Review: 'The Deep House' Takes Viewers to An Underwater Haunted House

The Deep House is now streaming on EPIX and everywhere on VOD. Reader Beware Spoilers!

Haunted houses are known for being full of unknown horrors hidden deep within their walls. The Deep House takes one such house and puts it at the bottom of a lake in the South of France. The film stars Camille Rowe, James Jagger, Eric Savin and was written/directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (Inside).

The Deep House follows a young couple whom hope to make it big on Youtube with their videos exploring lost urban places. They find themselves in France to explore an underwater village that was flooded and now sits under a lake. They discover a completely preserved house in a hidden portion of the lake, thanks to a mysterious local. Their excitement turns into horror when they enter the house and awaken the dark entities within.

While the Youtuber angle is generic at this point, it does work for the story. Their motivation for fame is what leads the couple to the remote area. It is what also drives them to continue to explore the home even though, there are clear signs it’s time to leave. It also adds a layer of tension between the couple as they aren’t equally invested in the idea of making it big on the internet.

The flooded house is full of furniture and belongings, giving it the appearance that the owners just walked away from it. But as the couple investigate further, they discover the dark history behind this house. They also figure out they shouldn’t have bypassed all the warning signs and religious idols, but c’est la vie. The film begins with a slow build which leads them to the underwater house and provides some great payoffs. Including a post credit scene that pulls the story even further after the events of this film. With the sensory deprivation of being underwater, ghosts around every corner, and a ticking clock, The Deep House will keep you fully immersed.

The brilliance of the combining the trapped feeling of the haunted house genre, with the claustrophobia of an underwater film is what keeps this film fresh. There is panic and anxiety everywhere but instead of dangers of the deep, they face off with the sinister inhabitants of the house. The pair must fight to find a way to escape the darkness inside the house, all before running out of oxygen.

Besides the underwater setting, what also works is the history on the house. It’s a house riddled with animal skulls, pictures of missing children and a basement full of nightmares. There’s clearly a lot of horror within its walls, and contains enough lore that could even be worthy of prequel of the house before the area was flooded.

The Deep House really shines with its palpable tension and underwater anxiety. The ending will leave you with a sense of melancholy, and took a turn I was not expecting, but that’s not a bad thing. There is a lot to enjoy in this aquatic horror, and more than enough backstory to make The Deep House an interesting haunt film. 3.5

★★★★

You can check out the trailer for The Deep House below and it is now streaming and available on VOD. Have you seen The Deep House yet? Leave a comment below and let us know what you thought about the film! Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for all things horror, sci-fi and more.