No one can sea you scream

Just five percent of the world's oceans have been explored. In view of this fact, our deep-sea double fearture seems almost documentary. When a deep-sea mine organization uncovers dark secrets in LEVIATHAN or when a cruise ship is attacked by a tentacle monster from deep the Mariana Trench in DEEP RISING, Telegram conspirators and self-proclaimed nautical experts shine. That can almost only be real!

Deep-sea resource mining is currently heating people's minds and is seen by environmentalists as the next stage in the systematic destruction of our already ailing ecosystem. In LEVIATHAN (1989), a group of deep-sea miners get on the neck. Led by Robocop Peter Weller, they encounter a Russian submarine (yes, the Russians again) and in it a genetic experiment that pursues somewhat vicious goals. Released virtually at the same time as THE ABYSS, LEVIATHAN lost out massively at the box office. Nevertheless, it is worth taking a closer look at the film again. From great set and creatrue design, to a good cast to the soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith, director George P. Cosmatos has done a hell of a lot of things right here.

DEEP RISING (also known as OCTALUS — DER TOD AUS DER TIEFE) is one of those rare horror blockbusters that (in the author's opinion) are produced far too rarely. The man for the fantastic, Stephen Sommers, took a seat in the director's chair in 1998 when Hollywood was still prepared to invest A-stars and large production budgets in films that would at best be considered a B-movie in terms of content. Bringing DEEP RISING back to the big screen is pure nostalgia for me. STARSHIP TROOPERS and DEEP RISING were among the most memorable cinema experiences of my youth and proved that hard splatter, entertainment and decent production value were still possible even in the 90s. Unfortunately, the concept was not successful and the bloody horror soon disappeared into the haze of B and C movies — with the exception of a few long-lasting horror franchises.