Hulu Original Thriller Is Overlooked Return Of Iconic Filmmaker

Deep Water was written by Zach Helm and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, based on a novel of the same name written by Patricia Highsmith. The film was originally slated for production back in 2013, though it underwent significant behind-the-scenes issues which landed the movie in development hell, and ultimately delayed production until 2019.

Once Deep Water was finally shot, it continued to stall out as Disney struggled to squeeze it into their release schedule. Eventually, Disney resolved to release the movie as a Hulu original, under their 20th Century Studios imprint.

The narrative of Deep Water centers on a couple named Melinda and Vic Van Allen, who live quite comfortably in their lavish Louisiana home. Though they seem like the perfect couple at a glance, their marriage is secretly very tenuous, as the two maintain a bizarre arrangement which sees Melinda openly sleeping with other men.

Despite Vic’s initial openness to this arrangement, and general lack of passion for his wife, he finds himself growing increasingly jealous, and even threatens one of her lovers at a neighborhood event.

In the midst of his threat, Vic claims to have murdered one of Melinda’s previous boyfriends, which quickly begins to spread through the couples’ social circle as a salacious rumor.

Shockingly, the man does in fact turn up dead, just as Melinda’s other lovers begin dropping like flies. I won’t give away the shocking conclusion of Deep Water here, though suffice is to say, the film builds to a climax that will leave you clutching your pearls.

Deep Water stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in the leading roles, with a supporting cast which includes Lil Rel Howery, Dash Mihok, Tracy Letts, Kristen Connolly, Finn Wittrock, and Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi.

I was initially drawn to the movie due to its similarity to David Fincher’s Gone Girl, which is one of my favorite films, though I was shocked to learn that the famed filmmaker behind Fatal Attraction was responsible for this overlooked outing.

Truthfully, the film pales in comparison to Gone Girl, but that seems like an unfairly high bar to set for a run-of-the-mill thriller. While I found Deep Water to be perfectly serviceable, it was received poorly by critics, who maligned the film’s simple story and unremarkable direction. Today, the film maintains a paltry 35 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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If you’re really into erotic thrillers, or you’re a huge fan of Adrian Lyne’s work, you should definitely give Deep Water a spin. Beyond that, you may be better off looking for one of Lyne’s older works, or checking out similar releases within this niche. Either way, Deep Water is currently streaming on Hulu for all those interested in checking it out.