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The oceans encompass most of the planet, but explorers have only scratched the surface of what lies beneath. What lurks below in the murky depths of the sea has an innately unsettling quality. Stories of krakens hiding in ocean waters waiting to wreck passing ships, man-eating sharks poised to pounce on unsuspecting swimmers, and sirens luring sailors to Davy Jones’ locker are commonplace in history.
Many filmmakers have tried to appeal to our preternatural fears of the unknown, and some have been wildly successful in tapping into what’s so scary about the ocean. Sometimes they use a mythological beast to play on our phobias, and other times it’s just the force of nature itself – it’s clear that underwater movies about the ocean aren’t going anywhere. There’s no shortage of especially thrilling and scary ocean movies that dive into unexplored depths of this sub-genre. If you don’t already have thalassophobia, or an intense fear of the ocean, these best deep sea movies may change your mind.
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‘Jaws 2’ (1978)
Jaws 2 is a horror sequel that had the tough responsibility of following up one of the greatest films ever made. While making a film as entertaining and influential as Jaws was going to be impossible, especially since Steven Spielberg turned down the opportunity to direct so that he could make Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws 2 is enjoyable as a trashy, campy shark thriller.
Jaws 2 is the only sequel in the franchise that is worth watching because the subsequent two installments were so goofy and ridiculous that they didn’t provide any scares. The biggest benefit to Jaws 2 is that it featured the return of Roy Scheider as Chief Brody, and he didn’t disappoint; even if he wasn’t accompanied by Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, Scheider delivered another memorable performance as one of the greatest heroes in all of cinematic history. —Liam Gaughan
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‘The Caine Mutiny’ (1954)
The Caine Mutiny is one of many adaptations of a classic play about a naval leader who begins to develop sociopathic tendencies, causing his crew to turn against him in the midst of conflict. It’s a story that has been passed along because it recognizes the terror of being trapped in the middle of the Ocean without a steady guiding hand, and the 1954 version remains the greatest adaptation due to the remarkable performance by Humphrey Bogart, who received his final Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Bogart is one of the greatest actors in the history of Hollywood, but it was impressive that he was able to subvert his typical charm by playing an unhinged, dangerous character who threatens to leave the man under his command out to die in the middle of the dangerous, unknowable ocean to fend for themselves. —Liam Gaughan
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‘Under Siege’ (1992)
Under Siege is one of the best examples of a ‘90s Die Hard ripoff because it took the premise of “Die Hard in the Ocean” and made the most entertaining thriller possible. Being isolated in the middle of the ocean on a ship manned by a psychopathic villain is a scary prospect for anyone who gets anxiety about the water, and Under Siege stands out amongst ‘90s thrillers because of the memorable performance by Tommy Lee Jones as the main villain.
The confined location of Under Siege succeeds in making it more intense, showing once again that Andrew Davis is one of the more underrated action filmmakers of his time. Although there have been rumors about an Under Siege reboot for quite some time, it’s hard to imagine that a new film could strike the right blend between well-orchestrated action sequences and over-the-top villainy quite like the original Under Siege. —Liam Gaughan
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‘The Hunt for Red October’ (1990)
The Hunt for Red October is the first film ever based on a Tom Clancy novel, as it adapted the Jack Ryan series within an intense underwater submarine story in the middle of the Cold War. Although Alec Baldwin made his debut as Ryan, the story of The Hunt For Red October is about a naval commander from the Soviet Union, played by Sean Connery, who decides to defect to the United States as he is pursued by both sides of the Cold War conflict.
The Hunt for Red October is the best submarine thriller ever made, and understands the intensity of underwater conflict better than any of the films that followed. It’s not only bound to terrify anyone who has a natural fear of the water, but an incredibly frightening adventure for anyone with claustrophobia because of its confined setting. —Liam Gaughan
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‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon; (1954)
The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of the best of the classic Universal monster films, and has become a major inspiration for directors like James Wan and Guillermo del Toro. While many of the early films in the cinematic universe were based on classic novels like Frankenstein and Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon tells an original story about a fish-like monster who lurks beneath the water.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon was ahead of its time because of the complexity of its underwater cinematography, which was unprecedented during an era where special effects weren’t as developed. It’s a surprisingly sensitive film with a true heart to it, and succeeds in developing better human characters than many other monster classics of the era; although there have been rumors of a remake, the original is such a well-regarded masterpiece that there has understandably been some hesitation about a new version. —Liam Gaughan
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’47 Meters Down’ (2017)
A vacation turned nightmarish is a surefire way to instill a fear of the deep blue sea. Starring Claire Holt and Mandy Moore, 47 Meters Down follows sisters Lisa (Moore) and Kate (Holt) as they decide on an adventurous whim to take a cage diving excursion offered by a group of locals they meet. When the sharks come too close for comfort, the pair begin ascending back to the surface, but the boat’s towing cable snaps, sending the cage to the bottom of the ocean. The pair fight for survival with limited oxygen and the deadly predators circling.
It’s a formulaic shark thriller with an oceanic excursion gone wrong and two inexperienced protagonists against the sea’s most terrifying creatures. 47 Meters Down throws in a few twists and turns, but still doesn’t quite reach its full potential; however, it remains a solid installment in the genre that spawned a sequel, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, that landed better with audiences. —Ali Teske
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‘Sanctum’ (2011)
Nothing screams claustrophobia like the crushing black depths of unforgiving waters. The cinematography of the diving thriller Sanctum does just that. While mapping out and exploring one of the world’s most inaccessible cave systems, a team of scientists with varying levels of diving expertise must find their way back to the surface after a tropical storm floods the cave system, washing away their surface camp and any hope of help from the air. Audiences will recognize cinematic icon and deep-diving enthusiast James Cameron as executive producer.
While the film isn’t explicitly set in the open waters of the ocean, it’s a harrowing below-surface survival thriller that uses water as its monstrous villain. Where Sanctum succeeds is in its ability to provoke the audience to ask, “What would you do?” Its downfall lies with its character development; however, for those looking for a reason not to go into the water, Sanctum is a perfect excuse. —Ali Teske
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‘The Poseidon Adventure’ (1972)
It’s a new year of new oceanic fears for the characters aboard a luxury cruise. The Poseidon Adventure is a disaster thriller about the surviving passengers of an ocean liner that was capsized by a rogue wave on its voyage to Greece from New York City on New Year’s Eve. The survivors must band together to navigate the maze of ladders and clear corridors as the ship floods, burns, and grows more and more unstable. Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, and Shelley Winters are among the top-billed cast in the nine-time Oscar-nominated feature.
The Poseidon Adventure was the original film, long before Titanic, that made audiences question whether a cruise was a good idea. It’s also a psychological feature that uses the rising waterline as a mirror for the rising tensions of the remaining passengers. A 2006 remake, Poseidon, keeps audiences on edge with certain claustrophobic scenes but fails to live up to the harrowing standard set by the original. —Ali Teske
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‘The Perfect Storm’ (2000)
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Based on the true story of the Andrea Gail’s crew tragically lost at sea, The Perfect Storm is a dramatic storm thriller with a star-studded cast. When three historic storms converge in the Northeast Atlantic, a Massachusetts commercial fishing boat battles the raging wind, rain, and waves on Halloween of 1991. Mark Wahlberg, George Clooney, John C. Reilly, and Diane Lane are among the cast of this Oscar-nominated feature. The Perfect Storm is a nonfiction novel written by Sebastian Junger recounting the infamous conditions the six-person crew encountered, along with stories from their surviving loved ones.
The Perfect Storm is the feature film choice for audiences seeking something similar to the oceanic terrors and perils depicted in the TV series Deadliest Catch. Towering waves and relentless pounding rain are enough to invoke a fear of the water. This dramatic retelling of those fateful events is a stark reminder that the ocean’s unpredictability can be far more terrifying and shocking than any fictional creature feature. —Ali Teske
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‘Black Sea’ (2014)
Black Sea is a unique thriller in the genre with a diversified category of fear not typically depicted in modern oceanic features. In search of a sunken Nazi boat filled with gold, a former Naval officer (Jude Law) assembles and leads a crew of Russian and British soldiers to the depths of the Black Sea to recover the legendary U-Boat. This under-the-sonar thriller was a hit with critics but undersold to audiences.
Cold, dark, and crushing, the bottom of the ocean is the boogeyman of the genre for both the characters and the audience. It’s unexpected and terrifying versus the standard shark antagonist, where there are clear boundaries and realistic expectations of inflicted fear. Black Sea, while a submarine heist movie of sorts, is a psychological thriller that uses the inescapable depths of the ocean to press on the emotional and physical distress of those involved. It’s enough for any viewer to approach the sea with trepidation. —Ali Teske
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Hannah Saab
Almontather Rassoul
