Mathieu Turi delivers a delightful and ominous creature feature with The Deep Dark and the practical effects, and oppressive setting make this one spark, and it’s definitely something the Toronto After Dark crowds are going to love.

Amir (Amir El Kacem) arrived to join a mining team in the 1950s. He’s paired with a rough-and-tumble group led by Roland (Samuel Le Bihan). Despite the international assembly, they give the young man a rough time as they give him the gears. He’s eager to prove himself though.

Of course, things aren’t going to go well for the team, when they are assigned to guide a professor, Berthier (Jean-Hughes Anglade) to a point one thousand meters below the surface. Triggering some dynamite to open a new gallery, they find the remains of a long-forgotten mining tunnel and more.

They find evidence of a much older civilization, one that may predate known history and a strange ancient sarcophagus that holds something that may not be dead yet. Berthier is eager to document everything, and his behaviour gets him increasingly into trouble with the mining team who force Amir to open the tomb, and what is inside is a terrifying creation, brought to life by some solid practical effects.

Turi who also wrote the film, builds up a mythology around the creature in the tomb, hinting that there are more of them buried around the planet and that they had been sent by one of the Old Ones, which looks a lot like a representation of Lovecraft’s Cthulu, in fact, Berthier also mentions Abdul Alhazred, really tying it into the Old Ones mythos.

Turi delivers a well-paced, tensely shot film that will no doubt summon comparisons to The Descent, but it’s very much it’s own thing, and I love the bigger world that the story hints at. I would very much like to see more stories from this mythology, I’d love to learn where Turi sees the arcs going.

Amir and Roland fight to survive against this gigantic, menacing creature and are hoping to get their team out alive, but the odds are against them, and they may have to be content with stopping the creature from getting out.

It’s smart, powerful, and it seems unstoppable.

I really like how this one plays out. It’s a great ride, the mythology around it lends it depth, hinting at a bigger realm that we just get a glimpse of, and it’s sure to entertain After Dark audiences. You can check it out tonight, or find tickets, other titles and showtimes here. The Deep Dark is preceded by the short, Black Paris a competition winning short that tells a violent tale.

What are you watching After Dark?