04/01/2024
It’s Thursday so you know what that means! Time for some horror movie trivia! 🤩
47 Meters Down, as is typical in Hollywood, overstates the aggression of the sharks. But that’s not the only glaring inaccuracy. In the film, Captain Taylor floats the idea of sending down extra tanks to the sisters. He’s hesitant because the second tank will increase the risk of “nitrogen narcosis”.
Lisa experiences something the film *calls* nitrogen narcosis, depicted as a long, complex “waking dream” style hallucination while she’s waiting in the cage for help. While narcosis hallucinations *can* occur at the depths Lisa and Kate experience, most divers that experience narcosis report the effects are more like mild to moderate cognitive impairment, not powerful hallucinogens.
Also, Captain Taylor’s claim that the second tank will increase the risk of nitrogen narcosis isn’t quite right either. If narcosis was going to be an issue at 47 meters (which it absolutely could), it would’ve impacted the sisters long before that point. And, as many people on the internet point out, Captain Taylor’s obsession with decompression sickness (aka the bends), is pretty absurd. Yes, the bends can lead to some very big medical issues, up to and including death, but it’s not an instant death sentence. You know what is, though? Running out of air.
You’d think that the director and writers would have researched a bit more about the physics and biology of diving before making it the entire premise of their movie, especially considering the two leading ladies learned how to SCUBA dive for the flick. No wonder it has an audience score rating of 35% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Haven’t listened to this week’s episode yet? Snag the link below or find us on your favorite podcasting app. And remember, don’t get too scared! 😱
https://www.buzzsprout.com/631975/14158521-169-47-meters-down
