Movie Review: "The Tunnel" (2011)

The Tunnel (2011)

            Although I don’t particularly enjoy documentaries, “The Tunnel” has come up several times when I’ve been looking for new horror films. The film is a mockumentary about the Australian government’s plan to recycle water trapped in underground tunnels. Today, I stumbled upon a link to it on tumblr and decided “why not?” so I finally sat down and watched “The Tunnel.”

            If I didn’t know better, I would assume this was an actual documentary with some very graphic firsthand footage. The actors all seem very professional, very believable. We are further introduced to the film’s concept in the beginning 20 minutes or so, where we learn that the water recycling plan mysteriously faded away due to homeless living in the tunnels; said homeless have been disappearing, and no officials are willing to talk about it. A film crew decides to explore the tunnels to get the true scoop. The crew is led by Natasha, a journalist willing to do anything to get her “career making story,” and comprised of Peter (a journalism “expert” who is initially forced on to the project,) Steve (their cameraman,) and Tangles (the sound expert.) The majority of the film is firsthand footage from the film crew as they explore the tunnels, and is broken up by surveillance footage from mounted cameras around the tunnels and interviews with Steve and Natasha.
            “The Tunnel” surprised me, because it was a very good film. It wasn’t outright horror, but enjoyable nonetheless, and I would recommend it to any fan of horror and maybe hardcore documentary fans (though I’m sure they might be irritated it was not a true documentary.) Sadly, my two favorite characters both perished (one at the beginning of the film, and it’s terribly sad) and Natasha, the “lead” character, is almost the stereotypical horror film female: irrational, leads the group to peril, and wants everyone to feel bad for her. “The Tunnel” was smart by not revealing too much of their monster, which kept it scarier, and the various camera angles and use of a night vision cam really heightened the mood.

            Am I glad I watched “The Tunnel?” Yes. I believe it was unique for its genre, even if the leading female was a bit too “by the book” for my taste. The actors for the film was excellent, it had beautiful videography, and it was a very convincing mockumentary.

            If you haven’t seen it yet, YouTube has at least one full, free version that I know of and it is available for purchase at thetunnelmovie.net. If you don’t want to purchase the movie, spread the word and support the film!

If you have seen this, I would love to hear your opinions in the comment section! If you have any requests for other film reviews, please comment below.

Pros: Original concept, fantastic actors, great filming, didn’t show too much of/ruin the monster

Cons: Female lead was too “traditional horror movie heroine,” characters you form attachments with perish
Rating of 5 Stars: 4.5/5