Fancy a SCUBA diving expedition in the ocean any time soon? These six cult films will disavow you of that idea as they show you what really happens 20,000 leagues under the sea:

The Abyss (1989)

From our review: “The Abyss is perhaps the least focused of all of Cameron’s blockbusters, and you can feel parts not exactly clicking together the way that they did in his other films. It all feels weird and cramped and discombobulated, teetering between a scifi flick and a disaster pic.”

Deepstar Six (1989)

From our review: “Deepstar Six is an underwater adventure movie in the spirit of other underwater adventure movies where you know that there is a monster that is, at some time, going to eat somebody. This is what made these movies fun.”

Leviathan (1989)

From our review: “This is the potential of imagination be it original or not. Leviathan does stand out in the underwater pack and is a true competitor to The Abyss.”

The Rift (1990)

From our review: “The Rift has no end of faults, from its terrible submarine model to actors who can barely speak English to silly science to stuff just happening out of the blue on a regular basis. But can all of those flaws crash together and form a structure that supports the formation of a watchable movie? I think so.”

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

From our review: “If only the rest of Deep Blue Sea were so original. It’s actually a pretty fun casserole bake of leftovers from Jaws and Jurassic Park, sprinkled with the crumbly bits of The Poseidon Adventure.”

Underwater (2020)

From our review: “Considering that the setting automatically contributes total isolation, instant death, darkness, and primal fears, it’s not the worst idea for a movie. But the struggle that Underwater has is to sell the unbelievable.”