The Deep Dark is a 2023 horror film in which miners discover a crypt and unknowingly awaken a bloodthirsty creature.
Written and directed by Mathieu Turi. Produced by Eric Gendarme, Alexis Loizon and Thomas Lubeau.
The French Fulltime Studio-Marcel Films production stars Samuel Le Bihan, Amir El Kacem, Thomas Solivérès, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Carl Laforêt, Diego Martín, Marc Riso, Bruno Sanches and Philippe Torreton.
Plot:
In 1956, Amir left his home country of Morocco out of financial necessity. He’s sent to Pas-de-Calais to work in the worst mine in France, known as The Devil’s Island.
Shortly after his orientation, Amir is assigned to a group that has been ordered to accompany a professor under the pretence of collecting samples. But once they’re down in the deep dark, it quickly becomes clear that the professor has another agenda and that he’s looking for something quite different.
When the miners blow up a gallery to access an older mine that had been condemned a century earlier, they uncover a secret chamber filled with traces of an ancient civilisation. As the miners realise that the discovery will result in the mine’s closure, greed leads them to do the unthinkable, thus dooming the entire expedition…
Director and writer Mathieu Turi has commented, “The Deep Dark (Gueules Noires) will be a mix of horror and adventure, in the best tradition of H.P. Lovecraft stories, but set in a French reality and a strong social context. It’s going to be a character-driven story, confronting the old and the new generations in an exciting and terrifying quest to the unknown.”
Reviews:
“The Deep Dark may not reach the highest highs of other, similar films, but it’s a perfectly adequate way to spend part of an afternoon. Exemplary creature design and gag-inducing practical effects make up for the film’s workmanlike quality in other areas, so consider this a mild recommendation.” ★★★ Bloody Disgusting
“There is some seriously good effects work that feels plucked from the mind of H.R Giger. The Deep Dark is a claustrophobic horror with the added bonus of some monster work that will stay long in the memory. It is slightly bloated at over 100 minutes, but this doesn’t take away from a memorable feature.” Bloody Flicks
“The acting is too dramatic, the score swells too much, and the wide camerawork doesn’t compliment the cramped caverns very well. In fact, most of The Deep Dark reminds us that viewers are watching a well-polished monster movie. Even the creature itself, as menacing as it is, often gives itself away by how stiff and patchy the masked performance is.” Wylie Writes
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Release:
The Deep Dark will be released on Amazon Prime Video on a date to be announced.
Original title:
Gueules Noires “Miners”
Notes:
This movie should not be confused with Michael Medaglia’s Deep Dark (2015) or the forthcoming American monster movie of the same name by Matt Devino and David Michael Yohe.
