Sub Scary

Usually a master of creating aliens that go bump in the night, director David Twohy (Pitch Black) herein takes a turn toward ghosts and haunted houses, only this particular supernaturally afflicted domicile happens to be an American World War II submarine whose crew comes to the rescue of three survivors...

By Luke Y. Thompson

October 17, 2002

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Usually a master of creating aliens that go bump in the night, director David Twohy (Pitch Black) herein takes a turn toward ghosts and haunted houses, only this particular supernaturally afflicted domicile happens to be an American World War II submarine whose crew comes to the rescue of three survivors from a sunken English medical ship, neglecting to tell the new arrivals that something nasty recently befell the sub's previous captain, who might just be back for a little vengeance. Working from a script he co-wrote alongside Lucas Sussman and Darren "Editing Tricks Are Neat" Aronofsky, Twohy deftly avoids the obvious--i.e., there's no scene where the submarine goes to "crush depth," and the classic "surprise" ending so popular these days is gently mocked when a crewman suggests that if everyone turned out to be dead without knowing it, that would be a good twist. The cast isn't very interesting, unfortunately--when Blue Crush "himbo" Matt Davis is your lead, it's a bad sign. Still, Twohy's a good yarn-spinner, and ultimately the story compels.

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