{{short description|2020 film directed by Chad Ferrin}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = The Deep Ones | image = File:The Deep Ones.jpeg | caption = Official release poster | director = Chad Ferrin | producer = {{plainlist| * Chad Ferrin * Gina La Piana * Robert Miano * Jeff Olan }} | writer = Chad Ferrin<br>H. P. Lovecraft | story = H. P. Lovecraft | based_on = {{Based on|''The Shadow over Innsmouth''|H. P. Lovecraft}} | starring = {{plainlist| * Gina La Piana * Robert Miano * Johann Urb * Silvia Spross * Jackie Debatin * Nicolas Coster }} | music = Richard Band | cinematography = Jeff Billings | editing = Jahad Ferif | studio = {{plainlist| * Crappy World Films * Laurelwood Films }} | distributor = {{plainlist| * 123 Go Films<ref>{{cite web|title=Priscilla Ross Smith to head sales at 123 Go Films, launches AFM talks on Sitges horror (exclusive)|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/priscilla-ross-smith-to-head-sales-at-123-go-films-launches-afm-talks-on-sitges-horror-exclusive/5154846.article?referrer=RSS|access-date=2021-06-21|archive-date=2021-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624205002/https://www.screendaily.com/news/priscilla-ross-smith-to-head-sales-at-123-go-films-launches-afm-talks-on-sitges-horror-exclusive/5154846.article?referrer=RSS|url-status=live}}</ref> * ILY Films }} | released = {{Film date|2020|10|8|Sitges|2021|4|23|United States}} | runtime = 83 minutes | country = United States | language = English<br>Finnish<br>Swiss German | budget = | gross = $19,629<ref>{{cite web|title=The Deep Ones (2020) |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deep-Ones-The-(2021)#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |access-date=October 22, 2024}}</ref> }} '''''The Deep Ones''''' (also known as '''''H.P. Lovecraft's the Deep Ones''''' or '''''H.P. Lovecraft was a Deep One''''') is a 2020 American horror science fiction film written and directed by Chad Ferrin and based on H.P. Lovecraft's 1931 novel ''The Shadow over Innsmouth''. The film stars Gina La Piana, Robert Miano, Johann Urb, Silvia Spross, Jackie Debatin, Nicolas Coster and was produced by Chad Ferrin, Gina La Piana, Robert Miano and Jeff Olan. It was premiered at Sitges Film Festival on October 10, 2020. The film is about a couple recovering from a recent miscarriage that encounters overly friendly locals and strange goings-on at a coastal getaway.<ref>{{cite web |title=June 15th Genre Releases Include Godzilla Vs. Kong (4K/3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD), Anything For Jackson (Blu-ray/DVD), The Awakening (Blu-ray) |date=15 June 2021 |url=https://dailydead.com/june-15th-genre-releases-include-godzilla-vs-kong-4k-3d-blu-ray-blu-ray-dvd-anything-for-jackson-blu-ray-dvd-the-awakening-blu-ray/ |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202708/https://dailydead.com/june-15th-genre-releases-include-godzilla-vs-kong-4k-3d-blu-ray-blu-ray-dvd-anything-for-jackson-blu-ray-dvd-the-awakening-blu-ray/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=New Cthulhu Cocktail Recipe – H.P. Lovecraft's The Deep Ones|date=19 June 2021|url=https://horrornews.net/167233/new-cthulhu-cocktail-recipe-h-p-lovecrafts-the-deep-ones/|access-date=21 June 2021|archive-date=28 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028152939/https://horrornews.net/167233/new-cthulhu-cocktail-recipe-h-p-lovecrafts-the-deep-ones/|url-status=live}}</ref>
''The Deep Ones'' is the last film appearance of Nicolas Coster after he died on June 26, 2023.
==Plot== After suffering a miscarriage, American couple Alex and Petri seek solace by renting a secluded beachfront Airbnb in the coastal town of Oxnard, California. Their hosts, the affable yet unsettling Russell Marsh and his visibly pregnant wife Ingrid, welcome them with open arms. However, the couple's seemingly idyllic retreat quickly devolves into a nightmare as they encounter a community steeped in bizarre rituals and ancient sea worship.
Russell and Ingrid introduce Alex and Petri to the local residents, who exhibit peculiar behaviors and an uncanny familiarity. Petri becomes increasingly distant, exhibiting signs of hypnosis and enthrallment, particularly after a boat outing with Russell. Alex, meanwhile, experiences disturbing visions and encounters, including a visit from a peculiar doctor, Gene Rayburn, who insists on conducting invasive health checks.
The couple is invited to a neighborhood gathering, which reveals the community's true nature, a cult devoted to the ancient sea deity Dagon. The cult's objective is to use Alex as a vessel for Dagon's offspring, continuing a lineage of human-deep one hybrids.
As Alex delves deeper into the town's secrets, she discovers that Ingrid's pregnancy is far from ordinary, marked by grotesque tentacle manifestations. The cult's rituals involve drugging and hypnotizing victims, leading to scenes of sexual violence and forced impregnation by sea creatures. One particularly disturbing sequence involves a woman being torn apart during a monstrous birth.
Alex attempts to escape the cult's clutches, battling both the brainwashed Petri and the monstrous entities summoned by the cult.
==Cast== * Gina La Piana as Alex * Robert Miano as Russel Marsh * Johann Urb as Petri * Silvia Spross as Ingrid Krauer * Jackie Debatin as Deb * Nicolas Coster as Finley * Kelli Maroney as Ambrose Zadok * Timothy Muskatell as Dr. Gene Rayburn
==Release== The film was premiered at Arizona Underground Film Festival on September 19, 2020, HARDLINE Film Festival on September 24, 2020, Santiago Horror Film Festival on September 30, 2020, H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival on October 2, 2020, Grimmfest International Festival of Fantastic Film and AFI Silver on October 9, 2020, Sitges Film Festival on October 10, 2020 and Irish Film Institute Horrorthon on October 24, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=H.P. LOVECRAFT'S THE DEEP ONES de CHAD FERRIN|url=https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/film?id=10006653|access-date=2021-06-21|archive-date=2021-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202424/https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/film?id=10006653|url-status=live}}</ref>
It also premiered at The Dark Hedges Film Festival on October 26, 2020, Anatomy Crime & Horror International Film Festival on October 29, 2020, Another Hole in the Head Film Festival on December 11, 2020, MidWest WeirdFest on March 5, 2021, UK Motion Picture Festival on March 11, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Deep Ones (2020) Awards & festival|url=https://mubi.com/films/the-deep-ones/awards|access-date=2021-06-21|archive-date=2023-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129134018/https://mubi.com/films/the-deep-ones/awards|url-status=live}}</ref>
The film has a limited release in the United States on April 23, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_deep_ones |title=The Deep Ones (2020) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129134018/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_deep_ones |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Reception== Alix Turner of ''Ready Steady Cut'' rated the film 1.5 out of 5 rating and wrote: "Awful film that likes to think it's a modern, glamorous Lovecraft adaptation, but just looks cheap and sleazy".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=Alix |date=May 5, 2021 |title=H.P. Lovecraft's the Deep Ones review – not terribly deep, actually |url=https://readysteadycut.com/2020/10/10/h-p-lovecrafts-the-deep-ones-review/ |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=Ready Steady Cut |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030061448/https://readysteadycut.com/2020/10/10/h-p-lovecrafts-the-deep-ones-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mike McGranaghan of ''The Aisle Seat'' gave the film a rating of 1/4 and said: "Writer/director Chad Ferrin doesn't build any mystery or suspense with the story. If you're going to adapt Lovecraft, shouldn't focusing on those things be your primary order of business?"<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGranaghan |first=Mike |date=April 25, 2021 |title=The Deep Ones |url=https://aisleseat.com/deep-ones.html |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=The Aisle Seat |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030042933/https://aisleseat.com/deep-ones.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Roger Moore of ''Movie Nation'' rate the film 1.5 out of 4 rating and he wrote: "If only the unintentional laughs, and the intentional ones, added up to something more than a vaguely canonical Lovecraft spoof."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Roger |date=April 22, 2021 |title=Movie Review: Lovecraft's "The Deep Ones" done on the cheap |url=https://rogersmovienation.com/2021/04/21/movie-review-lovecrafts-the-deep-ones-done-on-the-cheap/ |access-date=October 12, 2023 |website=Movie Nation |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030042933/https://rogersmovienation.com/2021/04/21/movie-review-lovecrafts-the-deep-ones-done-on-the-cheap/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On Culture Crypt the film has a review score of 45 out of 100 indicating "unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://culturecrypt.com/movie-reviews/the-deep-ones-2020 |title=The Deep Ones (reviews) |website=Culture Crypt |date=27 May 2021 |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203333/https://culturecrypt.com/movie-reviews/the-deep-ones-2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Emilie Black of ''Cinema Craze'' gave the film a 3.5/5 rating and wrote: {{blockquote| The Deep Ones is a low budget take on Lovecraft's work that modernizes the subject at hand and makes the most of it.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Deep Ones (2020) reviews [cinema craze] |date=26 April 2021 |url=http://cinema-crazed.com/blog/2021/04/26/the-deep-ones-2020/ |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204347/http://cinema-crazed.com/blog/2021/04/26/the-deep-ones-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
==Accolades== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |- ! scope="col"| Award ceremony ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Recipient ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{refh}}
|- ! scope="row" rowspan=5 | Anatomy Crime and Horror Film Festival | Best Picture | ''The Deep Ones'' | {{Won}} |rowspan=5 |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://anatomyfest.weebly.com/ |title=Anatomy Crime and Horror Film Festival (2020) |website=www.anatomyfest.weebly.com |date=July 15, 2023 |access-date=July 15, 2023 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530215813/https://anatomyfest.weebly.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |- | Best Director | Chad Ferrin | {{Won}} |- | Best Cinematography | Jeff Billings | {{Won}} |- | Best Special Effects | ''The Deep Ones'' | {{Won}} |- | People's Choice Best Actor | Robert Miano,<br>Johann Urb | {{Won}} |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|tt11548850}}
{{The Shadow Over Innsmouth}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deep Ones, The}} Category:Cthulhu Mythos films Category:Films based on The Shadow over Innsmouth Category:2020 science fiction horror films Category:Films based on American novels Category:Films based on science fiction novels Category:Films directed by Chad Ferrin Category:Films shot in California Category:Films set in California Category:Films scored by Richard Band