By Mark Hockley
Three men retreat to an isolated coastal house after committing a robbery. But something sinister appears to be moving in the waters nearby.
Also known as The Waterhouse, but titled The Drowned in the version I saw, the trio is played by Alan Calton, Dominic Vulliamy and Michelangelo Fortuzzi. These thieves, fleeing an art heist, aren’t portrayed with much intelligence. They fail to react to the bizarre events around them in any way that feels natural. When three young women arrive (supposedly shipwrecked), the men still don’t show genuine alarm or doubt. It all feels very contrived.
The opening actually shows promise, with Edward White’s score creating an ominous mood in the early scenes, but soon it drifts into background noise that loses impact. The narrative takes a similar path, slipping into an untidy non-event. Recurrent shots of the camera racing over the sea quickly lose power.
The performances are uneven, with Michelangelo Fortuzzi the weakest. His presence becomes increasingly unpersuasive as the story develops.
Writer/director Samuel Clemens struggles to create fresh ideas with a single setting. The repeated views of the house, the beach and the water only highlight the financial and creative constraints.
To be fair, the first half is passable and there is just enough intrigue to hold attention. But the longer the piece continues, the more forced it all feels. By the ending, any engagement with the characters or their predicament has evaporated.
The Drowned is a waterlogged horror thriller with little to keep it afloat.
The Drowned arrives on digital platforms from 6 October 2025.
Bloody Flicks 