Tags:
Film: The Drowned
Year: 2025
Director: Samuel Clemens
Writer: Samuel Clemens
Starring: Alan Calton, Michelangelo Fortuzzi and Lara Lemon
Review:
This was a film that I got the chance to see via screener thanks to Keir from Strike Media. The title was something that sounded cool. Figuring out that this was a horror film that was getting its wide release in 2025, it intrigued me. From the bit of research I’ve done, there was a workprint that showed FrightFest UK back in 2023. This seems to be the more polished version. Other than that, I came in blind.
Synopsis: after stealing a priceless painting, three men arrive at a secluded safe house by the sea to discover their fourth accomplice missing. Was one of them responsible or is there a more sinister presence lurking at the water’s edge?
We start this on a large vessel that’s at sea. We’re seeing the back of someone who will turn out to be Eric (Alan Calton). He then takes a car when the ship arrives at port. He drives to the middle of nowhere. There is another car here. He takes the plates off his, wipes it down for fingerprints and continues on until he comes to a remote house. He knocks, but there is no answer.
Eric then looks around. There doesn’t seem to be anyone home. He goes out to the seaside to look and finds blood in the water as well as on stones. There’s also a piece of jewelry. Eric gets a bucket, cleans it up as best he can and then throws the bucket into the water. That’s when someone else shows up, Matt (Dominic Vulliamy).
They head back to the house to find Paul (Michelangelo Fortuzzi). He pops a bottle of champagne, thinking that they got away with what they did. That’s when he’s relays that the other member of the team, Denice (Corrinne Wicks), is missing. Eric doesn’t reveal what he knows. The trio settle in for the night. Inside, they do find the container that has the painting so they know they can at least get paid. That’s when something strange happens. They hear a weird sound that makes them black out. Their heads clear to find they’re near the water.
This group is then joined by a trio of women, Opal (Lara Lemon), Noé (Sandrine Salyères) and Pixie (Lily Catalifo). Eric is concerned, but they come up with a cover story, allowing the women to stay. They also use fake names. It is decided they’ll play a game of two truths and a lie. This gets everyone relaxed, even when information they reveal could give away who they truly are. This strange sound happens again as everyone pairs off together. People start to disappear, with trails of blood leading back to the water, eerily similar to what Eric found.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. The story's familiar premise, where a trio encounters three attractive women claiming their boat sank, works well. The early discovery of blood by Eric creates unease, heightened by the women needing shelter until morning. The mystery of what damaged their boat and potentially caused Denice's disappearance immediately hooked me as the viewer. Then playing this game does give us a better idea of our characters, adding depth. I’ll give credit here.
The characters' criminality is primarily a plot device to isolate them, but it also creates suspense as they hide their identities. Eric, armed and dangerous, seems the most professional criminal, evidenced by his covering their tracks. Flashbacks during their blackouts will reveal details of their heist. It's worth exploring if all three characters experience the same revelations, or each one as the specific one we see when they’re the focus. A rewatch might clear this idea up.
Then we have this trio of women that are going to stay in their hideout for the night. Since it's been established how isolated this location is, them appearing at the house stranded creates a predicament. Them being attractive disarms our trio and makes it believable that they’d allow them to stay. They also seem normal, a little flirty. When they suggest the game, it feels normal. It is the longer things go on that make you question their motives and the validity of their story. Their performances definitely help give character to each one.
The horror elements, particularly the creature's identity, were intriguing. I initially wondered if it was a siren or mermaid. The press release confirmed this film was inspired by Greek mythology. The final shot, a reveal of a painting, clarified the monster's nature, but this relied on external knowledge of a specific work. While the painting's name connected the dots, needing outside research was a slight drawback, as this information should have been included.
Let’s then shift over to what makes this work, which are the acting performances. Calton is solid as this criminal is our lead. We’re following him and it sets up his meticulous nature to not be caught. Then from there, I like introducing Vulliamy and Fortuzzi. The more we learn about the latter, the better his performance becomes. He feels younger, but that could be he’s their tech guy. Lemon, Salyères and Catalifo work as the young woman who complicates the night. Their performances were well done. Also, credit for a small role for Wicks to finish it out.
All that is left then is filmmaking aspects. I’ll say that the cinematography and framing were good. I love how they show us that this safe house is truly in the middle of nowhere. That isolated feeling builds tension as the stress mounts. Then Eric finding the blood by the water adds to it. I like how they show our characters being influenced by this strange sound or presence. The sound design helps there. The music fits what was needed. If I have an issue though, this is just too slowly paced and it struggled to keep my attention the later it went.
In conclusion, this presents an intriguing, albeit slow-paced, horror narrative rooted in Greek mythology. While Samuel Clemens' direction and script, combined with solid performances from Calton and the rest of the cast, create a tense atmosphere in an isolated setting, the film's reliance on external knowledge for its creature reveal is a minor drawback. Despite its struggles to maintain attention due to pacing, the film effectively builds suspense through its characters and unique horror elements.
My Rating: 7 out of 10