Underground

This is a movie that I discovered when searching for 2024 releases for featured reviews on Journey with a Cinephile: A Horror Movie Podcast. There wasn't a horror movie showing at the theater and I knew that this made its festival rounds in 2023. It hit Screambox for 2024 so I went ahead and chose this to check out.

Synopsis: after a wild bachelorette party, a group of women find themselves trapped in an underground bunker complex. A disturbing finding turns their night into an absolute nightmare. Will they be able to escape from this concrete maze?

We start this with a press conference. Chief Inspector Hamilton (Andrew T Hislop) relays what he can. There is a reporter who presses for more and questions if this deals with the haunting of a local underground hospital. The chief inspector won't even entertain the idea. What we learn is that three people are still missing from this ordeal.

That is when we go into the past to see what led us to that conference. Ella (Maaike Tol) is getting married. She is dress shopping with her friends. This is leading up to them going on a bachelorette party. We see that Claire (Nadia Dawber) stole her mother's camera to recap as much of this night as she can. She goes to pick up Ella and they seek out Jessica (Caitlyn Barber). She is a singer and is in the studio when they show up. From here, they go watch Ziggy (Sapphire Brewer-Marchant) during soccer practice. She then joins them as they go up the last member of this group, Riley (Charlotte Dawn Potter). She had to fly in as she moved away for work.

Now their plan is to go to a bar dressed up in different things. Ziggy is a frog, Jess is a dog, Riley was given a chef costume where Ella is a receptionist and Claire has another, but I don't recall what it is. They have a good time, knocking back drinks. This becomes a problem when they upset their taxi driver, Dave (Dave King). Jess gets sick in Riley's wig. He is irate and the second time is enough.

Where he lets them out is near this underground hospital. It is supposed to be haunted. Ziggy takes the challenge to knock on the gate three times. As they walk away, there is a thudding that seemed to be in response. It spooks them so they hurry to get back to their hotel. That becomes a problem when Ziggy falls through a hatch and breaks her leg. They go down to help her and end up trapped. This is just the start of their nightmare as they try to find a way out. Ziggy disappears and they discover what looks to be a Satanic ritual. This just starts a series of supernatural events that doesn't seem to have an end or way out.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that there are great aspects here that caught my attention. I like the idea of giving this press conference where bits of information are leaked. This set the tone, but also made me think certain things as well. With that, I love how we set up our group of characters. We get to know each one, which is good. Where they get trapped is great as I'm a big fan of movies that feature underground places. Coupling with that the supernatural and Nazis, I was curious as to how this would play out.

Where I want to start then is with delving a bit more into this group. I like that there are subtle things introduced here. Ella is getting married and from something Claire said, she might be the only one for a while. I'm getting the idea that Ziggy is a lesbian from how she is presented. Jess might be inclined that way as well or at least curious. Riley has grown distance due to moving away for work. Claire's life might be falling apart but keeping up a good façade. How they show this was interesting when it comes to the costumes. Using a bachelorette party to get them together is good as well. It explains why they're out and intoxicated, as well as how they get trapped.

Now I do need to shift to a negative here. This should be good and work. It uses the idea that there could have been a Satanic ritual down here. It also seems like they are using real ideas and elements of what people have claimed have happened in this location. It falls short though and I found this boring. Not much happens. Different characters will meet people who seem to be ghosts. This could be Nazis or people used as slave labor before tunnels collapsed. This makes for eerie things when they're on the screen. It is just too much time between things happening and it doesn't carry the needed tension for me. I struggled to stay interested unfortunately.

I think here I'll go over to filmmaking. The setting is great. Once we get into the tunnels and this place, which seems to have been converted into a museum. That all works. I love movies that take place underground like this. Your phones don't work right, which makes sense. Then you add in a haunting or the supernatural, that adds to it as well. Now this is filmed in the style of found-footage. I don't believe they'd keep filming. Also, their phones seem to have unlimited battery for what they're using them for. This takes away realism for me. I do think what they well with effects though was good. The cinematography is also solid as they use depth of focus and having things happen behind characters. That freaks me out. Other than that, I think they use the sound design well. There are times when characters hear talking in foreign languages. Not understanding adds to the atmosphere. That is something else I'll credit. There is music here that also takes away from the realism of 'found footage'.

I'll then finish acting. I've already said that I like our group of women. Part of what this is playing with is that characters get mad at each other to help separate them. I like that Brewer-Marchant, Potter, Barber, Dawber and Tol all feel like a real group of friends who have known each other for years. Hislop, Dave Hyett and the other reporters at the press conference are good at setting the stage. There are a group of teens who appear later in the movie. I like how they factor in. King is also good in his limited role as a taxi driver. Overall, I'd say that the acting was good. They feel like real people, which you need for found footage films.

In conclusion, I think there's a good set up here. I love the location where our characters get trapped. Then having them deal with what could be a haunting and potentially a demon is good. I even think the explanation of what traps them works. My problem is that not much happens. There are long stretches where we use the location and the darkness to build tension. That only goes so far. I will say that this is well-made. They build a good atmosphere with cinematography, framing and sound design. The acting is good to bring the characters to life. I just felt that I needed more in the end. I'd recommend this to fans of the found footage films. If you don't like this sub-genre or filming style, avoid this one.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.

They dropped the ball big time. Boring from beggining to end.

This movie has been done before, and better. In the movie Outpost (2008) for example. The concept is far from new.

In the USA only way to watch this is on ScreamBox, for a sunscription of like $8 for one month. Wasterd money.

The first 35 minutes or so are the most boring, as the group of 5 have their hen party. Your eyes will glaze over as they literally talk about nothing at all. Just random banter. By the end of the movie, we know as little about the ladies as in the beggining. Which in turn means we do not really care what happens to them.

There is no CGI, only practical effects. And very little of those as well. Movie plays out more like a play than a movie.

There are no scary jump scares, no real scary moments. There is some suspense due to being trapped undergound in the labyrinth like no longer used hospital (ww2 era, used by the Nazi). At times the movie does a good jon of making us clasutophobic, but not scared.

There is some weird plot twist that is not really explained and we are left to wonder what really happens at the end. Not in an Afred Hitchcock way, but in a non sensical non earned way. Very unsatisfying.

The movie alludes to possible ghosts from WW2, and maybe to time travel, or alternate dimensions. By the time the movie ends, you will not really care anymore. And the ending will upset you because it is a non ending.

The budget for this momie had to be pennies. To be fair though it did not have to be too high since there were no set pieces. It was all shot on location, in the real hospital that is mentioned. Now a museum, by the way.

This movie is the oposite of the movie As Above, So Below (2014). THAT is a really well made scary creepy unnerving movie. Everything this one is not.

Underground" (2023) emerges as a film with potential that unfortunately falls short in execution. The narrative centers around characters who, despite the high stakes of their underground world, often react with a lack of common sense. This choice in character development leads to a disconnection between the audience and the protagonists, as their decisions come across as implausibly naive rather than compelling or relatable.

The storyline itself meanders through a labyrinth of clichés and underdeveloped plot points, leaving viewers with more questions than answers. Rather than building suspense or intrigue, the scenario often feels contrived, missing the mark on delivering a coherent and engaging narrative.

Moreover, the casting choices raise concerns not about the talents of the actors themselves but about how well they fit their roles. The film struggles with authenticity, partly due to character appearances that seem out of sync with the gritty, raw setting one might expect from a movie titled "Underground." It's a reminder that casting is as much about believability and fit as it is about acting skill.

Visually, the film doesn't manage to compensate for its narrative and character shortcomings. The aesthetic and production design, which could have been the movie's saving grace, don't quite capture the essence or the urgency of the underground world it aims to portray.

In conclusion, "Underground" (2023) could have been a riveting exploration of its namesake's depths. Instead, it serves as a case study in missed opportunities, from its underwhelming character arcs and storyline to casting and visual execution. The film had the potential to offer a compelling dive into an intriguing world but ultimately leaves the audience wishing for more substance and coherence.

This review focuses on the aspects you found lacking while maintaining respect for the work and effort put into the film's production.

Heading out for a night of festivities, a group of women on a bachelorette party for their friend head out for a night out on the city drinking and partying to celebrate, but when this leads to them being trapped in an underground Nazi bunker have to sort through their personal issues to get out alive.

This was a pretty difficult entry to get into. The opening exploits showing the group hanging out and having fun with their bridal party preparations, going dress shopping, meeting with the decorators, and just drinking or getting into arguments with each other that signal their bond and friendship with each other, is all decent enough in concept but it soon grows obnoxious and tiresome when they start to get progressively drunker and less interesting. When it leads to the bad decision-making skills that trap them underground in the particular bunker, it's somewhat hard to get behind them due to the antics demonstrated here where it becomes somewhat hard to care for them after this type of build-up as the only reason they're in the situation is due to their stupidity. That doesn't mean the film's scenes in the underground bunker aren't creepy or chilling, which is the case when they arrive inside the building. After the fall and the need to split up to find help, the groups' intoxicated state of mind makes it easy to understand their plight at being lost in the bewildering series of maze-like corridors and tunnels inside the bunker. Unsure and unfamiliar with their surroundings already, this combines with the low light available to make for a rather fun time. The explorations that arise when they arrive and try to find a way out which results in a disappearance and the discovery that someone or something is down there with them is handled quite well adding a solid way to enhance the unease felt in the situation the longer they're down there. However, it soon becomes apparent that this is really all the film has going for it with the final half being a real mess where not a whole lot makes sense. The whole idea of the group wandering around the tunnels repeating the same conversations about the missing friend and why they need to move along, breaking down into pedantic arguments about the situation that show off how unlikeable they all are dropping their friendly nature to start turning on each other for what's supposed to be dramatic effect at a time when it doesn't need any extra conflict between the group who should be concentrated on getting out alive. There are also bizarre encounters that don't make sense, from the soldier or other figures materializing to the unexplained occult rituals that are there mainly for scares but don't mean much that all come together to leave this one underwhelming.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Mild Violence.

This movie was an emotional rollercoaster and did not disappoint.

A lot of reviews are saying that this movie is boring and poorly made, however, if you actually WATCH THE WHOLE MOVIE, you will see that everything comes together and is worth the watch. The acting is impressive: the actresses emotions are so raw and authentic that you almost doubt if they're even acting. The ending had me sobbing and I was so glad I didn't turn it off early. The beginning is kind of a slow burn, but the intensity picks up after some context is provided. I really felt for the characters and what they were going through, even though I cannot imagine being in such a horrific position. Going into it, I had low expectations, but that just made the watch more satisfying.