Nerdly » ‘Underground’ Review

22nd Jul2024

‘Underground’ Review

by James Rodrigues

Stars: Caitlyn Barber, Charlotte Dawn Potter, Maaike Tol, Nadia Dawber, Sapphire Brewer-Marchant, Dave King, Bodo Friesecke, James Swanton | Written by Lars Janssen, Charlotte Dawn Potter | Directed by Lars Janssen

With a career that includes directing short films, Lars Janssen makes his feature directorial debut with Underground. The story follows a group of women on a bachelorette party, although their celebrations are cut short when a taxi driver leaves them stranded near a WWII underground bunker. After one of their own is hurt, the group find themselves trapped within the bunker and soon discover it is full of bizarre occurrences.

Early on, the set-up establishes this as a found-footage film. The choice is explained in-universe as recording the bachelorette party for a wedding present, and the decision is a stylistically interesting one. As the early portions focus on the characters, the shooting style allows for an up-close look at the relationships which are easy to believe in. It may not be anything unique, yet there is something genuine in the cast interactions that leaves this night out to feel endearing.

This is odd to write as a horror fan, but it is a shame that this story transitions into horror. The reasoning behind such a statement is that, while the character-focused bachelorette party is solid stuff, the genre elements feel like an afterthought. There may be strange things happening, such as a disconnected phone ringing, or a figure seen moving in the background, but they feel quickly dismissed while expecting the setting to make up for the scares. Instead, it just feels dull.

It does not help how attempts at atmosphere are undermined by the characters giving a running commentary. While the intention is to show natural responses to something unnatural the result, unfortunately, feels like being in the same cinema screening as a loud group, and it makes for a tiresome experience. What is more natural are the moments of laughs shared in between unexplainable happenings, yet these feel outweighed by the less welcome former moments.

More effective are a pair of standout sequences, both containing James Swanton playing characters. A late scene is a decent realisation of the saying “less is more”, while a moment where the camera focuses on Swanton is genuinely unsettling in ways that aspire to reach Isabelle Adjani’s standout moment in Possession. Instances like these are effective in the moment, although the potential peril feels underwhelming in retrospect due to the lacking resolution.

For all the strange occurrences within the bunker, the most bizarre moments are actually the scenes bookending the film. While the press conference opening should work as a set-up, watching the film leaves one with the realisation that it is actually unconnected. Then there’s the final sequence, as first-person scenes of police exploring the bunker close the film. These tangentially connected scenes feel like a proof-of-concept short film that has been added to a finished feature and ultimately hurt Underground more than help it.