DeepStar Six

DeepStar Six
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1989; 37 years ago
Founder	Sean S. Cunningham (director and co-producer)
Products	Science fiction horror film
Owner	Carolco Pictures (production), Tri-Star Pictures (distributor)

DeepStar Six (known in the Philippines as Alien from the Deep) is a 1989 American sci-fi horror film directed and co-produced by Sean S. Cunningham. The narrative follows the personnel stationed at an experimental underwater military base as they confront assaults from a mysterious sea creature, potentially a gigantic eurypterid. The cast features Greg Evigan, Taurean Blacque, Nancy Everhard, Cindy Pickett, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, among others. This production, backed by Carolco Pictures and released by Tri-Star Pictures, was made on an $8.5 million budget and earned around $8.1 million at the box office.

Debuting in the United States on January 13, 1989, DeepStar Six was met with predominantly unfavorable reviews from critics.

Plot

The story is set at DeepStar Six, a deep-sea U.S. Naval installation manned by 11 military and civilian staff during their final week of deployment. Commanded by John Van Gelder, the facility’s mission includes testing underwater habitation and installing a nuclear missile storage platform. Geologist Burciaga uncovers an extensive cavern beneath the base, but Van Gelder orders depth charges to collapse it, dismissing Dr. Scarpelli’s concerns about preserving the underwater ecosystem.

The explosion causes part of the seabed to collapse, forming a large rift. Submarine pilots Osborne and Johnny Hodges lose contact while investigating with an unmanned probe and are subsequently killed by an unknown creature. This entity then assaults the observation pod "Sea Star," trapping Joyce Collins and Burciaga inside. Captain Laidlaw and pilot McBride launch a rescue operation; they manage to save Collins, but Laidlaw sacrifices himself by flooding his compartment to avoid capture.

As the crew prepares to evacuate DeepStar Six, securing the missile platform becomes critical. Technician Snyder misinterprets a computer alert regarding "aggression" as an enemy assault and inadvertently activates nuclear warheads, triggering an explosion that damages the base and impairs the cooling system of its nuclear reactor, risking a meltdown. The team scrambles to restore power and decompression functions.

Engineer Jim Richardson attempts repairs while wearing a JIM suit but is attacked and killed by the creature, identified as a Depladon—a crustacean-like sea monster drawn to light sources. After Dr. Scarpelli also falls victim, the remaining crew arm themselves with shotguns and harpoons to finish necessary repairs. Van Gelder dies accidentally amid the chaos, and Snyder succumbs to panic and remorse, ultimately dying during a failed escape due to decompression issues.

McBride secures a minisub for evacuation as Diane Norris sacrifices herself by using a defibrillator to electrocute the Depladon attacking the medical laboratory. Collins and McBride escape just before the reactor explodes, destroying DeepStar Six. Upon surfacing, McBride kills the Depladon by igniting fuel from the minisub before fleeing with Collins to await Navy rescue.

Cast

Taurean Blacque as Captain Phillip Laidlaw, commanding officer
Nancy Everhard as Joyce Collins
Cindy Pickett as Dr. Diane Norris, medical officer and second-in-command
Miguel Ferrer as Snyder, technician
Greg Evigan as McBride, submarine pilot
Matt McCoy as Jim Richardson, submarine co-pilot
Nia Peeples as Dr. Scarpelli, marine biologist
Marius Weyers as Dr. John Van Gelder
Elya Baskin as Dr. Burciaga, geologist
Thom Bray as Johnny Hodges, submarine pilot
Ronn Carroll as Osborne, submarine co-pilot

Production

In 1987, producer Sean S. Cunningham initiated the development of DeepStar Six as part of a planned series of underwater action and science fiction movies. Initially, Robert Harmon was attached to direct, but after his exit, Cunningham assumed the director’s role himself, overseeing a production budget of $8 million. The creature's initial design was crafted by Chris Walas, with further modifications to its coloration implemented by special effects supervisor Mark Shostrom. The underwater sequences were shot in Malta, utilizing the Rinella Tank located at Fort Ricasoli.

Release

DeepStar Six was distributed by TriStar Pictures and had its U.S. debut on January 13, 1989. It opened on 1,117 screens nationwide, ranking eighth at the box office with an opening weekend gross of $3.3 million. The film ultimately earned $8.1 million domestically. In the Philippines, it was released under the title Alien from the Deep by Solar Films on April 27, 1989.

The release of DeepStar Six coincided with a surge of underwater-themed movies between 1989 and 1990, including titles such as Leviathan, Lords of the Deep, The Evil Below, The Abyss, and The Rift (also known as Endless Descent). Apart from The Abyss, these films generally failed to achieve significant box office success. Notably, writer Lewis Abernathy later worked with The Abyss director James Cameron and appeared in Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic portraying Lewis Bodine, a colleague of Brock Lovett.

Reception

As of December 2022, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 17% approval rating for the film based on 13 reviews, with an average score of 4.2 out of 10.

Variety critiqued the movie for its unrealistic monster design and absence of compelling lead characters. Similarly, Time Out described the narrative as predictable with subpar dialogue, highlighting only the creature’s design as a creative aspect. Janet Maslin from The New York Times also noted its predictability, lack of suspenseful moments, and weak script.

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