Water, water--everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
Well, I hope that you’d all be mentally astute enough NOT to drink any horror movie
based water--because, well, that’d be pretty nasty, right?
If not a little sharky--or a little bit inky and paranormal, with a slight chance of turning
you into a Deep One Cultist Priest.
Fool me once.
Sorry, I lost myself for a moment there.
The point is--water is scary.
It’s a primal fear for a reason--given the fact that we humans can’t breathe down in
the deep blue sea--and as history has taught us, tapping into a primal fear means good
news for horror cinema.
Let’s take a look shall we?
Hello horror fans, what’s going on--and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube, Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch--as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Horror Movies From The Deep.
Roll the clip.
Duhhhh duh.
Dunnnn duh.
Of course it is!
Come on guys.
For the curious amongst you, that clip was from 1975’s Jaws, perhaps the scariest water
based film ever made.
Yeah, come on guys--it goes without saying, right?
Steven Speilberg’s Jaws isn’t just the scariest film ever made about a shark--it’s
perhaps one of the straight up scariest films ever.
For all intents and purposes, it’s perhaps one of the finest films ever made--but that’s
by the by, because of course this would get Number One in most of our lists.
So, today--it’s our most honorable of honorable mentions.
Alongside quite a few others, but I get a feeling we’re gonna make a Part 2 of this
video.
Let’s begin.
Kicking off at Number 5 -- Triangle, 2009
And whilst this first entry on our list doesn’t necessarily feature the water *itself* or
the creatures of the deep for the matter--and then use it as it’s vessel for horrifying
cinematic content--the very theme and aquatic setting of 2009’s Triangle is enough to
melt your mind in all manners of terrifying ways.
And, that’s because Triangle is exactly what you think it may be.
A film set in the Bermuda Triangle--although, it doesn’t ever explicitly state it.
But come on, we’re not stupid guys--how many anomalous aquatic areas off the coast
of Florida can there be?
Either way, whilst this film may not be set underwater in any manner, it has the next
best thing.
A boat.
A terrifying boat.
A ghost boat.
Well, a cruise liner.
Kind of.
Let me explain, because whilst there *is* a lot too this movie, and it’s themes can
quickly go over your head--if you give it enough space, 2009’s Triangle is actually
an underrated gem of a horror film.
Written and directed by Christopher Smith, Triangle tells the tale of a woman named Jess,
played by the awesome Melissa George who carries the hell out of this film--a single mother
of an autistic son named Tommy--who decides to wind down from her parental responsibilities
on a boat trip with her friends.
Just off the coast of Florida, after enjoying themselves--they suddenly get hit by a freak
storm, and get washed off course--where they then pick up a distress signal from a passing
ocean liner--and that, of course--is where things really kick off.
I don’t really want to say any more about this film’s plot--because the terror comes
as it slowly unravels--but put it this way.
This film is…
Jacob’s Ladder meets Memento, with a sprinkle of Donnie Darko--on the set of Ghost Ship.
Now, I understand--some people will get frustrated with the paradoxes of this film--many of which
don’t make sense for the time travellers and alternate reality surfers amongst us--but
don’t worry about it.
And yeah, sorry if that’s spoilers--but this film is about timelines.
It’s like TimeCrimes, the fantastic 2007 Spanish Film, set on a boat.
Yeah.
That’s pretty much it.
And it’s awesome.
Swinging in at Number 4 -- The Reef, 2010
Phewww.
This one came out of nowhere, like a Great White Shark from the deep blue sea.
Also, shout out to Deep Blue Sea--because that film is awesome, Thomas Jane, LL Cool
J, Samuel L. Jackson getting his whole head bit off--you ate my bird.
Sorry, I get a little bit excited over open bodies of water.
Anyway.
2010’s The Reef is fantastic.
And whilst Deep Blue Sea isn’t a horror movie--sorry guys, it’s not--The Reef very
much is, and it doesn’t even need genetically engineered Mako sharks to do so.
The thing is though, part of what makes The Reef such a damn good creature feature, is
that it submerses us fully in the environment.
Now, 2003’s Open Water tried to do that too--but I feel in some ways it fell short
compared to The Reef--because suspense is nothing without pay off, and 2010’s The
Reef pays off by the bucketload.
Sorry, bad pun.
Written and directed by Australian director Andrew Traucki, the man responsible for 2007’s
Black Water--which also deserves to make a list like this if we’re including mangroves
as a part of the deep--The Reef tells the tale of Luke, and his friends Matt, Suzie,
Kate and Warren--as he takes part in a trip to deliver a yacht to one of his customers
out in Indonesia.
Obviously, being the diligent businessman that he is--Luke agrees to sail the yacht
from Australia to Indonesia, whilst his friends tag along for the trip--but after passing
through a coral reef, the yacht gets badly damaged--and there we have it.
You know what happens next, right?
You see, the thing is--it’s difficult to do anything *new* with water based horror.
By its very essence, it’s a formulaic subgenre--water is scary, put people in water--people in water
in peril--there we have horror.
And yeah, this film *is* formulaic--but bloody hell does it work.
The Reef is tense.
It’s gory.
It orchestrates action in all the right places.
It actually uses genuine footage of sharks to surprisingly staggering effects.
It doesn't do anything new, but hey--the ocean isn’t exactly new either.
Next up at Number 3 -- The Bay, 2012
And I for one--am pretty glad that we’re throwing a curveball into this list--because
2012’s The Bay is exactly that.
A curveball.
An ocean based horror mockumentary curveball.
Doesn’t sound like something that would scare you?
HA.
This film is terrifying guys--and in fact, any film that makes you cautious about drinking
from a tap deserves to be terrifying, and the terrifying thing is--2012’s The Bay
may be one of the most believable found footage horror films ever made.
I’m sorry to break it to you, but yeah--it’s pretty damn plausible.
And do you know what’s even more worrying?
This film came about after the director Barry Levinson was commissioned to produce an *actual*
documentary that covered the same issue, which instead quickly got picked up by the news
agency Frontline, and so Levinson decided to use his research to make a horror movie.
Yeah.
Perhaps in more ways than one--this film is based on a real life event.
Ehh.
That’s worrying.
Written and directed by Barry Levinson, the man behind Rain Man and Good Morning, Vietnam--The
Bay presents itself as a fully compiled documentary that was released following an anonymous leak
from the U.S Government, to tell the world about a disastrous cover up.
That cover up in question, focuses on the small town of Claridge, nestled on the shores
of Eastern Maryland--that thrives on water and the maritime communities that support
it.
On the day of July 4th--of all days--two research scientists discover a huge spike in water
toxicity, and alert the town's mayor--but then, of course--the mayor refuses to do anything
about it--and then we have The Bay.
I won’t say any more, because part of the joy of this film is watching it unfold like
a keen eyed investigative journalist.
However, on paper--this film seems like it shouldn’t work.
It is *very* fragmented--and the second and final act of this film flicks from person
to person as the two descends into chaos--but it *works*--and The Bay is as riveting as
it is nightmare inducing.
It’s paranoia incarnate.
It’s claustrophobic.
It chokes you.
Surprisingly, The Bay is *masterful*--and its effective.
Give this one a watch.
Swinging in at Number 2 -- The Abyss, 1989
Yeah.
Of course.
We knew this one was going to emerge from the deep at some point, right?
Truth be told, 1989’s The Abyss is incredible--and as far as film analysis goes, it’s a film
that keeps on giving.
You know what though?
I’m still kind of scratching my head as to why this film isn’t heralded as the cinematic
great that it deserves to be--although, I’ll admit--it’s questionable as to whether it’s
full frontal horror in its truest sense.
You see, like most of James Cameron’s work--it blends a few genres into one effective web
of cinema--and in many ways, The Abyss is more of a mystery than it is a horror--but
when it comes to water based horror movies--the claustrophobia and the overwhelming force
of the ocean is second to none in this film.
In fact, it perhaps features some of the greatest underwater and water scenes ever captured
in cinema--and yes, I’m including Titanic in that breath.
When it was first released, this film was overshadowed by its contemporaries--but give
this one a second look, because if you’re in the mood for fearing the ocean--this one
is second to none.
Written and directed by James Cameron, The Abyss tells the tale of a NAVY SEAL search
and rescue recovery team, who are racing against the clock to recover the USS Montana, a US
submarine that dramatically sank somewhere in the caribbean.
After arriving at a privately owned experimental drilling platform at the bottom of the ocean,
the SEAL team set out to save the day whilst a massive hurricane begins moving into the
area--as well as a crack-team of Soviet saboteurs trying to get their hands on the sub--and
that’s when they discover something lurking deep at the bottom of the ocean bed, that
no one was expecting.
Listen, I’ll say nothing more--because the narrative of this film is compelling--and
there are more than a few unbelievable moments of cinema that need to not be spoiled for
those that haven’t yet seen it.
Also, the cast to this film is *stacked*--Ed Harris, who gives an absolutely knockout performance,
alongside Mary Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn--there is so much to love about The Abyss.
If you haven’t seen it.
Please.
Give it a watch.
And finally--coming in at our Number 1 spot--The Host, 2006.
And whilst some of you may be shocked at this entry--I’d say, go ahead--be shocked--because
The Host is second to none when it comes to horror movies from the deep.
The reason being--hear me out--is because it takes the most horrifying concept, that
many of the films on this list already encapsulate--The Bay and The Abyss--unknown, mysterious, bizarre
lifeforms lurking down at the bottom of the murky depths of the ocean--and then--it put
it’s on land.
Where we live.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Jaws--is a horrifying film when it comes to water.
But you know what Spielberg couldn’t have ever done?
Put Jaws on land.
We’re safe on land, right?
Because then--if you did that, you’d either get Street Sharks, which for the 90s kids
amongst us--know how awesome those guys were but also ridiculous--or you’re smart about
it, and you create The Host, perhaps one of the finest Korean horror movies ever made.
Now, at it’s core, whilst The Host has many more layers to it than a straight up horror--the
very bones of it are what sets it apart.
Written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, the fantastic director and man responsible for
Snowpiercer, 2006’s The Host is very much a classic creature feature.
Like many pieces of Asian Horror Cinema--it sets about to creature a horrifying monstrosity--and
then let it loose in an urban setting--and see what havoc it can wreak.
But, I mean--that’s the outcome of this film--and the journey is far more satisfying,
because much like Jaws--this film relies on suspense to do itself justice, and the slow
crawling journey toward anomalous, amphibious horror crows like a mutant fish in an egg
sack.
In many ways, this film is about a dysfunctional family pulling together in their time of need--encapsulated
in one of the most moving and hilarious scenes found mid-way through the movie that I won’t
spoil for you.
I almost don’t want to say any more for those of you that haven’t seen it--but take
my word for it.
If you’ve ever heard any hype about The Host--it’s completely deserved--and when
it comes to creatures crawling from the murky depths to deliver the scares--this one is
in a league of its own.
Well, there we have it horror fans--our list for the Top 5 Scariest Horror Movies From
The Deep.
What did you guys think?
Do you agree?
Disagree?
Have any more to add?
Let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below, as well as any choice picks
of your own.
Before we depart from today’s video though, let’s first take a quick look at some of
your more creative comments from over the past few days.
First up, Matthew Peyton says--
Hey Jack, what was the name of the evil scientist that created you during one of his experiments?
-- You tell me.
Alright, I’ll play along--erm.
Dr. Olga.
Grim.
Berry?
She’s not exactly evil though… well, I mean--it’s all a matter of perspective.
And finally, Julie Ortega says--
Jack, I truly love this channel because you and Lucy have suggested so many movies and
books that I never knew existed.
Thank you for all of the hard work y’all put into the awesome videos you create.
-- And thank you very much Julie, that’s incredibly kind of you.
I like to say that I won’t make a list unless I’d want to watch it myself--so, yeah, I
guess it’s working pretty well so far.
Thank you very much Julie--and stay spooky.
Well unfortunately, on that note--that’s all we’ve got time for in today's video--cheers
for sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video--or just Top 5 Scary Videos in particular, then please
be a dear and hit that thumbs up button--as well as that subscribe bell, and I’ll be
seeing you in the next one.