Sea Fever  ★★★

THE sci-fi horror film Sea Fever is more than reminiscent of John Carpenter’s The Thing.

Yes there are a few rip-off moments, but generally the comparison is positive.

This Canadian/Irish release from 2019 manages to create the same kind of atmosphere of dread and foreboding.

It starts with marine-biology student Siobhán’s red hair. Apparently rangas are considered bad luck on a boat so the signs are immediately apparent that this fishing trip won’t go well.

It doesn’t help that the skipper, played by Dougray Scott, decides to defy maritime regulations and steers a course through an exclusion zone.

The trawler encounters what seems to be a huge squid beneath the surface which leaves a series of spores boring into the below decks.

After they spy a nearby vessel some of the crew are despatched there only to find a bunch of burned, dead bodies.

Naturally for this type of movie, rather than tell the others, the skipper demands they keep things quiet.

It doesn’t matter anyway because the crew start succumbing to a mystery infection caused by the spores.

It’s tense and effective, well directed by Irish woman Neasa Hardiman and featuring good performances from Scott, Connie Nielsen as his wife and Hermione Corfield in the lead role.

Definitely worth a watch.