You may know from his previous efforts that indie horror director Charlie Steeds, likes a good monster or many.
Whether it’s werewolves, fish people or vampires have all been on the roster since he arrived on the independent scene.
For Steeds’ latest effort, he is delving into Lovecraft territory with a pinch of Aliens (1986) and The Fly (1986), with Gods of the Deep.
A rag tag aquatic team are given a mission to investigate a mysterious portal at the bottom of the ocean, I mean who could resist?
We get Steed’s regulars such as Tim Cartwright, Derek Nelson and Kane Surry to populate the small crew. While the effects are initially a bit ropey, it’s when things get sinister on their vessel that the film breaks a slightly bogged-down pace and has some fun.
The practical effects for some of our tentacled beasts are quite impressive on budget limitations. This is also probably Nelson’s best performance in a Steeds film to date, as he is thrust front and centre as our main protagonist. On the flipside, Surry gives a devilish performance which only descends into camp territory in the finale, although that’s surely what you want for a B sci-fi action movie?
The ending hints that the aforementioned Gods may be beyond the deep if a sequel ever materialises, with a wink to one of the more disturbing moments of Cronenberg’s The Fly. Having said that, most of the Fly remake is pretty gross.
Gods of the Deep is a serviceable effort from Steeds, and with two new films in the pipeline for this year, he’s not done yet.
Gods of the Deep is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.
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