Well yes, I spotted the incredibly low rating, read the large amount of negative reviews and took into consideration all the undoubtedly sincere & well-intended warnings of people insisting not to waste my precious time on this horrible dud of a film. But, being a tremendous fan of cheap and trashy B-horror movies, do you honestly expect me to voluntarily skip a film about a giant FISH that eats teenagers?!? I simply must watch junk like "Beneath"; - it's like an uncontrollable stubbornness I developed over a course of 25 years of watching bad movies. One thing I didn't see coming, however, is that I would actually end up liking Larry Fessenden's "Beneath" and, frankly, I also don't understand that it has such a bad reputation. I'm really not the type of person to blame other viewers that they missed the point, but in this specific case I honestly do feel that "Beneath" is misunderstood and painfully underrated. I reckon that most people expect a bad film with a giant fake fish, and then they subsequently complain because it's a bad film with a giant fake fish. I, on the other hand, was all set to watch a bad film with a giant fake fish, but what I watched was an uncomfortably tense and compelling thriller about the fragility of friendship and the destructive impact of survival instincts. And, as a bonus, there's a giant fake fish that eats teenagers! Admittedly there are loads of shortcomings, but the rudimentary idea of "Beneath" is terrific and the behavior that practically all lead characters demonstrate is realistic and plausible, and therefore also utterly disturbing. The monstrously oversized fish only eats people, whereas these so-called friends are the ones killing each other. The ambiguous tagline is utmost correct and clever, in fact, as it states: "They are only friends on the surface". When these six people's lives are in mortal danger, and they should collaborate to survive their ordeal together, all they do is increasing their own chances by trying to get rid of the others. And the giant fake fish? He just waits. I don't have a specific affinity for writer/director Larry Fessenden, but firmly do believe that he made a much better film with "Beneath" than he gets credited for. It starts out as a routine slasher pastiche, with the introduction of six stereotypical teenagers (the cute girl, the jock, the nerd, ...) and even the clichéd old guy (Mark Margolis) warning them about the dangers of the lake, but it gradually turns into a tense survivalist thriller with dark and unpleasant character portrayals. There are some stupid aspects in the script, like the significance of the necklace for instance, but these are compensated by a few ingenious and unexpected deaths and slick plot twists. And, what can I say, I loved the fish! I'll prefer goofy, amateurish-looking monster designs over computer-engineered effects for the rest of my life. The fish-creature in "Beneath" reminded me of the aquatic or alien monsters in charming B-movies from the fifties and sixties; cheap and cheesy, but created with a lot of passion! Ignore all the bad omens and please give "Beneath" a fair chance.

Beneath (2013, Larry Fessenden) has a set of highly obnoxious characters who are whittled down to the irredeemable few by a large catfish.There are good things about this film, they are: 1. The catfish; although not at all anatomically correct it is striking and the plus is that it is a prop, not CGI, which makes it physically imposing.2. I personally like that the film is almost entirely in daylight. It's a brave move because it means the monster is shown in daylight, so you see it clearly when it is on the screen. I prefer my Godzilla fights during the day, so why not my attacking fish.That's it. Here are the bad points: 1. The characters are sickening. I don't go in for this "let's make these people total trash so we all want to see them die!" rubbish. Wasn't Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies a good duo in Piranha? Weren't Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon a good team in Tremors? Wasn't Sigourney Weaver just great in the Alien films? 2. The music is poor. It floats around like it's from another film. Music is supposed to be a reflection of what's happening on screen and what we as viewers are meant to be feeling. This generated virtually no tension whatsoever.3. The story line. It's basically a version of The Raft, a segment of Creepshow 2, where a bunch of annoying people hang out on a raft only to be picked off one by one by a thing in the water.4. The filming lacks energy and creativity.This film seems to have been made by people who were not interested in making a horror film at all, but yet were retro enough to not go down the CGI route, which appeases people like me, and yet they did go down the route of not caring about plot and characterisation- the not caring of which typically goes hand in hand with CGI monsters, so it's a total disaster.I watched it once and liked what I liked. I will not be watching this film again.It gets a 4 because of the catfish and the daylight!

A gaggle of teenagers who've just graduated high school go on a rural excursion together before they all head their separate ways. They end up on a boat, on a lake, and at least one of their number, Johnny (Daniel Zovatto), seems to know the score. He's heard "legends" regarding the place. As it turns out, this dumb bunch ends up stranded on the boat - which develops leaks - and franticly trying to make it to shore when a goofy monster fish shows up and, every so often, gobbles up one of them.It's a shame, really. You expect more from writer / director / editor Larry Fessenden ("Habit", "Wendigo") than this kind of cheese ball entertainment. It seems as if he's trying to rise it above most of the efforts in this genre by ruminating on the idea of the depths to which people will sink when it comes to saving their own worthless lives. How much does friendship and family count for in such a situation?Negating whatever honest intentions Fessenden may have had is the fact that this is one truly despicable bunch of jerks. This is the kind of movie where you root for the monster, by default, to eat everybody because there's not one human character on hand that's tolerable. Zeke (Griffin Newman) is one of the worst because he's a walking cliché: the kind of film geek / aspiring filmmaker who stubbornly insists on filming everything, the kind of guy who drives this viewer right up the wall.The acting is pretty bad from most everybody concerned, which doesn't help matters. The young cast is amateurish, with just one old pro present: veteran character actor Mark Margolis ("Pi", 'Breaking Bad'), who has just two scenes.The design for the monster fish is, as was said, rather goofy, but the visual effects are better than one might expect; the fish actually feels like a physical presence in the movie. And there is a smattering of amusing gore throughout.This isn't one that this viewer would really recommend, unless you have a high tolerance for bad writing and bad acting.Four out of 10.

An exciting cast of fresh young faces deliver some superb performances in director Larry Fessenden's classic horror film, Beneath. With his unique style and creative camera work, Fessenden creates an environment that is quite realistic and unrelenting in its terror. Actress Bonnie Dennison is particularly stunning in both beauty and talent, doing some of her best work before this director's cameras. It is a memorable performance and one that should be noted for its sheer artistry. The audience will squirm in their seats as the tension mounts while the characters attempt to escape from a murderous creature stalking them in a small lake. The vulnerability of the hunted, confined to a fragile rowboat and fighting for their very lives, is palpable and the pulse pounding suspense never lets up. Working with a limited budget, the special effects are surprisingly well done and horrifically produced. At times, audiences will be jolted from their seats as they are shaken by some of the more graphically intense sequences. As the story progresses, most viewers will find the interaction between these desperate young people as mesmerizing as the threat of the evil swimming tirelessly about them. Obviously inspired by Hitchcock's, "Lifeboat", with clever nods to that classic film sprinkled throughout, this is a motion picture that strives heroically to be more than just another genre entry. That it succeeds in doing so in such brilliant fashion is a credit to Fessendon, his screenwriters, production team, and a very gifted cast of young actors destined for great things.