Jaden Jordan
- Aug 6, 2021
- 3 min read

Sea Fever (2019)

The Breakdown: A fishing expedition encounters some unexpected, and dangerous wildlife.

Watch If: You're in the mood for a slow burn science horror.

Not If: You want octane.

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SECONDARY FACTS

Overall Rating: 3.6

Length: 1:35

Country: Ireland

Language: English

Gore Factor: Moderate

REVIEW

THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Sea Fever is a slow burn filled with tense horror, realistic characters, and a delicious "everything that can go wrong, will" mentality that makes it a delicious experience for any horror fans with a taste on the psychological and moral quandaries inherent in the genre, and only a little bit of soap-boxing.

PREMISE: 4

So for context, this film came out in the midst of the 2020 global quarantine season, and, while it certainly makes a metric shit ton of points about that experience, it does so in a way that manages to remain entertaining and remains tangential to the point it's trying to make, instead of being too on-the-nose about it (at least until the end.)

Beyond that, the 'monster' of the film, and the way it interacts with those around it is fascinating and clever. The more information the audience is given about the situation, the more that lovely horror-movie dread nestles into the pit of your stomach. Sea monsters are something that, despite all the potential, are only really displayed as one or two creatures, that are then cookie-cuttered across every ocean themed film. But Sea Fever manages to take a familiar formula, and still churn out something uniquely terrifying.

ACTING: 4

Hear me out- there aren't any moments in this one that have Hereditary or His House levels of acting prowess, but what this film does have is far rarer- none of the actors feel like they're acting- the characters all feel like real people. The acting is of a caliber that actually lets the viewer sink into the story, and helps the story take precedence over any other aspect of the film. The acting just blends in, and, isn't that kind of the end goal of acting? To make you forget what you're watching is an actor?

AUDIO AND VISUALS: 3

There's a bit of a disconnect with the visuals of this film. The imagery is fascinating and jarringly beautiful, but the CGI heavy renderings of the "monster" give some of the more jarring films a bit of a fake quality. However, between the designs of the creatures, the framing of the little boat on the vast, empty ocean, and some very jarring instances of gore and paranoia, the less-than CGI gives the film as a whole more of a nostalgic feeling than anything else.

The colors and washed-out imagery, reminiscent of horror films from the early 2000s, gives the entire film an air of bleakness and hopelessness that permeates and bolsters the stomach-dropping dream that only well done Lovecraft-style horror can give. And, to be fair, I am a sucker for bio luminescence.

ATMOSPHERE: 4

This film starts off pessimistic and gets more dread-fueled from there. We follow a fish out of water character, going on a trip she doesn't want to be on, surrounded by people that don't really want her around, as everything slowly gets worse and worse. Rather than alleviate the tension, any improvement to her situation is immediately overshadowed by an avalanche of progressively more dire situations, layering on top of each other.

But unlike most horror films, Sea Fever understands the horror of competence. It's not scary if your characters are stupid and can't do anything right. It's much more frightening if your characters are competent and actively masterful in the things they use to try and fight the situation at hand. And the manipulation of the story to be told through the lens of various specialists gives this film a punch that pushes the tone into a whole other level.

DELIVERY: 4

It's a slow burn, but Sea Fever is worth every minute, combining brilliant character design, realistic characters, and a tense and chewy story that has solidified it as an instillation worth its run time for fans of the beloved dread-horror atmosphere.