'Fear Below' Review: Shooting or Chomping, You Get the Best of Both in This Toothsome Shark Thriller
- Shauna Bushe
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
By Shauna Bushe - June 11, 2025
It’s the Godfather meets Jaws in director Matthew Holmes shark infested horror. Pitting divers and gangsters against a bull shark, Fear Below is sharp with tension and tries its hardest to be a fresh set of teeth in the shark genre.
What is 'Fear Below' about?
Set in 1940’s Australia, Fear Below centres around a team of struggling professional divers who are hired by a mysterious duo to help locate and recover a sunken goldmine. Soon they find their efforts hindered by a deadly bull shark hunting in the waters. When the divers discover they are working for cut-throat criminals they must decide, are they any safer in the water than they are out of it?
Initially the job sounds easy enough, but when the divers enter the lake they’re put at a disadvantage with murky water, making it impossible to see the shark clearly. This adds great tension during the underwater scenes making it difficult to see a thing in front of you. The change in scenery helps build into the suspense, making the shark also feel a lot more formidable.
Fear Below does a fantastic job at separating its-self from what we’ve seen in other shark films. There is no high-end technology, no expensive diving suits, boats, or a huge cast like we’ve explored in The Meg for example. Instead, it chooses to be a period movie with only two locations and a handful of characters. It’s difference from other bigger budget counterparts doesn’t hinder the enjoyment in any way; in fact, it makes it more so. You’re transported back in time by the use of outdated heavy diving gear, coupe cars, pocket watches, and the booming of funky jazz music in the background.
There is also the great use of its attractive outback setting, with lots of riverside sights and gorgeous sunsets. Not at any point did I feel as though I was watching a low budget movie (like Sharknado) in actual fact I was compelled by its risk of melding together such completely different themes, keeping me intrigued during its minimal timeframe.
What’s more, with a runtime of only 85 minutes Fear Below struggles to fit in enough shark screen time. I felt myself yearning for more. With a slower half, a lot of gangster talk, the shark action is mostly saved for the ending of the film, which is of course disappointing. Regardless of that, when the shark finally makes its debut, the CGI isn’t an eye sore, and the effects of blood and missing limbs are impressive for a budget of only 11 million.
Another area that lets Fear Below down is within its characters. Who do not feel fully developed and are mostly underwhelming. To be specific, Dylan Maddock (Jake Ryan) and Janusz Wojcik (Josh McConville) who play the duo of criminals hellbent on sacrificing whomever to retrieve their submerged gold bars give a stiff performance, as they stand around a lot and bark orders. It doesn’t add anything of value to the film, other than filler dialogue. Where-as when our opposing leading characters Clara Bennett (Hermione Corfield), Jimmy Barriakada (Jacob Junior Nayyinggul) and Ernie Morgan (Arthur Angel) take to the screen, they exhume charm and humour. Ernie is a hard drinker but has a big heart and simply wants what’s best for his friends, Clara is plucky, evidently the glue that holds everything together and Jimmy is reserved, shy but a fierce protector of the other two. They clearly have a close netted relationship, bringing emotion to the plot and reeling you in when disaster inevitably strikes.
In the end, Fear Below is an interesting concept. Blending together period drama with shark infested waters, giving you an entirely unique atmosphere and not your run of the mill teenagers in distress. Its informative, showcasing how divers used their gear back then, minimal overuse of jump scares and simply pushes the suspense through its characters. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it does feel fresh and brings enough tension and teeth providing you a thrilling watch. It’s a great effort from director Matthew Holmes and most certainly worth a watch if you’re a fan of Aussie horror and a shark with killer attitude.
'Fear Below' is available now on DVD
Want more shark related film reviews? Check out more content on our website Film Focus Online!
