30 Best Hidden Gem Horror Movies Perfect For Halloween
20. Deep Rising
In his next film, The Mummy (1999), director Stephen Sommers would hit box office gold with a monster movie that was scary, witty, and a pile of fun, giving him a brief tenure as a major blockbuster maker that eventually ended in a whimper. However, many miss that he had already perfected this formula, hard-R style, with the ocean-set shocker he made just before.
A luxury cruise liner comes to a crashing halt in the middle of a stormy ocean in Deep Rising's bloody opening, featuring the memorable scene of a poor woman getting sucked into a toilet. Meanwhile, a ragtag crew of mercenaries heads out to pull off the heist of the century, but when they catch up with the ship, they come face-to-face with the horror that has wiped out its passengers.
The ensemble is excellent, with Treat Williams as the quippy ship captain, Kevin J. O’Connor as his silly sidekick, and a gang of mercenaries packed with character actors (e.g., Djimon Hounsou, Wes Studi) all clearly having a blast as well.
Sommers nails a tone that never takes itself too seriously while celebrating B-movie monster thrills. Deep Rising is bloody and goofy, yet the creature also manages to be a genuine threat, which is one of the film’s biggest strengths. The concept behind the monster - a monstrous octopus whose tentacles seek its victims - remains a wholly original spin on the classic monster movie, even if the final CGI reveal is a little dated.