The Kola Superdeep Borehole was a science experiment in Soviet Russia. The project was located on the Kola Peninsula, in the Pechengsky District near the border of Norway. The idea was to drill the deepest hole humanly possible to see how deep one could go. It was a 9-inch diameter borehole that went to a depth of 7.619 miles, dug over the course of a few decades. Scientists also studied what was brought up from the drilling. The project lasted from 1970 to 1992. It continued to be the deepest man made hole on earth until it was passed in 2008 by the Al Shaheen oil well in Qatar. The project turned out some interesting findings from the discovered material, but was essentially shut down with the fall of the Soviet Union. To this day, it can still be visited, but Russia has since decided to destroy the whole facility and borehole.
The idea of the borehole as a large opening in the deep earth makes an excellent idea to build a story off of - especially a horror story. Drilling a hole into the earth to depths and places that have never been reached before by man? What could possibly go wrong? One could hit an open pocket that might contain life or bacteria, or drill into a pocket of natural gas or hydrogen that could ignite. Maybe there’s an undiscovered and extreme fungus down there? No one knew what all they could run into in a project that no one had ever attempted to this extreme before. Pretty much any of the worst-case scenarios could make a great background for a horror or disaster movie. So, why not?
There are a few conspiracy theories and urban legends surrounding the borehole in Russia. One of these involves supposedly finding water that may have been from the flood of Noah in the Bible. The theory being that it had to recede somewhere, so why not super deep in the earth? One of the more popular theories is that the hole was shut down in part due to hearing voices in recording from the bottom of the hole. Supposedly at a certain point, microphones were used at extreme depths and they picked up voices which some attributed to supposedly drilling through into Hell. Obviously, we know this isn’t true, but this is the theory they leaned on for The Superdeep, a movie about the Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole and dig site. A scientist is called into the research facility to see what is going on and why things have gone wrong. She has a history of her own with another project that went horribly wrong. Onsite, they are greeted by a scientist with a grenade and it’s all downhill from there.
With leaning on the conspiracy theory of hearing voices from the bottom of the borehole, it brings an interesting atmosphere to the movie. Are the noises supernatural, or something else? You don’t know, and it isn’t made clear until mid-movie. Using the unknown and an influence from movies and shows like The Thing and the X-Files, Superdeep does a solid job of creating a mild sense of paranoia about the borehole. What was in the hole and how has it infected the facility? The sense of emergency and fear builds knowing that the research team is being exposed to something sinister and infection, but never really knowing exactly how bad it may be.
Ultimately what ends up being the “bad guy” is a fungus that thrives in hot temperatures and is ancient. The voices are that of things that the fungus had infected and merged with. This entire concept is made clearer later in the movie. With the infection as essentially the antagonist of the thriller, it manages to pull off the feeling of a sinister being. With that said, the environments and lighting used in a lot of scenes tends to be really dark, leading to difficulty in seeing detail and certain aspects of the film. As there are a lot of makeup and prosthetic effects, the environmental effects tend to be lost in the darkness.
Overall, The Superdeep is a good outing for a solid horror evening. The issue of dark scenery is almost common in a lot of horror movies, but doesn’t really detract from the experience as a whole. Being a Russian horror film, some of the acting choices with sketchy accents can be a touch distracting. I enjoyed the film. It keeps you drawn in and wanting to see what’s next as things move further and further into the environment of a 7+ mile deep science project. There is an interesting prosthetic presentation of an infection that lends to a touch of body horror and believability. While it does have its flaws, Superdeep is an enjoyable experience for various horror and sci-fi fans alike.
RORSHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: The Superdeep lends itself to high pressure and anxiety. Both are extremely prevalent in the world today. In the movie, we follow a doctor who is investigating what happened at a science facility and how to potentially contain it from infecting the world. Granted, we will probably never know a situation like this. However, we do have deadlines to meet for school, work, and various other projects. We do have people we worry about due to various issues. That sense of worry, dread, or impending deadlines can all lend to anxiety and troubles of various degrees. What may be just another day for one person could be a living nightmare for another.
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Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Superdeep is property of Shudder. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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