Review: SHALLOW WATER Is a Lean, Mean, Brutally Awesome Monster Movie
Sandy Collora, the talented filmmaker and artist who has brought us the sci-fi film Hunter Prey and the legendary fan film Batman Dead End has an awesome new short film he's directed called Shallow Water.
This is an original creature feature production has been a passion project of the filmmaker for years. After years of pressing forward and never giving up, he finally managed to raise the money he needed to develop it through a Kickstarter campaign that he launched.
I’ve been a fan of Collora’s work since I first saw Batman Dead End at a time when fan films and the internet were in their infancy. Over the years I’ve followed his career, and Shallow Water might just be one of his greatest accomplishments.
I had the opportunity to watch an early screening of Shallow Water, and I freakin’ loved it! I watch a lot of short films, that’s something I’m just into doing, and I’m also a big fan of creature features, which is a genre that we don’t see a lot of these days. So watching a film like Shallow Water was a real treat.
When it comes to the story, all I’m going to tell you is that it follows a woman on the run while she's being hunted down by a gnarly creature from the depths of the sea.
Shallow Water is an incredibly made love letter to creature features. Seeing a film like this inspires hope that this could reinvigorate the genre and get it back into the main stream. If there’s anyone who could usher in that reinvigoration of classic creature feature cinema, it’s Colora, who has dedicated his life to the craft of design and practical effects.
The movie starts off strong with an intensity that doesn’t let go until the film ends. It’s a fast-paced film with zero dialogue, but the story is beautifully told through its stunning shots and visuals that were captured by Cinematographer Edward A. Gutentag. I also have to mention that the musical score created for the film was so powerful and bold. It really tied the whole film together. I loved it!
One of the things I enjoyed most about it was how it plays with its audience as it only teases the creature throughout the first half of the film. It keeps the tension growing as this woman is desperately trying to survive. Then there's the big payoff when the creature is revealed in all its awesome glory.
I want to reiterate that this movie was done with all in-camera practical effects and this is such an incredibly cool creature design! Over the years I’ve seen some art from the film and a few photos, but seeing it come to life like this was such a treat.
Collora did an incredible job crafting this film. Shallow Water is a masterpiece. It's a lean, mean, brutally awesome monster movie. By the time the film ended I was left wanting more! I would have loved to see a full feature length film of this, and I can only image what Collora could do if he actually had a real decent-sized budget to work with.
We need more films like this from passionate filmmakers like Collora! As you know there's a lack of creativity and originality in Hollywood. It's just full of remakes, reboots, and sequels. I see Hollywood giving young filmmakers like Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) and Neil Blomkamp (District 9) these opportunities. Collora is one of those rare hardworking talented filmmakers that can help bring Hollywood out of this slump of unoriginality. It's crazy that he's never had a real opportunity to do this after all he's done!
Hopefully, someone gives him a chance because I know he would do great things and help usher in a new era of original film content. I can't wait for you to get a chance to see this movie! It will be making its big premiere at Monsterpolooza next month.
