Something Beneath (2007 TV Movie)
7/10
Would've been fine with an imposing monster
25 October 2017
Arriving at a new hotel, a group working to prepare for an upcoming seminar find a strange black goo popping up around the hotel and when it's revealed that the goo can turn victim's fears against them, they all try to get the remaining guests out before it gets them all.

This one here is a really decent film overall. One of the better elements featured here is the fact that this here has a unique creature which is a rather strong plus. This is an amorphous blob that travels along sewer paths that will kill others based on hallucinations derived from their darkest fears is really nice and displays an interesting gimmick that allows for some great fun. There are some rather nice ones, including the completely unnerving and really creepy bathroom hallucinations of the old woman attacking her in the mirrors, the assault in the basement becomes ultra-creepy once the dog becomes involved chasing her around the facility and the highlight is the series of encounters down in the sewers where all sorts of fears are brought out as this one ups the action as well as being completely suspenseful. The evacuation of the hotel and everything that results from it are really fun, where there's everything from the lengthy suspenseful stalking scene in the sewer systems to a major action scene inside the compound where they get to confront the creature inside the middle of the facility to the race to get out, this is full of fantastic moments that really work, giving this one a stellar pace which is quite impressive overall. These here are the film's good points as this one here doesn't have a whole lot of flaws. Those are all based around the film's titular creature as this is one of the most non-threatening creatures around in no way should inspire fear. Barely touching it starts a hallucination that will kill a person by their greatest fear, but that isn't done by having the creature lay a physical hand on the victim, and they still can be saved even after touching the creature physically. That the creature has to lure victims down into the basement, despite a size given in the film to be of considerable mass, since it can't really move but expand outward as it's rooted in a particular spot, makes this yet another strike against the creature. That is it's biggest strike, and with all these here against the creature in it the film would've been a whole lot better had this been fixed into a more threatening creature. The film's other minor issue is the heavy-handed environmental message that gets hammered home here, tending to be forced into the proceedings with the subtlety of a sledgehammer which doesn't make for an enjoyable time here. These are what hold this one back.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language.
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