Lords of the Deep is a 1989 American science fiction horror film co-produced by Roger Corman, about an underwater colony being attacked by alien life forms. Actors included Bradford Dillman and Priscilla Barnes. It was one of several underwater-themed films released around 1989; similar films distributed during that time-frame included The Abyss, Leviathan, DeepStar Six, The Evil Below, and The Rift.
Plot
Set on board an undersea laboratory in a near future ocean where the Earth's ozone layer has been depleted and new means of habitation and survival are being explored, biologist Claire is working on an unknown specimen when she experiences psychic visions. Meanwhile, a routine crew replacement is inbound in a mini-submarine when an undersea quake occurs. Contact is lost with the sub and a search sub is sent out to investigate the silence while one of the labs crew works on exterior repairs in a diving suit. The search sub discovers the relief sub is now derelict and the hatch blown with no sign of the crew and is promptly attacked by large stingray-like creatures. After repelling one creature with an electrical discharge the second sub is overpowered by more of the rays and contact is lost again. The crewman working outside the lab is then attacked and the crew find him half out of the lab's moon pool. When his mask is removed it is revealed he has been totally transformed into a gelatinous mass. Commander Dobler orders the mass quarantined, but Claire and Barbara the medical officer over-ride him and the mass is moved to the lab where it is discovered to be both identical in composition to the substance Claire was studying, and also to be mutating into a man-sized stingray-like creature. The creature escapes its tank and proceeds to move about the station while crew attempt to find it. Claire experiences more visions and is called too. A crew-member is discovered dead after finding himself unable to get out of a room and the commander denies autopsy. Quakes continue periodically and a sub sent out to salvage one of the lost subs is also taken by the creatures outside. Claire and her lover O'Neil must work to uncover the mystery of her visions and the contradictions of the creatures behavior when crew are vanishing or being killed.
Future two-time Academy Award winner Janusz Kamiński served as the director of photography on the 2nd unit crew for about two weeks of the four week shooting schedule, in what was one of his first movies as a director of photography. According to a crew member who was present during production, Kamiński's footage was simply "too good" and did not match up well with the 1st unit footage. Kamiński was taken off the crew before shooting was completed, but his footage was edited into the final film and can be spotted for its mysterious lighting and camera movements; though he is uncredited. Another double Oscar winnerRobert Skotak, along with his brother Dennis Skotak, created the underwater visual effects for the film. When asked by the same crew member why he chose to work on such a low budget film, Skotak said: "It's four weeks paid work, and on a Roger Corman movie, you get to work with people on their way up, and on their way down."
