Halloween Horror: Below (2002)

Ghosts at sea make this supernatural submarine flick super scary.

Written by Lucas Sussman, Darren Aronofsky, and David Twohy; Directed by David Twohy; Starring Matthew Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, and Scott Foley.

Like most people, I was pretty addicted to the rescue operation coverage of the Chilean miners. I streamed the live feed of the rescue in the corner of my computer screen, getting giddy with excitement as miner after miner reached the surface. Seeing them emerge and hug family members – and mistresses – was moving, but I relished one shot in particular: that first glimmer of light as the carriage rose to the surface. It’s the moment when that small pin-hole of light would eventually grow, expanding until the miner could feel the warmth of the sun. If it sounds like I’m being too dramatic (it's not a reality TV show - yet), it’s only because the thought of being buried alive terrifies me. Jobs that require any underground work frighten me even more than your average risk-your-life-occupations: mining, firefighting, Egyptology… Then, of course, there’s the navy – specifically submarines. Trapped miles below the surface with no sunlight, close quarters, and no escape … what could possibly be scarier? Well, add poltergeists.

That’s the basic premise of Below, which is set during WWII when an American sub stops to pick up survivors from a sinking British medical ship and strange things start to happen. Below combines classic naval superstition (a woman on board brings bad luck) with startling jumps, a perfect amount of gore, and a ton of creepy sounds. It also stars every secondary actor that you love but routinely forget about, like Olivia Williams (Dollhouse!), Scott Foley (Felicity!), Matthew Davis (Blue Crush!) and a pre-fame Zach Galifianakis (in a role which explains why he was so good at playing crazy in It's Kind of a Funny Story).

Overall the movie is a tad obvious, especially when it comes to the Lady Macbeth references - captain Brice (Bruce Greenwood) can't seem to get the blood off his hands, or a spot off his shoe. But if you don’t pick up on those subtle hints, no worries. You’ll get the book thrown at you, literally: in one scene, the ghost tosses a copy of Macbeth down the hall (who brings Macbeth on a tour of duty?). Still, the atmosphere evokes a sense of increasing unease and loss of control as the poltergeist gains command of both the sailors and the submarine.

The most chilling scene (spoiler alert!) occurs when the majority of the crew is incinerated. Not only are the burnt bodies gruesomely gory, the scene echoes the horrors of the Holocaust, Hiroshima, and the war taking place miles above.

Below treads the line between horror and thriller, and ultimately feels more like the latter. But the creepy elements it does have are done well – it’s certainly no Yellow Submarine.

Read Kiva Reardon's blog here.