A couple who rented out an Airbnb are welcomed by the more-than-involved owners who take a liking to them and decide to bring them into their own seaside community.
Written and directed by Chad Ferrin, based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, The Deep Ones is a take on the work of a now controversial master of horror that removes the controversial bits from his work and has some fun with the basics of things. The world built in there is definitely based on Lovecraft, but it’s modernized in a way that works for the film. Here the characters are quite modern, with modern issues, and they find themselves in a cult where people have some very strange beliefs, at least strange at first. The film takes all of this makes it something that is interesting to watch and entertaining at the same time.
The cast here makes that interest and entertainment last with good performances including that of Gina La Piana who takes the lead and makes it something that is her own, giving the viewer a lead they can care about, including some flaws for realism, and someone that is easy to follow throughout the film. Playing the husband in the AirBnB owning couple is Robert Miano who gives the kind of performance that makes the viewer doubt his intentions from the start. He is welcoming, yet creepy. He gives off a vibe of someone who has way more going on than what is on the surface. His work steals scenes throughout the films. The cast as a whole is interesting and gives their all to their part, but La Piana and Miano as the two who stand out the most.
As expected, there are special effects in this and the majority of them look to be practical in nature, showing that a little goes a long way and that keeping the big reveals for later into the film can really work to a film’s advantage. Here the work is simple in most of the effects shots, but it works great for what is needed. It’s the kind of work that shows the talent of those involved and how to use a lower budget to your advantage by keeping it simple and sparse, giving the few effects shots the right impact.
The Deep Ones is a low budget take on Lovecraft’s work that modernizes the subject at hand and makes the most of it. There is some mystery as the film advances, but those not too familiar with Lovecraft will have more surprises than those who are. This doesn’t mean that it’s a film only for people less familiar with the base work, it simply means that different parts of the audience will enjoy the film for different reasons.