There is something slyly and enjoyably subversive about co-writer/director David Twohy’s Below. Much as Scream turned the world of teenage slasher flicks on its ear in 1996, Below turns the tables on the world of the ghostly thriller, ala The Sixth Sense, The Others and What Lies Beneath.

Set in a submarine during the height of the Second World War, Matt Davis stars in Below as Petty Officer Douglas O'Dell, a clean-cut, good-hearted rookie officer completing his first combat run. After the submarine crew picks up several survivors from a sunken British hospital ship, losing their captain in the process, they are quickly forced to dive to escape the approaching German fleet. Unable to surface for fear of being torpedoed, O’Dell and his superior officers begin to notice unusual occurrences around the submarine. Record players start playing by themselves and tapping noises can be heard throughout the boat, thoroughly irking the already rattled crew.

Below is an atmospheric thriller that gets a hefty lift from the claustrophobic and dark confines of the submarine. Designed with what seems to be about a foot less headroom than should be, the cramped, uneasy life inside the boat serves to drastically heighten the events therein.

Bruce Greenwood delivers a solid performance as the boat’s makeshift commander, Lieutenant Brice, but, despite the fine across-the-board performances by the cast and the dark conditions on the sub, it is the sharp, witty and above-average script by Twohy, Lucas Sussman and Darren Aronofsky that keeps Below so interesting.

Never knowing quite what to expect, or why characters are creeped out by different things, Below is a fascinating movie to watch unfold. This was quite an entertaining film.

Chris Neumer

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Take your pick: co-star Olivia Williams once appeared on Friends, co-writer Darren Aronofsky also wrote and directed Pi.