This is an obscure American television movie, which mixes in a claustrophobic submarine thriller setting with the horror element of killer snakes to create a unique atmosphere of fear. Despite being made on a fair budget and without the capacity - or need - for groovy special effects (much of the underwater photography is murky, giving the film a real, frightening angle), DEATH DIVE packs a surprising amount of tension into its slim running time. In many ways it's a product of its time yet the submarine setting and the fact that the majority of the cast are in uniform mean that it's not dated too much.
All of the usual submarine dangers are present and correct. As well as the killer snakes (which make for an effective menace as the lurk on pipes, ready to drop on heads), we have an injured man who loses his rag and goes on an insane shooting spree, someone getting electrocuted, flooding chambers, freezing temperatures inside the sub, and in the film's terrifying highlight, a man venturing into the murky depths on a heroic suicide mission. To just imagine yourself being in that situation is a terrifying prospect and DEATH DIVE conveys that fear very well indeed.
The cast is mainly populated by unknowns who acquit themselves well with their roles. Although the film doesn't really focus on characterisation, instead on the situation, we do learn to like and care about the people involved which is always a good thing. David Janssen (star of TV's THE FUGITIVE) plays the captain and, with his years of experience, can do this sort of thing in his sleep. Hope Lange (DEATH WISH) is also effective as his sympathetic doctor. Although we know that things aren't going to get too nasty because this is a television movie (and you just know that they're going to escape in time for a happy ending), DEATH DIVE still offers up a number of nail-biting moments and is occasionally brutal in places, making it an interesting obscurity.
All of the usual submarine dangers are present and correct. As well as the killer snakes (which make for an effective menace as the lurk on pipes, ready to drop on heads), we have an injured man who loses his rag and goes on an insane shooting spree, someone getting electrocuted, flooding chambers, freezing temperatures inside the sub, and in the film's terrifying highlight, a man venturing into the murky depths on a heroic suicide mission. To just imagine yourself being in that situation is a terrifying prospect and DEATH DIVE conveys that fear very well indeed.
The cast is mainly populated by unknowns who acquit themselves well with their roles. Although the film doesn't really focus on characterisation, instead on the situation, we do learn to like and care about the people involved which is always a good thing. David Janssen (star of TV's THE FUGITIVE) plays the captain and, with his years of experience, can do this sort of thing in his sleep. Hope Lange (DEATH WISH) is also effective as his sympathetic doctor. Although we know that things aren't going to get too nasty because this is a television movie (and you just know that they're going to escape in time for a happy ending), DEATH DIVE still offers up a number of nail-biting moments and is occasionally brutal in places, making it an interesting obscurity.