Despite the fact that there are many different types of superhero movies out there, they tend to have a reputation in the action genre for all being the same. As movie fans can attest, however, different tones and themes can set the movies apart from one another. For example, DC-based movies tend to be seen as darker, while Marvel-based movies tend to be seen as more family-friendly. That’s not always the case, but that alone marks a divide in comic book movies. While the original Aquaman is the DC movie most often compared to Marvel Cinematic Universe outings thanks to its humor and its origin story, it’s also got different bones than the MCU.
Aquaman is largely an adventure story, not a political thriller like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or a heist movie, like Ant-Man. It relies on a lot of the classic hero’s journey elements, but it also employs the “fish out of water” trope for both Arthur and Mera at different points in the journey. Director James Wan did a great job at balancing these many different aspects to make an engaging movie, though he did still maintain some of his horror roots in one particular sequence. It’s that particular sequence that really stood out to a lot of fans and lends support to the idea that Aquaman 2 does need to lean into Wan’s horror roots in a specific way.
The Trench Sequence Was Visually Stunning
In Aquaman, the journey for Arthur and Mera is spent in equal parts on the surface and in the ocean. Their Atlantean scavenger hunt eventually sees them end up in the territory of The Trench. The ancient civilization of Atlantis broke into different kingdoms below the surface years ago, and The Trench is the group that embraced the depths and the darkness, appearing the least human-like of the various underwater groups that negotiate and go to war in Aquaman.
When Mera and Arthur encounter The Trench, it’s on a boat in the middle of a storm, and it’s the sequence that is truly the most edge-of-your-seat of any in the film. The combination of darkness and lightning strikes as Mera and Arthur attempt to fight off The Trench is enough for the audience to have their adrenaline-fueled, but jump scares aside, the sequence also happens to be visually stunning.
In particular, the shot of The Trench overwhelming the boat as the audience can see just how many are below the surface of the water is a truly horrific sight. It actually speaks to the reason so many people have a fear of the ocean’s depths despite loving trips to the beach. A vast majority of the ocean is unexplored with the possibility of unknown, and dangerous, deep below the surface. The audience is reminded of that in a truly fantastic sequence, and it’s that sequence that could inspire a great horror-like superhero movie.
James Wan’s Horror Inspiration
There were previously talks of The Trench getting their own movie from Warner Brothers, which certainly would have leaned into the horror of the species in the depths of the ocean. That particular project was scrapped for now. Director James Wan, however, has gone on record that there is some of his horror background making its way into Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. In a recent interview, he cited the 1965 Italian horror movie, Planet of the Vampires, as a particular source of inspiration.
That movie is less about traditional horror vampires, and more about a parasitic species of aliens that attempt to use the bodies of human space explorers to escape their planet. Just how that will come into play in the Aquaman sequel remains to be seen, though it sounds like it might provide the inspiration for a zombie-like situation, or a trust-no-one-situation. The bulk of Wan’s own filmmaking history, whether as a writer, director, or producer in projects like The Conjuring franchise however has dealt less with stories like zombies, and more like families stuck in extreme situations that they have to find a way out of.
His movies often have intensely unsettling sequences with a character being followed or appearing just out of character enough for the audience to understand that something is wrong. That idea of prey being stalked in the depths could really provide Wan an idea to lean into in Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom.
Leaning Into Horror
Horror in space works so well because of the element of the unknown. Just as unexplored as space is the depth of the ocean. What little scientists like marine biologists and cartographers have found in the deepest parts of the ocean that humans have been able to reach tease massive creatures, a need for bioluminescence, and razor-sharp teeth for animals that have no real predators. All of those aspects have actually been used to inspire The Trench in DC Comics.
When they become Aquaman’s antagonists, it’s because their people are starving. Forced to leave their deep-sea home to pursue food, they start taking humans and pets in cocoon-like structures below the surface to feed. That story alone would make for one great horror movie, but it would also speak to one of the aspects of the conflict in the first movie. Atlanteans are suspicious of humans partly because of watching humanity overfish and dump pollutants in the water. The Trench, despite their monstrous appearance and vicious nature, are just trying to survive like the rest of the Atlanteans. Survival is the common motivation in horror.
Other than giving the audience some great suspense, imbuing the Aquaman sequel with enough horror for the audience to sit up and take notice is a great way for DC’s Extended Universe to test the waters, so to speak, for other genres. Most of the DC films are united in tone and centered on members of the Justice League. Letting horror infiltrate the movies is a great way to see if audiences could be more receptive to a shift for projects like the in-development Justice League Dark and Zatanna projects at HBO Max.