The Deep Ones opens with a woman running from something. She’s naked and scared but is stopped by an older man who seems to offer help, though we don’t learn her fate. We jump ahead an unknown amount of time to a small coastal town in Northern California, where a couple has flown in for a weeklong vacation at an Airbnb type home. After meeting the homes eccentric owners and spending the evening drinking local wine, we slowly realize things aren’t quite as ideal as the locals let on. What soon follows is a story of a cult that worships something old and from the depths of the ocean.

The Deep Ones is based on the writing of H.P. Lovecraft. If you are familiar with that statement, then you know exactly what you’re going to get. Lovecraft has been a solid base for horror, even spawning the sub-genre: cosmic horror. Though his works have been adapted with varying degrees of success. With some of the stronger showings being In the Mouth of Madness and The Color Out of Space. This effort is more in the middle ground. And overall, it’s worth the watch if you are a fan of Cthulhu, otherwise, you’re not missing much.

One of the stronger points of this film is the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The actors seem to really enjoy being as weird as possible and The Deep Ones is all the better for it. While the writing wasn’t as solid as it could be, the overall writing was better than expected with some genuine laugh out loud dialog and characters questioning strange things. Alex (Gina La Piana) does well as the lead. But the actual standout is her best friend Deb (Jackie Debatin). She is responsible for a majority of the comedic parts.

From a technical standpoint The Deep Ones is just okay. While the camera work had some good ideas when it comes to framing and conveying the weirdness of it all, the actually editing and pacing left a lot to be desired. There were random scenes that would seem to be the middle of the night but a few minutes later it was dusk. While not worst editing I’ve seen, it was jarring enough for me to stop and wonder if I missed something. And then there’s the creature effects. Credit where credit is due, the actors did a bang-up job being afraid of rubber tentacles.

Is this best Lovecraft adaptation? No. But it is a commendable attempt. Dagon is a 2001 film based on the same story, but they took two very different approaches to the material. I personally would prefer this version simply for the more lighthearted feel of it. While Dagon had much stronger visual effects. Ultimately though, it comes down to how bad you’re itching for some tentacle action in your horror. If you enjoy H.P. Lovecraft and looking for something new to check out, you can’t go wrong with The Deep Ones. As long as you don’t expect to be scared while watching it.

6 out of 10