Product Details

• Actors: Michael McKell, Raquel Meroño, Charlotte Salt, Patrick Gordon, Manuel Manquiña
• Directors: Brian Yuzna
• Writers: Matthew Costello, Mike Hostench, Ángel Sala
• Producers: Brian Yuzna, Antonia Nava, Carlos Fernández, José Luis Jiménez
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: April 10, 2007
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000MRNWJ2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,452 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Beneath Still Waters (Widescreen)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

BENEATH STILL WATERS - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brian Yuzna's answer to Dagon, October 11, 2007

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Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beneath Still Waters (Widescreen) (DVD)

Beneath Still Waters (Brian Yuzna, 2005)

I'd probably have passed the one up altogether were it not based on a Matthew Costello novel. I had no idea when I sat down to watch it that it was directed by Stuart Gordon protege Brian Yuzna, who's done some very interesting stuff over the years (though, to be fair, some not-so-interesting stuff as well). Yuzna, as Gordon before him (with Dagon), heads over to Spain, presumably to make a cheaper movie, casts a few minor personages on their way up and some established Spanish stars, and injects as much Lovecraftian silliness into this manuscript as he possibly can. But for the production values and Yuzna's slightly less-steady hand, this might as well be a Gordon flick, and I mean that as praise.

In 1965, the small Spanish town of Marienbad is to be flooded when a dam is built to supply power to the new neighboring town, Desbaria. Two children are investigating the town before it gets flooded, and they discover something horrific-- four people chained in the basement of one of the houses. One of them sets the leader free and is killed for his troubles; the other flees, retreating into insanity for the rest of his days. Fast-forward to the fortieth anniversary of the dam, and Desbaria is putting on a celebration. It's drawn Dan Quarry, a journalist (Michael McKell, of the long-running daytime soap Doctors) who's doing a story on the sunken town, and Teresa Borgia (Raquel Merono, who showed up-- surprise!-- in Dagon), daughter of the last mayor of Marienbad and the first mayor of Desbaria, a plucky news reporter. (For there must always be a plucky news reporter.) Teresa's daughter, Clara (Charlotte Salt, of the upcoming Beowulf), London born and bred, is desperately bored with the small town. Until all hell breaks loose, that is. Clara's grandfather appears to her in dreams, warning her that the leader of the local coven of Satan-worshippers is going to return. You guessed it, it's the guy the kid set free in the opening sequence. And so Clara, with indirect help from her mother and Quarry, have to find a way to put an end to said cultist's evil machinations.

First off: if you're familiar with the Gordon/Yuzna axis, especially in the last decade or so, you should be well aware that what you're getting is going to be a low-budget cheesy movie. No nine-figure budgets to be found in Yuzna movies. So you can't go in expecting a glossy Hollywood production; a good part of movie appreciation is being able to look at things through the right frame. You have to expect barely credible acting (at most), a completely off-the-wall script, inconsistent direction, etc. In other words, this ain't Spielberg, and you should have lower standards when viewing it. Once you're on that level, Beneath Still Waters delivers pretty well. McKell gives the kind of performance you used to get from action-movie heroes, back in the day-- gritty, somewhat understated, resigned to the fact that if he has to save the world and die in the process, well, that's his job. The rest of the performances aren't all that great, but Yuzna takes the time-honored cheesy low-budget movie tactic of simply having everyone overact to the point of parody, and it's all okay. The effects are surprisingly decent (in spots, just as in Dagon) for a production of this level, and the script, while not exactly watertight, certainly isn't bad. The movie woke a desire in me to read the book, at least, and see what they changed to put all this into movie form, besides the names of the towns. ** ½

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I REALLY ENJOYED THIS FILM !, September 22, 2007

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Sultan Of Sway (Sway, SD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath Still Waters (Widescreen) (DVD)

I just finished watching this film on the Sci-Fi channel. I really thought this film was well done and had a descent story. There is alot of gore, some nudity and what I thought were good special effects. Granted this was the 92 minute edited fullscreen version so I can`t wait until I receive the unedited 100 minute version in widescreen.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars all over the map, March 15, 2010

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falcon "disdressed12" (canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Beneath Still Waters (Widescreen) (DVD)

wow,this thing is really all over the place.sometimes the acting is not bad.at other times,it' not good at all.the dialogue ranges from decent to lame.sometimes there's just no context.the tone is a mess.i can't tell if it was supposed to be a thriller, or a black comedy,or a parody.sometimes this thing is just so over the top,it's ridiculous.then,all of a sudden it switches gears,and it seems like it's trying to be serious.there's really more than one movie here.i guess it was an entertaining mess,if nothing else.i give it a 2--no wait--a 5--i mean a 4--or maybe a 3.wait a minute.i'm all over the place.kinda like this movie.i can't give it a rating.i wouldn't know where to start.but since i have to,i guess a 2* rating is as good as any. 2/5