12 Hidden Sci-Fi Movies You've Probably Never Seen

Does the name Stephen Sommers mean much to you? If you (very reasonably) answered no, then for shame, genre fan. The helmer who brought the cheesy delights of The Mummy, its first and only worthwhile sequel, and, er, 2004’s Van Helsing is an institution in the world of corny blockbuster fantasy horror (huge world that it is).

Before his string of big budget classic Hollywood throwbacks circa the early oughts, however, Sommers netted himself the job directing The Mummy thanks in part to this flop. Let us explain—released before Deep Blue Sea reignited the sea-set sci-fi thriller craze, Deep Rising is the enjoyably cheesy story of a cruise ship besieged by monstrous deep sea entities, and the smart mouthed team of mercenaries charged with its saviour.

Essentially giving us the monster movie we all wished Titanic was tasteless enough to be, Deep Rising could be summarized as “Alien on a big boat” or “Jaws with tentacles”, but the B-movie approach which was despised by critics at the time of its release is undeniable fun for anyone expecting a corny creature feature with impressive monster work and great cast chemistry.