The Tunnel

(2011) ****

Lord knows I resisted the found footage craze as much as humanly possible. But after JPX posted several intriguing FF reviews last year, including this one, I had no choice but to buckle. The Tunnel is an intensely well paced movie glued together by the strong but competitive relationship between Natasha, an ambitious journalist determined to prove a government conspiracy, and Steve, the handsome cameraman. Steve is the kind of guy whose stereotypical Australian rugged charm makes you want to chug beers and sing drinking songs with him before he cradles you to sleep and tells you everything is going to be ok.  

After the New South Wales government quietly aborts a $95 million dollar plan to tap into an abandoned reservoir under the city, rumors surface that it may be related to missing homeless people who used it as shelter. Natasha smells a huge, career-defining story and starts poking around, only to reach dead end after dead end. During an interview with a homeless man who once lived in the tunnels, the vagrant breaks down in abject terror. She enlists the help of 3 of her colleagues and they bribe their way into the heavily protected underground maze. The group finds more than they bargained for in the tunnels and the mayhem begins.  

Instead of spoiling the fun I will just say that it was an interesting character study. They have multiple opportunities to turn around and cut their losses but Natasha never takes her eyes off the prize, and makes decisions that puts herself and her colleagues in danger. Steve's equally massive ego clashes with hers, adding an additional layer of stress to the ordeal. 

I watched a fascinating documentary called Dark Days a few years back about the homeless community living in the underground subway system in New York City. It's a heartbreaking film and I highly recommend it but at the time my Horrorthon senses told me that it would be a perfect setting for a horror flick. Director Carlo Ledesma does a great job exploiting the horror possibilities in such a dark and dingy underworld.