Open Water: Never Dive Alone

By Michael Boylan

“The Blair Witch Project” was a stripped down, low budget horror film that scared audiences with what they didn’t see. It changed the face of the horror film, at least for a little while, and “Open Water” is probably the best of the “Blair Witch” derivatives. Shot on a high end digital camera with a very small cast and crew, “Open Water” only gives the audience glimpses of the terror below the floating couple. The real scares come from the imagination. In “Blair Witch” audiences thought about being lost in the woods and perhaps cancelled that upcoming hike. “Open Water” will probably damage the scuba diving industry like “Psycho” damaged the creepy motel industry.

The plot of “Open Water” is very basic. Daniel and Susan, a married couple having trouble finding time to connect, decided to take a vacation earlier than planned and head for the beach. While there they go scuba diving and everything’s peachy, until they surface and the boat they went out with is gone. That is when the frights take over. Daniel and Susan are stranded. They can’t see land from where they are and though they try to remain positive about being found, as the hours pass, they begin to get more and more frightened and desperate. Add some sharks to the mix and you have yourself a scary movie.

The filmmakers used real sharks and that definitely adds a compelling element to the film, but one of the scarier ideas that “Open Water” brings up is, how easy it is to misplace people. “Open Water” is based on true events and even Daniel tells Susan that boats leaving divers behind isn’t that uncommon. “Blair Witch” illustrated how easy it is to get lost in the woods and “Open Water” shows audiences how easy it is to be forgotten.

“Open Water” also succeeds, like “Blair Witch” because of what it doesn’t show the viewer. Blanchard Ryan, the actress who plays Susan, has one of the best lines in the film, when she states that “she hates not knowing what’s under her.” While much of the film takes place on the surface, the things going on beneath Daniel and Susan are terrifying. Where “Open Water” vaults itself into the strata of good filmmaking is that both Daniel and Susan have issues beneath their surface as well and they both change as their characters deal with this incredibly traumatic event.

“Open Water” is no “Jaws,” but it isn’t trying to be. It takes it’s scares more seriously and the sharks, though they ultimately are predators, aren’t some kind of super-predator stalking innocents. They are simply living their lives and doing what sharks do. The humans are the ones that aren’t supposed to be there and their struggle is what makes the film so fascinating.

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