‘Underground' success as local film hits horror streaming service

Its film Underground was released exclusively in the US this week via the streaming service Screambox.

‘Screambox is basically a Netflix, but focusing on horror films and thriller,’ said the company’s co-founder, Lars Janssen.

Underground has also been featured on the US horror genre-focused website Bloody Disgusting’s list of 10 Noteworthy Genre Movies to stream at home in January 2024.

Head critic Meagan Navarro wrote: ‘Whether you’re looking to catch up on 2023 releases or looking ahead to shiny new 2024 horror or sci-fi titles, January has it all.

‘These 10 noteworthy horror titles will be available for streaming this month on some of the most popular streaming services out there.’

Among other well-received horror films The Elderly, Deliver Us and Suitable Flesh, Navarro wrote of Underground: ‘Found footage fans will want to check out this original release that sees a bachelorette party turn into a claustrophobic nightmare. A group of young women find themselves trapped in an underground complex, a long forgotten relic of WWII... a night of revelry becomes a harrowing fight for survival.’

Set and filmed entirely in Guernsey at the German Underground Hospital, Underground is Filmworks’ first feature-length film.

‘It’s great that Bloody Disgusting are promoting it a lot. It has 500,000 followers, so it’s a good platform,’ said Lars.

The film premiered at the Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts in June 2023 and stars Maaike Tol, Charlotte Dawn Potter – who also co-wrote and produced the film – Nadia Dawber, Caitlyn Barber and Sapphire Brewer-Marchant, as well as Guernsey Press reporter Simon De La Rue.

‘Last night I received a preview of an American podcast discussing the film,’ said Lars. ‘It’s quite funny to hear Americans talk about the “aggressive British accents” and all.’

Two other good reviews have come from Scare Value and The Review Geek.

The former wrote: ‘There are some genuinely spooky things happening in Underground. It uses a lot of the tried and true found footage tricks and treats… but it layers fresh ones on top of them.

‘It’s effective in delivering what it intends to. A movie that feels like you’re watching regular people trapped in an unexplainable, scary situation. The authentic feel makes the creepy moments work to their full effect. 3/5.’

And the latter: ‘Screambox has become a platform for many indie horror films that have had the ability to separate themselves from the pack in terms of execution and style. Underground, a film produced in the UK, does just that.

Enthusiasts of found footage who would rather get scared by investigative moments of a dreadful atmosphere than a cool camera trick in a low-budget movie will find Underground an interesting watch.’

The UK release date is 26 February and the film will be available via Amazon Prime, iTunes, Sky, Virgin Media, Googe Play and many other on-demand platforms.

This year will see further output from Guernsey Filmworks.

‘We made a new film in November, a folk horror called The Grieving Stones, and that will be coming out this year.

‘As with Underground we’ll have the premiere at the Performing Arts Centre early in the year and then a limited theatrical run at The Mallard and then on to distributors.’

Lars is pleased that Underground has been released in the US.

‘It’s giving the island of Guernsey a worldwide audience – as one reviewer said of the German Underground Hospital: “You can actually visit where it was filmed”. People are very interested in the Second World War and also the spooky, paranormal side of things, as the film was based on eye-witness accounts.’

• To find out more about Guernsey Filmworks, visit filmworks.gg or facebook.com/GuernseyFilmworks