow very well. Not that this is a problem or a criticism but Ben sounds a little like Apple from the kid’s show Apple and Onion. I couldn’t shake this thought for the entire movie and it kept making me chuckle.

The stilted and unnatural dialogue between the two characters becomes an especially noticeable issue later in the film. As soon as the pair are underwater, things get a lot worse. Their interactions feel even more prosthetic and the writing feels even more ridiculous. Tina has a tendency to yell repeatedly while Ben becomes even more annoying. Your best bet here is to block the characters out completely. Luckily, the haunted house stuff is fun enough to ignore them.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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