Deep Star Six, American movie (1989)

Sometimes Hollywood goes through, what I would like to call “phases”. There are times when we all of a sudden get a number of movies that are released around a certain theme. I’m sure there are a lot of you out there that recognise this. In the 80’s people were getting tired of the standard science fiction movies that were being released one after the other. Movie studios were beginning to realise this, and began to look for other alternatives. And so it was that the action moved from outer space to the deep dark trenches of the ocean. In the year 1989 no less than six different underwater based movies were made. Of all of these James Cameron’s The Abyss is the only one that became a huge box office hit. The other ones were mostly forgotten B-movies. But that is not to say, that some of these were not entertaining. DeepStar Six definitely falls into this category, and can absolutely be called a B-movie, but certainly a fun one.

A good and decent shotgun, never leave home without them

DeepStar Six is an experimental underwater base, that is tasked with a mission by the US Navy. Headed by dr. van Gelder, whose sole purpose in life seems to be his work, the base oversees the installation of a nuclear missile platform deep under the surface of the sea. But as usual things that at first seem like an easy job, eventually turn into something that is really ugly, real fast. Right under the site where the missiles are to be stored, a gigantic underwater cave system is discovered. Against better judgement van Gelder orders depthcharges to be used, in order to collapse the system. That this turns out not to be such a good idea soon becomes apparent. In the wake of the explosion a massive fissure is exposed, and part of the seabed collapses. As if this was not bad enough already, the cavesystem appears to be the home of a gigantic creature. With the monster now set free, it soon sets it’s sight on the crew of DeepStar Six, and it is out for blood…..

If you ever lose your can opener, this guy is sure to help you out. No..really. 

Ah the wonderful 80’s. I cannot express enough how much I love to see movies from that era. For some reason there is just a certain charm that those films seem to have. DeepStar Six is not going to be winning any Oscars, but it certainly has some interesting features. The movie was directed by Sean S. Cunningham who was also responsible for directing the original Friday the 13th movie, that starred a very young Kevin Bacon. While there are no hockey mask wearing killers walking around in this film, Cunningham does manage to create a tense atmosphere, certainly in the second half of the movie.

It’s almost as if she is going to start laughing here….but that won’t last for long. 

The characters of this film are your usual bunch of people that you expect to find in movies such as these. We have the hero of the movie, the submarine pilot mcBride, played by Greg Evigan. He is a bit of a macho kind of guy, but still just likeable enough to root for him in the end. Ofcourse we also have the coward and paranoid type of character in the form of Snyder, portrayed by actor Miguel Ferrer, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Snyder is a seriously annoying person who gets on everyone’s nerves, but you can still find sympathy for. And last but not least we have the love interest for mcBride, Joyce Collins, played by actress Nancy Everhard. She is a pretty tough woman, who can definitely take care of herself. The rest of the characters are pretty much cardboard, but do provide enough support for the main cast.

I’m pretty sure you are not supposed to tie a necktie like this, but I could be wrong. 

The story of the film is pretty much non-existent, but ofcourse you watch a film like this for the monster. And I honestly have to say that the creature is pretty cool. Considering the era in which this was made, the monster looks convincing enough, especially since we are talking about practical special effects here. The sets of the underwaterbase are also rather awesome and certainly don’t look like they were made for a low budget movie. All in all we have a film here that is a fun ride throughout it’s runtime. I was not bored by the movie for a single moment, and what it may lack in budget, it more than makes up for in thrills and entertainment. Don’t expect wonders from this movie, but if you like low budget films that feature a good monster and some scares, this film might be worth your time.

I give DeepStar Six a 8 out 10 score.