Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Andrew Traucki, R&R Films.
An adventurous group of friends go spelunking in northern Australia, only to find terror in the form of a killer crocodile. This is a recreational pastime of exploring a remote, uncharted cave system.
As they are given only a small window to investigate before a tropical storm hits they abseil into the mouth of the cave. This proves to be a catastrophic decision. The storm traps them and they soon find out the dank air and rising waters are the least of their worries. They’re trapped in the den of a vicious and hungry crocodile. As danger mounts, long-kept secrets emerge in this frantic fight for survival.
Introductions are quick. Two couples carry a lot of non-physical baggage on this trip. Eric (Luke Mitchell, The Code, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) and Jennifer (Jessica McNamee, The Meg, Battle of the Sexes) who doubts his commitment to their relationship, on the lookout for signs of trouble.
On the other hand, Viktor (Benjamin Hoetjes, Mystery Road, I Am Evangeline) knows a thing or two about death, having just come out of successful cancer treatment. His girlfriend Yolanda (Amali Golden, Bloom, Thor: Ragnarok, The Invisible Man), who just discovered she’s pregnant, encourages him to go on the trip. The couples are joined by Cash (Anthony J. Sharpe, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Robert the Bruce), who tells them about a cave system he discovered while looking for missing tourists.
Black Water: Abyss is the follow-up to the 2007 cult film, Black Water.
Andrew Traucki (co-director Black Water; The Reef) has an obsession with anticipation, suspense, survival and his interest in ‘creature features’ has not waned. From Hitchcock to Stephen King and Sam Raimi, he knows the ways to subtly manipulate his audience in the ways that are expected from this genre.
The film’s a tense, thrilling adrenalin ride where the eerie and menacing cave location adds to an astonishing mix of the mysterious and the threatening. Frightening, but holds your interest nonetheless.
Black Water: Abyss will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on 23 September.
Name the co-director of Black Water? If your answer is correct, then you could win one of three Blu-ray copies of Black Water: Abyss. Entries should be sent to [email protected] by Monday, 28 September 2020. Names of the winners will be announced in Frank Cassidy’s PS-sssst…! column on 29 September 2020.
