Beneath Still Waters (2005)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Brian Yuzna

Writers:

Matthew Costello (novel)
Mike Hostench (writer)

Release Date:

26 May 2006 (Spain)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear is rising.

Plot:

In 1965, in Northern Spain, a dam will be built to bring progress to the location of Desbaria and the...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Michael McKell	...	Dan Quarry
Raquel Meroño	...	Teresa Borgia
Charlotte Salt	...	Clara Borgia
Patrick Gordon	...	Mordecai Salas
Manuel Manquiña	...	Luis
Pilar Soto	...	Susana
Diana Peñalver	...	Mrs. Martín
Ricard Borràs	...	Mayor Luca
Damià Plensa	...	Antonio
David Meca	...	Diver Sargent Eduardo
Carlos Castañón	...	Police Captain Keller
Josep Maria Pou	...	Julio Gambine
Omar Muñoz	...	Luis - 10 Years Old
Santiago Pasaglia	...	Teo (as Santiago Passaglia)
Eva Pont	...	Cult Member

Also Known As:

Bajo aguas tranquilas (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexual content, nudity and some language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Spain | UK

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:R | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:16 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain

Company:

Fantastic Factory (Filmax)

Trivia:

In the city of Marienbad before it floods, the boys throw rocks at a poster for "El Rostro de la Bestia," which has credits for Paul Naschy and Brian Yuzna. There is no such movie, but Yuzna did direct Naschy in 'Rottweiler (2004)'.

Quotes:

[last lines]
David: I hate them!

Movie Connections:

Features El Cid (1961)

Soundtrack:

El Payaso

A dammed mess (dammed...damned...geddit? Oh never mind...).

After years producing and directing in the US, BrianYuzna eventually left the States to set up shop in Spain; judging by the awful Beneath Still Waters, he's either been overdoing the Sangria or not taking enough siestas. Whatever the reason, it's hard to believe that this mess was directed by the same guy that gave us the twisted classic Society and the delightfully gory Return Of The Living Dead 3.

Yuzna's watery waste-of-time starts in the abandoned Spanish town of Marienbad, with two boys freeing Mordecai Salas, the leader of a Satanic cult, just as the area is about to be flooded by a new dam. Forty years later, as the locals prepare to mark the anniversary of Desbaria, the town that was built to replace Marienbad, a series of strange deaths occur which suggest that Salas, trapped deep beneath the water for so long, is about to surface. In order to save Desbaria, a photojournalist named Dan (Michael McKell), a TV news reporter, Teresa (Raquel Meroño), and her pretty daughter Clara (Charlotte Salt) must do battle with the supernatural forces that are intent on destroying the town.

Featuring a European cast who, with the exception of a couple of Brits, struggle with the English dialogue, Beneath Still Waters is a badly scripted, poorly acted and dreary piece of nonsense that is enlivened occasionally by some fairly decent gore and loads of nudity. Yuzna's direction is uninspired, there is far too much reliance on cheap digital effects during the many underwater scenes, and the story often makes little or no sense (eg. why does Salas wait for forty years under the lake before emerging?).

To be fair, Yuzna does manage one or two inspired moments—the best being the town's celebration, which turns into a debauched orgy—but with so much mundane drivel between the few high points, Beneath Still Waters deserves to sink without a trace.