5/10
Messy script is a big letdown after a great beginning...
10 February 2008
BENEATH STILL WATERS suffers from a soggy script, poorly developed characters, situations that make no sense, and a story that becomes increasingly boring after a wonderfully creepy start.

PATRICK GORDON is the restless demon at the bottom of a dam, seeking vengeance on the townspeople after decades of silence and the death of a small boy who was curious enough to free his binds. The story jumps from that '65 incident to the present, with another death in the water prompting a diver/journalist by the name of Quarry (MICHAEL McKELL) to start an investigation of his own.

Located in Spain, the film uses a mostly Spanish cast with lackluster results. Between segments of story exposition there are a few graphic horror moments, but none of it really jells as a whole--in other words, the total effect is not as gripping as it ought to be in a tale of this sort. The make-up for some of the loathsome creatures are gruesome and malevolent enough, but there's a lack of real tension and no real build-up of suspense after an excellent start.

The overall impression is simply a horror film that never lives up to its potential and provides only a few really chilling moments.
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