I have repeatedly seen somewhat confused or annoyed comments online regarding the general disinterest towards this particular submarine-set horror film, given the involvement of general well-regarded people like David Twohy as director and co-writer, Darren Aronofsky as one of the writers and Bruce Greenwood and a cast of talented faces in it. Personally, after today’s re-watch I’m not very surprised, for while Below is a highly competent little horror film it is neither a very memorable nor a very deep (sorry) one, with little that’s thematically interesting about it, nor much about its scares that gives them staying power in my mind beyond the film’s running time. This is a particular problem if one keeps in mind this was made after the central films of the big late 90s/early 00s Asian horror wave hit, films that were much more memorable and often quite a bit more complex, so Below just looks a bit mediocre and conservative in comparison.
This isn’t to say Below isn’t good for a hundred minutes of mildly spooky, pleasantly claustrophobic fun, it’s just so traditional in its approach to its ghost story, you basically know everything that’s going to happen in it and how it’s going to happen once you read the film’s basic set-up of “haunted submarine during World War II cursed by its murdered captain (or is it)”. There are no surprises, little about the characterization that goes beyond the obvious, and little about the film’s thrills that doesn’t carry a slight whiff of staleness. I’m tempted to describe Below as “competent, yet lacking soul or an actual personality”, and look here, I just did.
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