The Tunnel (2011)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- During a water shortage crisis in Australia, investigative journalist Natasha Warner (Bel Delia) digs for more answers after plans for a water recycling project are abandoned without an explanation. Suspecting a suspicious cover up from the government, Natasha forms a team with Pete Ferguson (Andy Rodoreda), Steve Miller (Steve Davis), and Jim “Tangles” Williams (Luke Arnold). 

The group explores a series of abandoned underground tunnels, ignoring stern warnings from a security guard. In the tunnels, a seemingly simple expedition takes an unexpected turn, when a violent creature abducts and attacks Tangles. Natasha is determined to uncover the truth, but survival is the top priority, as the creature stalks the frightened trio. 

My Thoughts- There’s no denying the documentary side of The Tunnel is executed to perfection. The interviews, the detailed tidbits of information, and Bel Delia selling Natasha’s heartbroken and somber reactions during the interviews, because she’s clearly carrying a heavy burden of guilt. There’s a strong and serious effort to push the realism. The Tunnel’s documentary presentation works, effortlessly piecing everything together for a group of people to tell their stories about a tragic series of events. The Tunnel also gives a brief history lesson, detailing how the tunnels were used as air raid shelters during WW II. 

Steve is really the only one in the group with a personality that stands out, filling the role of the live wire without a filter. It’s a documentary that’s supposed to be based on a true story and real people, so you won’t see any noteworthy performances, but the characters still have some depth. Pete is compassionate. He wants to make sure everyone makes it out alive, and he’s willing to make sacrifices to ensure the safety of his teammates. 

Natasha is hell-bent on leaving the tunnels with a story, but it’s mostly for selfish reasons. Her career is floundering, so Natasha needs something big. Steve is tough, but he completely loses it, when Tangles disappears, because he shared a brotherly bond with him. 

The found-footage parts of The Tunnel? Well, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. A good amount of shaky cam stuff, security camera footage, screaming and running around in the dark, the night vision mode POV, jump scares, and characters making stupid decisions. 

I rolled my eyes, when Natasha continuously hit the big bell. Tangles heard odd noises through his sound equipment, and they repeatedly encouraged Natasha to hit the bell? You’re in creepy dark tunnels, so maybe you shouldn’t intentionally make loud noises, if you’re trying to sneak around, without drawing attention to yourselves. 

They did a good job of protecting the creature’s mystique. The creature is vulnerable to light, but it’s hard to clearly see anything in the blurry and dark shots, when the creature appears. Obviously, it’s a flesh eating humanoid creature, a feral beast, and that’s more than enough for a convincing antagonist.

The Tunnel is an effective mockumentary and found-footage horror hybrid film. The found-footage parts of the movie are riddled with familiar horror cliches, but director Carlo Ledesma still manages to smoothly blend both styles of filmmaking together. 

A few good tense moments, and The Tunnel has an eerie and somber ending. A devastated Natasha quits journalism, Pete is dead, and Tangles whereabouts are never fully confirmed. There’s also the government’s role in the obvious cover up. It’s easy to put two and two together to figure out the creature is probably responsible for the disappearances of the homeless people, who lived in the tunnels. 

You can actually see what Natasha, Pete, Steve, and Tangles had to go through, the horrors they endured, especially Jingles. Pete’s gutsy heroics saved Natasha, adding another emotional layer to his death scene.The right pieces fit and fall into place for The Tunnel, a film that works as a believable documentary, while successfully mixing in the shocking “never before seen footage” angle to build sympathy for the main characters. 

Rating- 6/10