Horror Movie Review: It Came From Below (2021)

Directed by Dan Allen, who co-wrote it with Sam Ashurst, It Came from Below is the sum of many inspirations and certainly has ambition. Unfortunately, its sub-par script leaves a lot to be desired, resulting in a confusing and muddled movie.

The movie opens in the dark as we see a cave expedition going wrong. A group of explorers are attacked by something unseen. One man (Stuart Packer) manages to escape, running blindly through the cave before knocking himself out.

He survives somehow (the movie never explains how) and he becomes obsessed with what he saw in the cave. Of course, no-one believes him and his name is tarnished. After he dies, his daughter Jessie (Megan Purvis) decides to prove that the monster does exist so heads off to the cave with some friends. As you do.

We have Sam (Jake Watkins), who might be Jessie’s brother, step-brother or friend. It’s never made clear just what their relationship is. He’s hoping to make some money of any potential find and has brought his new girlfriend Joanna (Georgie Banks) along for the ride. The last part of the group is Marty (Tom Taplin) who may or may not have romantic history with Jessie. Again, the film doesn’t do a great job of explaining their relationship either.

It’s such a shame that the characters are so undefined as the actors portraying them are all really good. This is a competent cast undone by really poor writing. Writing that makes them look like idiots as they go cave-exploring with less equipment than a person would take to a camping festival. It’s as though the film is making a point about the lack of experience or preparation, yet it never becomes an actual issue for the characters.

Their issue is the monster in the cave, something that might be alien. An idea that is never developed beyond just that, an idea. Unsurprisingly, in the cave, things go wrong and they become the hunted. Par for the course stuff, aside from the introduction of previous explorers who have stayed behind and developed a taste for human flesh. A twist in the tale that ends up raising more questions than the film is capable of answering.

It Came from Below will have you asking a lot of questions. Questions like; What is the relevancy of the cave drawings? Why do some have severe hallucinations and others don’t? How has this monster not been discovered before? How are they incapable of escaping the cave when it seems so small? Why are the local rangers so absolutely useless?

This is not a case of things being left up to your imagination. Far too much is left vague, resulting in a wholly unsatisfying watch. However, the film still does have things that are enjoyable.

It’s filmed nicely and the location, while unconvincing in regards to depth, does feel very ‘cavey’. The creature, kept in the dark for the most of the runtime, looks decent and the gore can be quite hefty. Alongside that, the sound effects are quite disturbing for the scenes that involve blood and guts. If there’s one thing most will remember about this movie, it’s the sound of snapping bone, gushing blood and pained cries.