Nicolas Cage’s The Surfer is a horrifying psychological thriller, but it was originally more than just psychological. The movie explores the story of Cage’s unnamed Surfer, as he visits an Australian beach, only to be turned away by an increasingly unwelcoming locals. While The Surfer‘s ending has baffled viewers, its reputation among critics is unimpeachable. The movie earned an 86% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it has stumbled among audiences, earning a 46% Popcornmeter score at the time of writing.
While it has become a critical success, director Lorcan Finnegan originally planned a very different movie. In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns, Finnegan explained that an early draft included supernatural elements. Rather than simply focusing on a mysterious cult, Finnegan and screenwriter Thomas Martin realized that the practical storyline was just as effective. The supernatural element was even “complicating the themes“, though he acknowledged that “there’s still a little bit” of the supernatural in the story. Check out his quote below:
Yeah, definitely. The beach almost has this haunting beauty to it, and the waves down there are actually pretty, pretty violent. They look beautiful and crisp, but they’re heavy and they smash down. I think in an earlier draft of the film, it was written in that the beach had this almost supernatural hold over him, and there was a sound called the thrum in the script that kind of drew him towards it. There had been cycles of violence that took place on the beach, including a mᴀssacre of Indigenous people, which is real all around that area, all over the west and east coasts of Australia. But we ended up refining the script, there was no need for all of that, as well. It was complicating the themes that we were trying to actually bore down into. There’s a little bit of it still with Miranda Tapsell’s character saying, “You don’t belong here.” But yeah, so we were finding a place that could give off that vibe. You could only really get that by going there and scouting lots of places. And then when you’re there, you just get this feeling that it has a kind of a vibe to it.
What The Practical Story Means For The Surfer
The Story Already Feels Supernatural
In many ways, The Surfer already maintains a semi-supernatural element, as Finnegan alluded to, as the entire movie’s premise focuses on an entire town needlessly gaslighting a surfer. They confiscate everything he owns, maintain a strict sense of control over their beach, and behave in otherwise utterly bizarre ways. Everything that they do is apparently tied to a cult-like sense of superiority, despite lacking any evident central supernatural or religious connection. Even without the waves having any connection to magic, this world still has that inherent quality that does not necessarily need exploring.
By maintaining a slight sense of realism without relying on magic, Finnegan ensured that the movie did not need to explain those magical elements, nor did it need to focus on resolving its supernatural influence. It could focus solely on the Surfer and his connection to his son and the town, instead of being distracted by anything else. The psychological element also helped to set the movie apart, where it could otherwise be confused with other supernatural horror movies, including 2024’s Speak No Evil.
Our Take On The Surfer’s Supernatural Element
It Was Not Entirely Necessary
The movie certainly works well without including any hint of a supernatural presence or storyline. In their review of The Surfer, ScreenRant’s Mae Abdulbaki explained that “one of the best things about the film is how it warps everything” with its surprising psychological element. Including a supernatural influence could certainly enhance its warped nature, but it would not be a prominent enough feature to make it worthwhile. The exposition alone would grow tiring when the movie could otherwise function without it. Cage’s recent movie was effective enough with a more practical story, so the crew certainly made the right decision.
