Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons
Australia has delivered some exceptional cinematic experiences over the years, particularly within the horror genre. The reputation of this nation, and our cheeky nature to continually deliver tall tales of dropbears, man-eating spiders, and the premise that EVERYTHING can kill you, makes for some incredible horror movies.
So, what happen when the focus shifts from crazed outback killers and deadly fauna to something more suburban? You get an independent feature that might have slipped the radar of most people.
This is your only warning. There will be some spoilers ahead.
Submerged was released in April 2011. I was made aware of it in October 2021 but finally got around to seeing it after finding it on Amazon Prime in February 2022.
Submerged is a supernatural arthouse horror that combines ghosts, serial killers, and a small country town that hides a dark secret.
The premise is pretty basic; Lindsay is a teenage girl with a unique gift that allows her to see things that haven’t happened yet. Unfortunately for her, this gift might just be the thing that brings her whole world crashing down.
Written and directed by Ben McKenzie and Phil Moore, Submerged had potential to be something great. Unfortunately, the negatives far outweigh the positives.
The storyline, while solid in aspects, is a bit convoluted. It bounces from the present to the past without much indication of what we’re looking at. The fantasy elements of Lindsay’s gift are whimsical enough to differ between the time periods.
The screenplay could have benefitted from another going over, preferably by someone with fresh eyes. There are certain scenes that make no sense to the plot and feel like fodder to pad out the runtime. The ending was lackluster and unsatisfactory. It comes across as sequel baiting, but so far, no sequel has been made. For a standalone film, an additional 5-10 minutes needed to be added to explain what exactly was going on and, more importantly, to give the audience closure.
Despite the best efforts from the cast, the dialogue feels unnatural. There are some moments of great character development, but it’s not enough to forgive the copious amounts of clunky exposition.
The visual effects are basic but seeing as this is a low-budget independent feature, it can be forgiven. Just take it as a warning that it dates the film horribly.
As for the cast, the leading stars are less than desirable. I’m sure they were all doing their best with what they were given, but at times the choices made for certain scenes left me perplexed. It may have been a purposefully chosen style, but it is very hit and miss.
One thing that irks me most is how, during the flashbacks, Danny Miller doesn’t speak. He is a silent killer, relying on his physical presence to be unnerving. Cutting back to the present, where he is older (and now portrayed by legendary Peter McAllum), Danny is quite the chatterbox. Some consistency with the character would have been nice. It also bothered me that the older version of Danny seemed to be more of a follower rather than a plausible threat. The younger version was more terrifying by comparison to his older self. In saying that, age may have been a factor – something similar happened in Halloween Ends. But from where I sat, it felt like I was watching two different characters, not two actors playing the same character.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for this Aussie film. The locations are stunning, showing off the beauty that is of New South Wales. The ease to differentiate between the flashbacks to the present was easy enough that anyone who was only half watching could still follow the basic plot, while some of the supporting cast gave the film a much-needed boost.
Jake (Ben Crawford) left a lasting impression. Despite his poorly written dialogue in parts, he was likeable. Maybe too likeable. As the story progresses, it was evident that we weren’t supposed to like him, but he was able to worm his way into our hearts. Possibly done on purpose for a “shock” reveal, but due to the lack of character development, it was less shocking and more like “why”?
Kat’s employer, Grace, was also exceptional with the small amount of screentime she had. She was able to be convincing that her lines didn’t feel forced, and she had a bit of wittiness about her that had been severely lacking among some of the other characters. For a secondary character that has less than five minutes of screentime, it felt as though she was more fleshed out than some of the mains.
The two victims we see in the flashback scenes were also convincing. Their presence on screen was memorable, despite being fleeting. Their anguish at being held hostage and tortured felt real.
The flashback scenes really stood out. In them, we see a younger version of the main antagonist, Danny Miller (Richard Lovegrove – host of QUIZarenaLIVE, Under the Covers), were especially haunting. While he uttered no dialogue, the physicality of the character, and the intense fierceness coming through his eyes were enough to warrant a second look to ensure the doors to my house were indeed locked.
Now, I know what you’re thinking; I’m biased towards Richard’s performance because I work with him weekly on QUIZarenaLIVE. While my knowledge of this film did come from him, and I might have tracked it down because he told me not to, his portrayal of Danny Miller is such a departure from the man I see week in, week out, that I actively avoided him for a short period of time after watching this film until I found the courage to tell him that I saw it. The last time I was this actively wigged out by a horror movie character, I was 12 and had just seen Muse Watson in I Know What You Did Last Summer for the first time.
I can pinpoint exactly why I was so chilled by Richard’s performance, and it all comes down to his second victim, Jennifer. Walking home from school, Jenny is oblivious to the threat following her. Watching her every move, Danny emerges from his hiding spot, following her home. The next time we see them, he has her bound and gagged, sitting in the bathtub. She has cuts all over her body that he inflicted on her with a pair of large art scissors. Danny’s white t-shirt is stained with her blood. As he’s cleaning up, he hears the front door shut. Jenny’s mother’s home.
Panic sets in and he releases her from her binds and begins to run water, filling the tub. In a brief, unnerving moment, he lovingly strokes the side of her cheek before submerging her beneath the water’s surface. Holding her down, her struggles are futile as he easily overpowers her.
While it doesn’t sound like it would leave a lasting impression, the fact that Jenny looked a lot like I did in high school with long, blonde hair, her small stature, and matching school uniform, caused this scene to become forever burned on my brain. Needless to say, I’m now wary of Richard around bathtubs.
Overall, Submerged had the ability to be something intriguing. The storyline isn’t bad, the acting is passable, though there are some obvious highlights, and some of the establishing shots to build tension are successful. Unfortunately, the execution is poor for most of the film. For an independent feature, a lot of the negatives can be overlooked and put down to inexperience. It's quite forgettable.
Rating 3/10
Submerged is available to view on Amazon Prime or on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSVWyzmS01E