The phenomenon of twin films—where both release in a short timeframe—is one of Hollywood's most interesting coincidences. Whether it be through serendipity or competition, the sheer improbability of two major productions executing on similar ideasBut if the sheer unlikeliness of two films weren't curious enough, then five feels nigh improbable. However, that exact feat was accomplished in a two-year span at the turn of the 1990s, when a shocking five feature films all explored the same thrilling depths, as were released in quick succession from 1989 to 1990. Though each of these creature features had distinct storylines and varying critical reception, the sheer serendipity of their shared settings, similar visual design, and coinciding timelines made this

In 1989, four different thrillers all took to the sea: , , , and . Then, to close the pentafecta, was released in early 1990. and their distinct deep-sea setting, albeit with differing origins for each of their aquatic antagonists. All five of these movies follow a team of undersea explorers, whether they be scientists or military, who discover a dangerous life form beneath the ocean's depths. However, it's in the specific details that Some of the monsters in these creature features were extraterrestrial in nature (The Abyss), while others were simply mutated creatures (DeepStar Six, Leviathan).

Though these projects all shared similar release dates, they did not receive like-minded responses. , serving as a trumpet-call announcement of director meteoric rise in Hollywood. In contrast, both DeepStar Six and Lords of the Deep were criticized for their similarities to and were seen as lackluster imitations of the more famous sci-fi thriller. Leviathan and The Rift were likewise overlooked, aswhile the latter only received a home video release in the United States.

It's easier to trace back the shared inspiration of two films, but proves to be a far less concrete task. One idea behind the influence propelling these films is the release of book, Sphere, which was published in 1987 and Another possible motivation behind this creative direction was the discovery of the Titanic shipwreck in 1985, as James Cameron has since Cameron had stated that his interest in making was inspired by his personal love and fascination with deep-sea exploration, which could explain the inspiration behind The Abyss and its sci-fi storytelling approach.

Regardless of the specific reasoning behind the coincidental timing of these film releases, the traffic jam of deep-sea thrillers received a less favorable response from Leviathan director, In an stating:

“Leviathan was conceived well before any of the other underwater films. Now suddenly everybody wants to make a movie like this. It took so much time to get the picture financed that we started late, so DeepStar Six opened before us. And then there’s The Abyss. When somebody starts making something new and interesting, a lot of things come out that look similar. Sometimes it's subconscious and unintentional, but it’s still imitation."

Amusingly, this same feature article also includes Lords of the Abyss' producer's rebuttal, as . Corman shared that he had written the script roughly seven years prior to the movie's release but had paused the project for several years. That delay inadvertently played an integral role in this unique phenomenon, as J was able to catch up with his mentor and release a film in the same year. Though it should be noted that their overlapping tenure together did not include the period of time when Corman wrote Lords of the Abyss, dissuading theories about where Cameron got the idea. It's unlikely that there will ever again be five genre films of a similar premise and atmosphere released in such proximity as these projects,even if some of the installments have since sunk into the depths of history.

The Abyss is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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