So I am a very sad person who has the Wikipedia mobile app downloaded on their phone. 😂
And it was whilst browsing Wikipedia that I came across the article for the Kola Superdeep Borehole. I found it quite interesting, so continued researching the concept of digging deep into the Earth. That was when I came across 12 Kilometers.
I think the oddest thing about this film was how it was marketed
The 12KM Wikipedia article is quite vague in the premise of the film:
A drilling team at the Kola Borehole uncovers a terrifying entity.
Naturally, I was hooked. So I looked into this film and how to find it.
From what I could glean online, 12KM is a science fiction horror film similar to The Thing in the sense of demonstrating body horror. Reassuringly though, it seemed like Pecci focused more on the atmosphere of the film, and especially the sound design, rather than particularly gory or graphic elements, which is definitely not my type of film.
It’s not available to purchase or stream anywhere — you need to contact the producer Mike Pecci directly to get a link and password to watch the film. I reached out, and he was very quick to respond and send me the link. I later found out that this tightly-controlled release system was a deliberate part of the marketing of the film.
So I had a link to the film, and I invited a friend round to watch it.
Actually, I quite enjoyed it.
Let’s start with an overview. I’ll keep it brief because it’s better to watch it. A team of Russian scientists successfully dig deeper than anyone else in history, and decide to test how it sounds. To cut a long story short, they disturb a malicious entity made of goo, which proceeds to wreak havoc.
The film is about half an hour long, and I enjoyed a good deal of it. Pecci put a lot of focus into the sound design and atmosphere of the film, so you can bet that everything you hear is there for a purpose. It was perfectly orchestrated so you always felt on edge, or uncertain, and the same is true of the cinematography. Nothing felt out of place.
Apart from maybe the plot. Now, to be fair, it is an indie film that’s only 33 minutes long. But the plot did feel quite disjunct, and there were no real explanations of some of the specifics. Without revealing anything, there was certainly one aspect that was crucial to the end of the film, that came almost out of nowhere in my opinion.
Nevertheless, that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the film overall, for its ideas, its inspiration, and the execution of Pecci’s overall vision.
So, would I recommend it?
As I say, horror films aren’t really my genre. But I decided to try 12 Kilometers, precisely because it felt like a good, low-stakes way to experience more types of film.
Really, it’s a science fiction film made by someone clearly passionate about providing a good experience for his audience. I would highly recommend reaching out to Mike Pecci via this link, and requesting a copy of the film. You’ll love it!
— James Michael