The Creature Below (2016) User Reviews

Low-Budget Film that Recalls the Sci-Fi from the 50's

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 4 April 2017]

The marine biologist Olive Crown (Anna Dawson) applies to the research of Dr. Fletcher (Zacharee Lee) in deep waters and is hired. However Olive is attacked by a huge creature that damages her underwater equipment and she has amnesia with the trauma. Dr. Fletcher fires Olive and she finds an egg in the equipment and she brings it home. She leaves the egg in the basement of her house, and soon the egg hatches and Olive captures the offspring to study. She tries every type of fish to feed the creature but none satisfies it. Olive finds that the creature feeds only with her blood. Soon Olive kills people to feed the creature. Meanwhile her boyfriend Matthew "Matt" Gardiner (Daniel Thrace) realizes that his girlfriend is changing her behavior, but he does not suspect that she is feeding the creature with blood from her victims. When Olive's sister Ellie Crown (Michaela Longden) comes to her house to spend a couple of days, she finds that something is wrong with Olive and snoops around the basement with tragic consequences.

"The Creature Below" is a low-budget film with a story that recalls the sci-fi from the 50's and a lame production in the same quality of the SyFy channel. However if the viewer watches this B-movie with very low expectations, he or she may even like it. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

terrible most of the time, but enjoyable

[ronpere · 5/10 · 21 March 2017]

This movie has some bad, but really bad, CG. well, all the CG in this movie are bad, not just some.... and there's not a lot, most of the "creature" parts are made with the old puppet way, seems to be cheaper from using CG.... music is not bad, but sometimes completely different types of music got into the main score, and we just paused the DVD to make sure none of the neighbors is listening to the radio...acting is terrible, OMG it is SO terrible, the lead actress is a disaster, and this is what might turn this garbage into a cult film, the other actress, the sister of the heroine is better, she is actually trying to act, which is not so good, because if she was as bad as her sister - this movie would surely get an Oscar for worst acting.

What motivates anyone to make a movie like this?

[neon-29 · 2/10 · 4 July 2017]

What kept running through my mind as I watched this movie was "what motivates someone, anyone, to make a movie like this?" I'm not speaking about the genre or subject of the movie, but rather a very legitimate question of what is the driving force to make a movie with the primary actress having no acting ability, the writing being almost non-existent, no real direction, and the lowest production value imaginable. Essentially it seemed like not a single person involved had any desire to make this movie.

My review isn't even regarding whether this movie is good or bad, as it's clearly meant to be a campy movie, as that's perfectly fine and often quite enjoyable. But rather there's something so completely off about this movie that it strikes me as extremely out of place. Like when you see a business in your town that seems to never have any customers, nor even seems to want any, but has been around forever supposedly making plenty of money and you get the idea that there might be something more to their business model. That is this movie. It wasn't made to be watched.

Really I'd give it a 1 but I did make it completely through the film, and there was 1 redeeming line near the end which I won't spoil but I presume was the only tag line planned for this entire film.

Creature from the deep

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 23 April 2018]

A good concept, not an original one but with a real potential to be both fun and scary, and a creepy-looking DVD cover were what drew me into seeing 'The Creature Below' in the first place. Also have gotten some entertainment out of low-budget creature films, though there are too many weak or less ones.

'The Creature Below' is not good, let alone great. It is also not terrible, let alone a complete shambles, and has good points that make it semi-watchable. There are certainly far worse films in the genre, of similar creature films and overall and it didn't leave me angry or cringing, just that it is very underwhelming that doesn't do a good job with its objectives of being fun or scary.

Starting with the positives, the monster does have some creepiness. There are moments where 'The Creature Below' is moderately scary and fun, and it doesn't take things too seriously or go overboard on the camp factor.

It's effectively lit and shot too sometimes. The soundtrack has eeriness when it isn't being intrusive or obvious. Michaela Longden tries.

Conversely, a lot of things bring 'The Creature Below' down. The acting is generally not good, Anna Dawson being especially terrible in the lead and it does kill the film. The characters are dull and sometimes annoying, meaning there is never much of a reason to make one care for them. Some of the decision making as such bordered on silly.

Although the creature was not bad in personality, the creature effects are very cheap-looking. Even for low-budget, 'The Creature Below' is pretty slapdash, especially in the editing. Excitement, thrills, creepiness and suspense are too far and between. The scares are generally not enough and suffer from predictability and lack of tension. The story is far too minimal, another thing that affects the pacing with the padding and over-stretching, bland and often ridiculous.

Overall, semi-watchable at best and mostly mediocre. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I made it to the end!

[Watcher42 · 3/10 · 6 November 2018]

Despite the awful acting

Zero budget

Weak story

Uninspired direction

Awful special effects

And did I mention just how terrible the lead 'actress' is?

I somehow made it to the end!

There is nothing to recommend this film and it has few redeeming qualities. But it is watchable (just), and the premise could be interesting if ALL the above faults were fixed. I've not seen a good Lovecraft inspired film for a long time - and this does not change that!

Sometimes madness comes with tentacles...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 15 April 2017]

"The Creature Below" is a movie that I had not heard about prior to finding it by sheer random luck. And with the prospect of not having anything else at hand to watch in the horror genre, I gave "The Creature Below" a go, without knowing what it was about. I was lured in by the title of the movie alone.

The movie starts out quite nicely and does throw the audience straight into the storyline, and you are up to speed with the intention of director Stewart Sparke right away, which was quite nice.

Almost from the very beginning there is a Lovecraftian influence permeating "The Creature Below". However that influence is cemented as something solid when you see Olive Crown (played by Anna Dawson) put her Miskatonic University diploma on the wall, so the movie apparently take place in the world as dictated by master writer H. P. Lovecraft.

The story, briefly summarized is about a marine biologist who is fired from her job, but in her haste she decides to take away an egg of some unknown original from her workplace. As the egg hatch in her basement at home, Olive forms a symbiont bond with the creature.

The music in the movie is quite fitting the genre, as it is subtle, yet noticeable in its own way, given the uniqueness and slightly odd placement it has. At times the music actually takes on an ethereal quality, not unlike that you find on the Nox Arcana CD "Necronomicon", which really bolsters the atmosphere of the movie.

And the setting of the movie, being a very rural setting with a sort of reclusive feel to it, also emanates the alienation that H. P. Lovecraft had incorporated into his stories. So it is clear that the director or writer of this movie must have been heavily influenced by Lovecraft's work in some way.

Olive's descent down the path that leads to madness and insanity is one well-fleshed out on the screen. And for that I must applaud the director on his accomplishment.

As for the actors and actresses in the movie, then I can't claim to be familiar with their prior work, but they did quite good jobs with their given roles and characters.

As for the mysterious tentacled creature, well it was believable and had functional effects to make it look fairly realistic. However, the movie could have fared much better with a bigger budget for special effects, no doubt about it. But still, taking the budget and the aspiration of the movie makers into account, they actually did quite well.

Granted that "The Creature Below" is a low budget movie, then it is still a nice foray into the eldritch and cosmic horrors dreamed up by H. P. Lovecraft and this movie is actually sort of a hidden gem, that I fear many people will never even give a chance. Which is a shame, because it is entertaining. And if you enjoy the writing of H. P. Lovecraft, then you should definitely check out "The Creature Below".

The movie is entertaining, but it just lacked that spice to make it remarkably unique and outstanding. But all in all a good movie. The ending of the movie, however, well I wasn't a fan of that particular way to round up the movie...

Waste of time that sums it up

[saralouisewells · 1/10 · 9 March 2017]

Fair play I can't believe I've wot an absolute pile of junk this film was horrendous acting from all of the cast wot a pile of crap they should be ashamed this pile of crap was ever released wot a waste of time be warned people don't waste your time watching this crap I've never watched so much rubbish in my life worst film ever

Indie Horror

[Seany-3 · 10/10 · 6 September 2016]

I saw this film at Fright Fest 2016 and thought I would share my thoughts.

From the opening deep sea dive sequence it is clear that this film has ambition. While other low budget horror films will be set in the woods and have very little in the way of a story, this film takes on some big set pieces that are delivered well. It would be easy to point out the low fi CGI effects but if you over look this then you are in for a ride.

The film takes us on a journey into madness and beyond as Anna Dawson's Olive finds a mysterious egg that hatches into The Creature Below and warps her mind.

There are some disturbing scenes and the practical effects in the film punch well above the low budget of the film.

If you are a fan of creature horror and HP Lovecraft then this film will be for you. I tried to buy it on Amazon but it is not available yet. I will keep my eyes peeled.

Not up to the mark

[donovankaye · 1/10 · 10 April 2020]

A complete waste of time during this quarantine time. The story was fine but actress lack the acting ability which do not hold the attention of the viewer. Though the plot seems to take a mix of alien with the normal life story but it fall flat on the face.

Not Great!

[Ctaylor1980 · 4/10 · 22 October 2018]

But still think it was worth a watch despite the somewhat bad acting.

Decent Lovecraft Themed Movie

[parsonm2 · 7/10 · 3 March 2017]

If your a horror or Lovecraft film fan, you'll probably give this a pretty decent rating. It had the same production values of "The Resurrected" AKA Shatterbrain with Chris Sarandon of course without Chris Sarandon.

I'm a huge fan of H. P. Lovecraft literature, one of the major fathers of modern horror. If you don't know the name and your a horror movie fan, it's time to pick up a book. Anyhow, there are a great number of specific film adaptations of Lovecraft but many decent movies based on the theme. I had been waiting for some time to get my hands on this one. Due to a trailer I had seen the movie seemed to be heavily influenced by and related to Cthulhu, one of Lovecraft's major antagonists.

This doesn't have any big-named actors and is a lower budget affair but I was pleased to say I enjoyed it and found it an entertaining addition to other "Lovecraft Themed Films". Basically it's about a deep sea research diver who brings up a semi parasitic creature she discovers on a deep sea dive. The creature grows and begins to influence her to... This film story is very similar to another Lovecraft themed movie a foreign 1981 film "Possession" with beloved Horror Icon Sam Neill but isn't a twisted and difficult to follow and it's in English.

If your a Lovecraft film fan, these is definitely worth the watch. They never directly mention the mythos but the crude cave drawing, images, monologue and the ending leave no doubt.

If I have one grip about this, it may be the further development of a human antagonist. They were doing a fairly good job with the story and the main character and I think they might have gone further if they hadn't deviated from it but I'm satisfied with the viewing experience nevertheless.

As much fun as the 50's SF

[mindbird · 7/10 · 13 January 2022]

It starts off with sharpness and moves along at a brisk pace. Not very gory, not a terribly frightening movie, which to me are good points, just solid fun science fiction, like the old 50's movies but sharper and more stylish.

Lovecraftian is a good description. Low-budget, of course, but the director did very well with what he had. The lead actress is very good, the other actors provide good support.

I really enjoyed this.

A VERY good movie!

[atmobilemail · 8/10 · 1 March 2017]

True, there are other somewhat similar movies. What makes this one stand out is the excellent acting. Other more mainstream movies of this kind inevitably always have linear acting - meaning that what you see from the first scene is what you'll get in the last frame. Not so with this one. Anna Dawson starts off by portraying an ambitious go-getter who becomes increasingly taciturn. The supporting actress, Michaela Longden, starts off by being something akin to a party girl, but ends up emotionally distraught. The silent ''screams'' at the end are surreal, and as such, are even more terrifying - reminding me of some nightmarish scenes seen in Europeen movies of the 70's. Very often, a film with a smaller budget has to maximize its limited resources in imaginative and creative ways that seem to elude bigger budget films. The Girl With All the Gifts, Morgan, Dog Soldiers - although all unrelated - are movies with limited budgets that excel in imagination and mood management. The Creature Below belongs in this company. I hope they make a sequel!

Pleasantly Surprised

[Redpawn3 · 8/10 · 20 February 2020]

Read reviews saw the lower overall score. Went in expecting a bad independent low budget film. Very pleasantly surprised. Acting was fine.Personally I found it better than a SyFy movie in acting and special effects. May have inflated my rating based on such low expectations. But still good.

Not a Disney movie

[AceFreeideas · 9/10 · 13 May 2021]

Maybe that's what some of the other reviewers expected? But if you expect a Lovecraftian horror, then this one is almost as good as Call of Cthulhu. Plot holes? Not really; there is much more about real life that doesn't quite fit than there is in this movie. I think it would be more accurate to say that the movie didn't take the time to fully explain every detail -- fine with me. From reading the reviews, I expected bad acting, and maybe it wasn't great at the beginning, but wow toward the end the main characters were convincingly frightened and frightening at the same time.

Excellent Lovecraftian horror

[jorgeeduardo1961 · 10/10 · 4 August 2022]

This is a low-budget gem that concentrates on atmosphere and growing tension to convey a sense of horror. Anna Dawson is an EXCELLENT actress, whose deliberate lack of emotion -after the encounter with the ancient one- underscores her alienation from normal human existence. Counterpointed by flashbacks where we see her joy at the initial meeting with the ancient one. Despite budgetary restrictions, the basement scenes communicate a feeling of eerie claustrophobia, in which tentacles are sufficiently well-designed to obtain a "willing suspension of disbelief " on the part of the audience. The finale would have pleased Lovecraft himself.

The only reason I can see for the viciously negative comments of other reviewers on this site is their own lack of film culture. European quality film employs conventions which American audiences tend to find "boring" or "eurotrashy", and, although a genre film, The Creature Below uses those same conventions. And classic horror film -which emphasized Gothic atmosphere rather than action or gore- constitutes another language of film to which this movie refers. This said, the male actors are all mediocre, at best.

Finally, Anna Dawson's nude scenes are tasteful and aesthetically pleasing.

All told, this movie is a delightful surprise in the midst of the wasteland that mainstream horror has increasingly become.

Think about it

[Killrover · 6 October 2019]

Don't think Lovecraft:

Think re-do of original Little Shop of Horrors.

You won't get it out of your mind.