Beneath (2013 film)
| Beneath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Larry Fessenden |
| Written by | Tony Daniel, Brian D. Smith |
| Starring | Daniel Zovatto, Bonnie Dennison, Chris Conroy |
| Music by | Will Bates |
| Cinematography | Gordon Arkenberg |
| Edited by | Lois J. Drabkin |
Production company |
Chiller Films, Glass Eye Pix |
| Distributed by | Chiller, Shout! Factory |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Beneath is a 2013 horror film directed by Larry Fessenden. The film had its world premiere at the Stanley Film Festival on May 3, 2013 and later aired on the Chiller channel.[1] Beneath stars Daniel Zovatto, Bonnie Dennison, and Chris Conroy as teenagers that must fight for their lives against man-eating fish.
A digital comic based upon the movie was released in July 2013.[2] The comic, also titled Beneath, explores the backstory behind the catfish and details another group that the giant fish attacked in the 1960s.
Plot
Six high school seniors head out to a secluded lake for a last day together. The seniors are quiet Johnny; Kitty-the aspiring actress who uses her looks to manipulate men; Deb-Kitty's friend; Zeke-obnoxious camera wielding geek; Matt-Kitty's jock boyfriend and Simon-Matt's wild brother. Johnny meets a man who knows his grandfather. The old man tells him that he should know better than to go on the lake. Johnny says they're just going to cross to the other shore and he'll show respect. The man says Yes, but Johnny's "friends" aren't the kind to respect the lake. Sure enough, his friends ignore Johnny's plees to stay in the boat and go swimming, thrashing about in the water, drinking, littering and playing with sparklers. They soon swim back to the boat after they feel something big touching them. They try to row back to shore but they lose an oar in the water. As Deb reaches out for it, the fish bites her. She tries to make a tourniquet but bleeds out and dies. They try to row to shore with one oar but the giant fish bites their remaining oar. They try other things in the boat but keep losing them in the water. They decide to throw Deb overboard to help distract the fish, while they continue paddling using hands. However, they just aren't able to get far and are left stranded on the lake, several hundred yards away from the shoreline.
As they panic and keep getting harassed by the fish their friendship unravels quickly and they get desperate. Kitty says Johnny must have known about the fish because he tried to give her a neckclace for protection earlier which she refused thinking it was a love token. Zeke says they should throw Johnny overboard. Disgusted with them, Johnny chooses his own fate and swims to shore. The fish pursues him and he goes under and disappears.
Zeke gets hysterical and desperate and tries to have the boys turn on Kitty saying she slept with both brothers. Matt gets angry and throws him overboard. On his GoPro camera still recording, he is seen being eaten; his arm with the camera still attached is seen floating on the surface.
On the shore Johnny lies on the bank and sees what happens to Zeke. He sees the motor boat that his old friend was working on and sets off to rescue Kitty. He tells them he will throw a rope and tow them in because he doesn't trust them to come into the boat since they may throw him over like they did Zeke. As he throws the rope the fish bumps the boat causing it to spin. Johnny somehow gets tangled and chokes to death. Kitty has the opportunity to save him by cutting the rope but she hesitates and Johnny dies.
Kitty, Matt, and Simon throw Johnny's body into the water as a third distraction, but the fish refuses to eat him. The trio argue about Kitty sleeping with both brothers, and Matt having gone insane throws her into the lake. Kitty is denied entry on the boat, and she swims off.
In a fit of madness, the brothers fight, and both end up in the water. Simon suffers a head injury, leaving drops of blood that attracts the fish. Matt having grown remorseful sacrifices himself to the fish while Simon swims to shore.
Meanwhile, Kitty is seen on the overturned motor boat. Johnny's body is floating nearby. She takes the necklace off his neck and puts it on. The fish immediately goes to Johnny and eats him. Kitty, believing the necklace will protect her, swims to the shore where psychotic Simon confronts her, and after she begs for her life he drowns her in the shallows.
It's night now and suddenly the bloodied Simon sees the old man in front of headlights. The man asks for Johnny. Simon says they're all dead and he needs to get help. The old man says Johnny was such a nice boy and that Simon needs to go back in the lake because it wasn't finished with him. He has the GoPro and knows what happened. He shoots at Simon several times until he goes back into the water. Simon tries to escape, but is dragged underwater, and devoured. Johnny's tooth necklace is seen washing ashore on the lake bed, covered with stains of blood.
Cast
- Daniel Zovatto as Johnny
- Bonnie Dennison as Kitty
- Chris Conroy as Matt
- Jonny Orsini as Simon
- Griffin Newman as Zeke
- Mackenzie Rosman as Deb
- Jenni Roman as Gianna
- Carla Lang as Mag
- Mark Margolis as Mr. Parks
Production
Plans for Beneath were first officially announced in 2012, with Daniel Zovatto named as one of the film's lead roles.[3] Filming took place during an 18-day period and Fessenden designed the fish himself, as he wanted it to resemble "a real fish and not like an evil creature".[4] Fessenden experienced some difficulties shooting, as he and the other crew members only had small boats to shoot upon and that "any kind of company move took forever".[4] He also greatly revised the script, removing several flashback scenes, in an attempt to "keep the drama within the claustrophobic boat".[5]
Reception
Critical reception for Beneath was predominantly negative,[6] and Film School Rejects remarked that the movie was "what happens when indie directors have bills to pay".[7] Dread Central compared Beneath to the 2003 movie The Room, saying that "both are seemingly oblivious in their outright terribleness".[8] The Hollywood Reporter and RogerEbert.com gave more mixed reviews,[9] with The Hollywood Reporter commenting that the movie was "efficiently shot, edited and scored" but that "otherwise it’s another of those depressing examples of bad movies happening to interesting directors."[10]
References
- ↑ "Larry Fessenden's "BENEATH" to World Premiere at Stanley Festival; First Pic". Fangoria. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Truitt, Brian (7 July 2013). "'Beneath' comic showcases the movie's Black Lake monster". USA Today. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Zovatto goes 'Beneath'". Variety. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- 1 2 "Director Larry Fessenden talks about his monster-fish movie 'Beneath' and its 'black humor'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "How Larry Fessenden's Chiller-Produced Shocker 'Beneath' Wrestles With the Made-For-TV Formula". IndieWire. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Doro, Paul. "Review: Beneath". STYD. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Stanley Film Fest 2013 Review: 'Beneath' Is What Happens When Indie Directors Have Bills to Pay". FSR. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Review: Beneath (2013)". Dread Central. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ "Review: Beneath". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Rooney, David (11 July 2013). "Beneath: Film Review". THR. Retrieved 23 December 2013.