DeepStar Six (1989) (blu-ray film review).
DeepStar Six originally came out in 1989, and this is the first time I’ve seen it. The film title comes from the undersea base where its crew is charged with placing nuclear missiles, as you do. Actually, it’s the replacement crew we follow as they exchange positions and report that there’s a cavern under the missile site. Above them, Scarpelli (actress Nia Peeples) warns that there had been problems with the caverns a few years earlier and that they should be investigated before being destroyed, but she is overruled.
One of the manned installation machines, Seacat, breaks into the cavern and sends a remote in to look around, only for it to vanish. Leaving their base, the Seacat goes down itself to retrieve the remote. They meet the same thing and also disappear. The same creature then attacks its base, DeepTrack. It proves a little hardier, but they don’t last either. Their boss, Laidlaw (actor Taurean Blacque), in DeepStar Six above them but still underwater, thinks it’s probably a faulty radio but is determined to go down in a USRV-2 and check. Their vehicle is nearly attacked but, by turning off their lights and engines, they evade whatever it is. DeepTrack is also in a precarious situation, likely to fall into the cavern during the rescue.
I’m having to be careful about spoilers here, as the casualty rate is rather high, so don’t have too many favourites.
They are supposed to abandon DeepStar but need to neutralise the missile site. Without their captain, Snyder (actor Miguel Ferrer) follows the manual but ends up putting the missiles on standby to detonate, so they have to get out. Presumably, only the detonators ignite and not the nuclear warheads. Er… no. Even so, DeepStar is in trouble without its decompression air supply. While repairs are being carried out, one of the beasties gets on board.
As the film progresses, things go from worse to worst. The absurdity at the end of being in the middle of an ocean with only a paddle is matched only by the question of why DeepStar would carry an arsenal of compressed-air harpoons. I mean, what are they supposed to shoot with them down there?
As with The Abyss from the previous year, everyone speaks in normal voices rather than the high-pitched voices you get with a helium/oxygen mix. Also, who in their right mind blows up a cavern below a missile site and doesn’t choose a better, more solid location? Wouldn’t it make the ground less even? Don’t forget, CGI was pretty nascent at the time, and this is a film that didn’t rely on it. Other concessions include giving them some light down there so we can see what is going on. You would think they would have more than one radio to keep in contact with DeepStar, let alone the surface, and not just one that is reputed to be faulty. Want me to go on?
There are enough faults in this film to drive a submarine through. It might have had a better budget for sets and special effects, but the plot is still sub-B-movie. It is oddly watchable if you forget all of that.
There are three audio commentaries. The first is with film analysts James G. Chandler and Ash Hamilton, recorded in 2025. The film’s budget was about $8 million, and it was rushed out with five other underwater films because the studios realised Jim Cameron’s The Abyss would attract viewers. None of these films made a big profit. A lot of the cast came from television to keep the costs down. I tend to think these two are director Sean S. Cunningham fans, and although they give a lot of information about the film, they are less critical of it.
The second audio commentary is with director Sean S. Cunningham and visual effects supervisor Jim Isaac from 2001. Isaac directed all the underwater footage. They both agree that they learnt a lot from making this, the first of their underwater films. Some of the underwater effects didn’t use water, just smoke and particles. They also agree that CGI would have made it different today. Both of them stop talking when the actors are speaking.
The third audio commentary is with co-screenwriters Lewis Abernathy and Geof Miller from 2020. The film was supposed to be called Deep Six, but there was a clash with Warner Bros. because it was also the title of an Alan Ladd film. Another title considered was Claws. This commentary was recorded before the other two. It is very animated, and they take the mickey out of their own story. Even they didn’t understand some of the things that happened, and it was recorded during the COVID pandemic.
You’ll have to forgive me for skipping the version with just the isolated music soundtrack by composer Harry Manfredini.
More extras. From The Deep: 2020 Interviews With Mark Shostrom, Greg Nicotero And Robert Kurtzman runs at just under 22 minutes and is all about the creature effects by those who made them. Seeing them sorting out the water problems and footage is fascinating.
The Survivors: 2020 Interviews With Greg Evigan And Nancy Everhard runs at nearly 17 minutes. They’re interviewed separately about the same scenes. The ending was done as an addition.
Water Damage: 2020 Interview With Kane Hodder runs at just under 13 minutes and interviews him in his capacity as stunt coordinator. He gives a lot of insight into how well he worked with the cast and crew.
Behind The Scenes Vintage 1989 Featurette runs at about four minutes and shows much of the sets without the studio lights.
There are just under four minutes of extended 1989 interviews with the crew and cast, with footage that tends to be more of a taster.
Original 1989 EPK runs at eight minutes and features Sean S. Cunningham, Greg Evigan, Nancy Everhard, Cindy Pickett, Nia Peeples, John Reinhart, Jim Isaac, Miguel Ferrer and Marius Weyers, mostly answering questions.
The Stills Gallery runs at 16 minutes from 2020. Most of the images are in black and white until you get to the film promotion stills and film posters in various languages. The captions “Not all aliens come from outer space” and “saving your last breath to scream” come up towards the end.
For the age of the film, that’s quite a lot of extras. B-level films always get a fanbase, and if you’re part of it, then this Blu-ray will hit all your marks.
I’m watching this on an advance disc. Presumably, moving back to the main menu from the extras won’t involve ejecting the disc.
GF Willmetts
June 2026
(pub: StudioCanal, 2026. 1 UHD Blu-ray disc. 100-minute film with lots of extras. Price: £14.99 (UK). ASIN: B0GS6WDH1G).
Cast: Greg Evigan, Nancy Everhard, Taurean Blacque and many others.
Check out website: www.studiocanal.co.uk/title/deepstar-six-1988-3/
