James Cameron's Underrated '80s Sci-Fi Movie Was His Most Dangerous Project

We could argue for eternity about James Cameron's most underrated movie, but his 1989 deep-sea sci-fi film, "The Abyss," is an oft-cited contender for that label. Compared to Cameron's most popular films that have blown up the box office (such as "Titanic," which he didn't even want to make), "The Abyss" saw only modest commercial success, having grossed over $90 million worldwide against its $70 million budget. Those aren't bad numbers, but one could argue the return didn't quite reflect the pain involved, given the film entailed some of the hardest and most distressing shots Cameron has ever directed — often threatening both his own safety and his cast's safety.

"The Abyss" tells the story of a SEAL search group that partners with a team of oil workers to recover a sunken U.S. submarine in the Cayman Islands. In the process, the team discovers an extra-terrestrial entity deep in the water. Although the film wasn't the hit people expected it to be, it received four Oscar nominations and won the Best Visual Effects award in 1990.

To replicate an aquatic setting, much of the film was shot underwater in a tank placed inside an abandoned nuclear power plant (via Far Out). That production decision definitely contributed to the movie's convincing visual effects, which stand the test of time even decades following the film's release. However, it also gave Ed Harris and his co-stars a nightmarish experience on set. "We were guinea pigs, in a way," Harris recalled in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. With this comment, he was referring to a scene in which he had to hold his breath for several minutes, nearly drowning, when his character Virgil "Bud" Brigman was dragged into the sea with a helmet full of water. But that incident was just one of many.

In another scene, Harris had to slap his co-star, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, to revive her character Lindsey Brigman. But the camera had run out of film during the take, and nobody had informed the two actors, making the continued slapping unnecessary. This led Mastrantonio to walk off set after exclaiming that the actors "are not animals."

Harris and Mastrantonio's experiences weren't the only troubling incidents that occurred on set. According to Far Out Magazine, writer-director Cameron himself also had a brush with death while filming inside the tank. Cameron's assistant director, who was supposed to monitor oxygen levels, was on break during a sequence. Having run out of air, Cameron had to drop his gear and swim to the surface as fast as possible. The safety diver offered him another breathing apparatus, but it was faulty — which made Cameron inhale large amounts of water. The diver, thinking the director was overcome with panic, grabbed onto him to calm him down. In response, Cameron punched the diver in the face to break to the surface immediately. Fortunately, he made it to safety. The other diver wasn't badly hurt, either.

Despite having been among the most underrated sci-fi films ever made, "The Abyss" has amassed a cult following since its initial release. It's a visually mesmerizing, suspenseful, and emotional epic worth the time for Cameron fans who may be tired of hearing about "Avatar: Fire And Ash" reviews. When you do sit down to watch "The Abyss," just be sure to watch the uncut version over the theatrical release.