Signature Entertainment, out now

A young, neuroatypical graduate student thinks she’s about too face her biggest challenge: spending a week doing research for her marine biology PhD on a crowded trawler But when skipper Gerard goes against his partner Freya’s wishes and maroons them, the crew find they have much bigger problems than any of them first thought.

Neasa Hardiman’s buttoned direction is the first thing that impresses you. From the perfectly, uncomfortably fine tuned micro aggressions Siobhan (Hermione Corfield) faces to the cramped confines of the trawler, every scene is dense with information. I especially liked the crew dinners, all hard won, mildly faked camaraderie and discomfort. Hardiman’s monster is exceptional too, an abstraction of colour and tentacle until it becomes viscerally, awfully real.

But the real stars here are the script and the cast. Connie Nielsen and Dougray Scott, mildly dodgy accents aside, are an instantly believable long term couple in serious financial difficulties. The mistake Gerard makes is entirely understandable. The film doesn’t excuse that, but it does give it context and both help immeasurably. There’s also some subtle world building done here which cleverly stretches the story out. If the exclusion zone he sails into is clearly defined, does that mean someone, somewhere, knows that this thing is out there? It’s an interesting, chilling extra dimension the film sensibly leaves to its viewers’ imaginations.

The tension aboard, and frequent horror? That it’s happy to show us. Jack Hickey’s charming Johnny, Ellie Bouakaze’s softly spoken Saudi and Olwene Fouere’s suspiciously matriarchal Ciara all register as characters and all feel like a functioning unit. Because, well, they are. That in turn throws Corfield’s Siobhan into the spotlight and she is more than up to the task, both as character and actress. Corfield plays Siobhan with the glacial calm I’ve seen a lot from friends who suffer from anxiety in the last few months. The worst has happened. It’s not in their heads anymore. Therefore they can deal with it. That gives her authority, her choices give her the moral high ground and the second half of this can stand with The Thing as a definitive exploration of infestation, paranoia and what happens when no one can social distance.

Verdict: Punching way above its weight in ambition and landing almost every punch it throws, Sea Fever is a quality, clever, surprising piece of modern horror. Check it out. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart