The Deep House (2021) Review
Monday Movie Reviews
The Deep House (2021)
🎭 Genre: Horror, Thriller
📅 Year: 2021
🎭 Top Cast: Camille Rowe (Tina), James Jagger (Ben), Éric Savin (Pierre)
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74% (Critics), 34% (Audience)
⭐ IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
Synopsis
Ben and Tina, a young couple travelling through France, are on a mission to become famous by filming abandoned locations for their social media channel. When they hear about a hidden, perfectly preserved house at the bottom of a lake, Ben is instantly obsessed with diving down to explore it. What starts as a routine urban exploration quickly spirals into a claustrophobic nightmare as the house’s dark secrets—and its former residents—refuse to stay buried.
Spoiler-Free Review
If you’ve ever thought, “I wonder what Paranormal Activity would be like if it was underwater,” The Deep House is here to answer that question with an eerie, atmospheric concept that sometimes sinks under its own inconsistencies.
The film’s unique setting and underwater cinematography are its biggest strengths, creating an unsettling sense of isolation. But for every moment of immersive dread, there’s an equally frustrating plot hole, some physics-defying set design, and a protagonist so annoying you start rooting for the ghosts. While not a flawless film, it’s a refreshing take on the haunted house genre that’s worth watching—just don’t think too hard about the details.
★★★☆☆ (3/5 – Worth a Watch, but Flawed)
In-Depth Review: "Let’s Drown for Content"
Ben & Tina: Relationship Red Flags, But Make It Aquatic
Right away, we establish that Ben is the kind of guy who values internet fame more than his girlfriend’s comfort or, you know, not dying horribly. While Tina prefers sightseeing and relaxing, Ben is determined to drag her into increasingly dangerous explorations to get the ultimate viral footage. The fact that his dream proposal is a “shotgun wedding in Vegas” tells you everything you need to know about his level of taste.
Tina, meanwhile, is a walking anxiety attack, and honestly? She’s right to be. Every instinct in her body screams “bad idea” the second Pierre, the incredibly suspicious local, tells them about a “secret underwater house” in the middle of nowhere. Ben, of course, ignores all warning signs, because algorithm clout > safety.
Honestly, this guy gave me Wolf Creek vibes and I thought this film was going to be a serial killer flick rather than a supernatural one.
The Scuba Set-Up: Fancy Gear, Dumb Decisions
Despite being “just” recreational divers, Ben and Tina are decked out with expensive full-face masks that let them chat underwater, which is cool and real—but super rare outside of professional settings. They also have an underwater drone named Tom (adorable), which follows them around, proving that their GoPro budget is insanely high.
Now, here’s where things get sloppy:
The house is fully submerged, yet some things are perfectly preserved (newspaper clippings on the wall, children’s toys, a dead bird that looks like it was freshly glued there this morning).
Heavy objects float for no reason—like a giant metal candelabra just casually hovering mid-room as if ghosts have been holding onto it for aesthetic purposes.
Despite their limited oxygen, Ben and Tina spend a lot of time panicking and hyperventilating—yet somehow, their tanks last way longer than they should.
Ghosts, Satanic Rituals & Confusing Horror Logic
What starts as a creepy abandoned house tour quickly turns into supernatural chaos. First, there are unsettling noises and objects moving on their own. Then, they stumble across bodies chained up in a room (casual) that aren’t even close to decomposing, again adding to the question of the age of this drowned house. And when Tina finally convinces Ben to LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, the exit vanishes behind a brick wall (because ghosts love property renovations).
From here, things escalate fast:
They discover that the original homeowners were child-murdering Satanists, whose victims’ parents eventually took revenge.
Pierre (remember him?) is actually their surviving son, and for some reason, the police never connected him to a literal murder house at the bottom of a lake.
The ghosts aren’t just floating around being spooky—they physically stab Ben. Wait… are they ghosts or undead murder zombies? Who knows!
The Ending: The Water Wins Again
Ben, having survived mansplaining and microaggressions long enough, gets possessed or cursed or something and promptly gets shanked by the ghosts. Tina barely escapes, only to run out of air and drown just shy of the surface—a rare but welcome deviation from the Final Girl trope.
And that’s it. No resolution. No footage making it to the internet. Just two influencers lost to the depths, proving once again that water is undefeated when it comes to horror.
Final Thoughts
The Deep House is a cool concept weighed down by questionable execution. The underwater setting is genuinely creepy and visually stunning, but the inconsistent physics, lackluster dialogue, and horror logic holes keep it from reaching true greatness.
Ben is insufferable, Tina is constantly ignored, and the real villain here is their oxygen management. That said, if you’re into unique horror settings and don’t mind suspending disbelief, this is a solid one-time watch—but don’t expect it to haunt you for long.
💀 ★★★☆☆ (3/5 – Spooky but Stupid Fun)
Where to Watch
🔍 The Deep House (2021) is currently available to stream on:
United States: Amazon Prime Video, MGM+, fuboTV, DIRECTV Stream
United Kingdom: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google TV, YouTube, Microsoft Store
New Zealand: Check Shudder, Amazon Prime Video, or Apple TV for availability
Streaming options may vary by region—double-check your local platforms before taking the plunge.