The Tunnel

First thing first... Turn OFF the lights, put your headphones on and send everyone from the room away and ONLY then ... click PLAY!

I can tell your right now, that if you are fan of all mentioned movies, you will most probably like this one too. There is everything you would expect from "real" horror movie.

I was tensed when I was watching & I can say it is interesting and probably the most realistic of all similar movies. Not because of the quality of the movie, but because of this can REALLY be true. Don't take me wrong, I am not saying that I actually believe in this, but it is more likely to happen than all of the "predecessors"

I don't want to and I will not spoil you experience from the movie, so I will not tell you what is really going on or what will they discover down there, but I will say, that you will be scared. If I would imagine myself in situation like that ... oh my god!

The movie has great scene and it has stupid moments. As the title suggest, there will be dark. Every good movie shows just a glimpse, this one is not different. Maze underground, only feint of light, creepy sounds, strange movements, loud breathing and ...

You will see... but I can recommend this movie if you are a horror fan. I was expecting less from this one. Despite the fact, that there are some elements, like "randomly" places cameras on the ground, always shooting the important thing or running and screaming and still shooting the right direction and things like these, pretty decent movie.

There is only one thing from holding me give more points ...When I first saw Blair Witch I was thrilled and really scared! Most of all I BELIEVED in what I have seen that time, I BELIEVED that I was watching a "REAL FOOTAGE". After couple of months I have found out, that it was a fake and nothing of it happened. This time I don't believe... maybe it is based of true story maybe not, I don't know and I don't care. Couple of years ago it would be 9/10.

The most important thing for me in this case is ... Really good movie! To believe or not, it is purely up to YOU!

Now, I'm really not into this type of "horror" movies (especially not Blair Witch or similar) but this one really looks so real and documentary that almost makes you forget what it's all about. Excellent production for almost no money at all: perfect acting, subtle editing, those details that make you believe... No, it wasn't scary at all (at least not for me). It is just what it would be if somebody really tried to do what these people did. Of course, Americans would send an army of armed & packed up kids and annihilate everything probably, but that's not the point. This is (only) a movie. The art of deception and make-believe. And it does so in every moment. Highly recommended even to the people not horror-fans. Just see what you could do when you lack budget but not artistic experience, know- how and proficiency. Go for it.

Have to admit off the bat that I don't mind found footage, my favourites are As Above So Below, Paranormal Activity and Grave Encounters. The sound effects and music side of The Tunnel was on par with those movies as was the acting.

The Tunnel is essentially a monster movie with our protagonists being chased around in tight dark confines of Sydney's subterranean railways with a lot of narration thrown in on top at least for the first two thirds of the movie. At first it felt fitting but as the movie approached the mid point the narration started to become overbearing to the point of interfering with the suspense and build up.

The footage of the underground stations was some of the best visual content I've seen in a movie like this. It's just a pity there wasn't a bit more going on in this part of the movie. However, once things did start to get scary the movie produced some effective uneasy moments especially with the flooded areas and the fuzzy footage of the monster. Coupled with the excellent scores The Tunnel proved to be a good found footage horror movie and one worth seeing for fans of this sub-genre.

Found footage has been done to death, but this is a lot more interesting than your usual shaky cam.

Decent premise with an intriguing antagonist.

Where this falls down is the documentary format of them cutting away to explain what happened. Plus the sad documentary music that plays over scenes where it doesn't belong and takes you out of the movie.

Carlo Ledesma's "The Tunnel" is a first class example that all you need to for some great horror is some awesome camera-work and an even better script. Too many movies rely on huge million dollar budgets and first class-CGI and come up relatively short of being great or even good movies in some respects.

Natasha ( Bel Delia ) is a reporter that is working on a story that she feels is going to be make her career. We're introduced to Natasha's crew early on with Peter ( Andy Rodoreda ) seemingly in a constant power struggle with Natasha. Tangles ( Luke Arnold ) and Steve ( Steve Davis ) are the goofs on the crew and make up the rest of the party venturing into the tunnel. Australia is going through a water crisis and the government comes up with a plan to tap into the huge reservoirs that are trapped in Sydneys' underground tunnel system. Natasha senses that it could be displacing the homeless that use the tunnels as an escape from the city that has forgotten about them. Sound like a setting for a great horror film? You're not wrong. Eventually Natasha and her film crew start to uncover a much bigger story. It seems that the homeless that use the tunnels are starting to disappear and no- one knows where or really seems too care. The government seems to be turning a blind eye and no one is allowed near the reservoirs as Natasha finds out the hard way when her contacts turn her down. Eventually when they get into the tunnels, they find out the hard way that some stones are better left unturned.

Without giving too much away, the "creature" is shown sparingly and more of the terror and horror come from the limited light sources and the viewers' imaginations. My friends and I still have arguments to this day as to what exactly was hiding in the tunnels as the shots are somewhat vague, but extremely effective. The movie starts off on a slow burn, setting up the events that ultimately lead to a life or death struggle down in the tunnels.

The Tunnel is a movie that is best viewed with an open mind and a couple friends. Classic indie horror at it's best, it's also proof of the quality of horror movies that Australia has been churning out in the last few years. Although not as famous as "The loved ones" or "Storage" , This movie is a prime example that not all scary things come with a million dollar price tag.

One of my all time indie favourites... Watch this movie and you'll be looking over your shoulder every time you venture into a concrete tunnel in the park alone.

7.5/10

Stay scared friends.

Kurt Smillie.