[REVIEW] Catacombs
Catacombs (2007)
Lionsgate Films / Twisted Pictures
Tomm Coker, David Elliot - Directors

Having read several poor reviews of Catacombs prior to viewing the movie, I had few hopes. By the end, I wondered if those reviewers and I had watched the same film.

Catacombs sets itself up as a typical slasher-flick, albeit without the gratuitous teenage T & A. Its monster and his origins are easily as laughable as those of a certain killer in a hockey mask or a particular mass-murderer with fingers for knives. In this, and in regards to the quality of the minor characters' acting ability, Catacombs rates little better than any other in its genre. Refreshingly, however, the encounter with the beast which haunts the Paris underground acts merely as the catalyst which pushes Victoria--brilliantly played by Shannyn Sossamon--into the film's true horror: being trapped in the endless dark of the tunnels themselves. Much of the action is conveyed in jerky snatches of light, cleverly recreating the claustrophobic setting.

Given that this film was created by the makers of Saw, a twist ending was par for the course. Unlike most twist endings, what I guessed in advance with Catacombs was but the tip of the iceberg in terms of the final revelation. I was genuinely transfixed to the very moment the credits began to play, unable to look away until the full scope of Catacombs' terror had played out.

All in all, this was an excellent film, with a rich soundtrack to boot. Four and a half out of five stars.