Friday, September 14, 2018

TRENCH 11: WHAT LIES BENEATH



War films almost always revolve around WWII or Vietnam. But there were many other wars and one in particular that became rather vicious. WWI offered some of the first uses of chemical warfare with mustard gas. It also presented the blood filled soil of trench warfare where soldiers literally climbed from the trenches only to be gunned down. So when a new movie came out involving this war I wondered how it would turn out.

The Germans have realized that their loss is inevitable. They also know that if certain atrocities are discovered the tribunals will treat them harshly. One such location is a series of tunnels in which experiments were being conducted. The intended demolition of these tunnels failed and they are now sending back a detachment along with the crazed scientists in charge of the facility to finish the job.

At the same time the allies are aware of the tunnels as well, just not what was taking place inside of them. Led by a British officer a group of US Army men accompany him to find the tunnels and take back the discoveries they find there. As part of their group they’ve taken on Lt. Benson, an expert on the tunnels the Germans have left behind. Benson has just recently survived every tunneler’s nightmare: the last tunnel he was in buried him and those he was with alive and he was forced to dig himself out.

Things move along as good as can be expected with the allies making their way to the tunnels before the Germans arrive. As they begin to explore they are attacked by a crazed German soldier still remaining in the tunnels. He’s not normal though and they wonder just what they’ve stumble upon. Searching they find maps of the tunnels showing that these were far more extensive than they expected. A confrontation among the men takes place as they argue whether to go deeper or return to the surface, the leader wanting to gather all intelligence he can.

The point becomes moot when the Germans arrive and take them prisoner. The leader of the group intends to do nothing more than blow up the tunnels. But the scientist/officer takes his time questioning one officer after the main one is shot. His plans involve taking the information with him before they leave, ignoring orders to destroy it all.

The question remains though, what exactly is down here in the tunnels? What experiments were they doing? And why are there zombie like German soldiers still roaming the tunnels attacking any and everyone who comes down? Will the tunnels be destroyed or will those within escape to wreak havoc on the world?

The film is fairly low budget but for a budget this small they still accomplish quite a bit. No doubt the sets were turned and shot from different angles to make them appear as if they were never ending. But the concept of being in the dark in a tunnel with little more than a small flashlight or lantern to provide light while a marauding menace could be just around the corner is a bit unnerving.

The acting here isn’t the best but it isn’t the worst I’ve seen either. It falls somewhere in between with some actors doing better than others. None will stand out in the end or likely list this film on their resume as one to write home about. And yet they pull off enough of a performance to make it believable.

The effects money here was spent more on explosions than makeup of gore effects. That being said a few of the gore sequences will whet the appetite of the horror fans who expect it.

In the end the movie isn’t all that bad. I’ve seen some truly rip the film to shreds and after having sat through some tremendously bad movies that were actually painful to watch this movie was heads above those. A decent story, some acceptable effects and a few good performances make this one an easy one to watch. Will I watch it a second time? Not likely. But if you’re looking for something different in the horror genre then this one might do the trick for an afternoon. 

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