The Descent: Review By carl

The other day; while I was tidying the shelves of the Blockbusters I work at, a strange thought hit me. We have an entire section dedicated to horror there and none of the films appeal to me. I realized that no matter how popular the horror genre is, there are only a few titles that I even like. Then I tried to recall some of the horror films that I could accurately claim to love and a further thought hit me. All of my favorites share one thing in common. Rather than letting the monster take center stage, films like Alien have given priority to developing a claustrophobic location for the characters to get stuck in. This took me back to a cinema trip I had just a few months ago when I decided to see a new British horror movie entitled The Descent.

The plot to The Descent really defines the term simple but effective. Sarah, Juno and Beth are a close nit group with a penchant for the extreme. That is until Sarah is involved in a car crash that kills her husband and daughter. 1 year later Juno decides that a little extreme caving is just what Sarah needs in order to clear up her decidedly traumatized mind. So she invites her friends, along with a group of 3 more thrill seekers, to explore a cave in the Appalachian mountains. What she doesn't tell anyone is that the cave she has selected is not the tourist trap she promised, but rather a cave that she herself has just discovered. The plan; to enter the cave, explore it's depths and find the exit, thus making them famous and therefore happy. Of course, as is always the case in these films, they find themselves stranded inside the cave with, let's just say, a little company.

As I previously stated this is not your run of the mill video store fright fest. Director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) wisely avoids this by taking his time to make the situation as scary as possible without any monsters. There can be no denying that a cave like this is a hostile environment. It's dark, cramped, isolated, with rock slides and death dealing drops around every corner. Marshal skillfully navigates this environment by allowing the camera to hug every cranny of the cave, making the tight gaps even smaller than they are, and thereby creating a near unrivaled sense of claustrophobia. The way he gradually pans out to reveal a gaping chasm creates a sense of tension as a character must swing her way over the seemingly bottomless pit. These little tricks he uses succeed in making the cave itself a terrifying adversary, so that you're already convinced of the characters doom by the time the true monsters finally make their appearance.

Isolated for thousands of years, and perfectly evolved to live in these caves (no they don't have wings) these creatures make one hell of an impact too. The films entire final act features an unrelenting sense of terror as the troupe are hunted into the depths of the cave by what can only be described as the deformed offspring of Lord Of The Rings Golum. The visceral nature of these creatures is a truly jarring thing to behold. They attack on instinct, never stopping to plan a strategy, and never giving up. In plain English this means that a jump out your seat shock is never more than a few minutes away, and when you combine that with the psychology already in place by the cave, well, let's just say that if you have any form heart condition you should avoid this film.

Once you've seen the film though you'll understand why I couldn't end this review without mentioning the cast. Credit where credit's due to Marshall for having the courage to use an all female ensemble, and boy has he certainly found the right girls for the job. Shauna Macdonald for one makes Sarah's growth from quiet mother to blood soaked creature killer more than believable, but the absolute standout would have to be Natalie Mendoza. Her character Juno may be the closest thing you get to a human villain, yet she still keeps her feeling like the sympathetic, panic stricken individual that she is. Even then she manages to put the likes of Vin Diesel to shame as she believably holds her own against the creatures, appearing both competent and panic stricken simultaneously, and yet still remaining the complete and total babe that she is. I hope to see more of this chick in the future.

There's not really much else to be said on the matter. If you're looking for a dodgy CGI creature feature with macho men and dodgy scripting, then hide your head in shame and watch The Cave or something. If however a film that spends a long time building up the suspense, before unleashing some of cinemas most terrifying imagery appeals to you, then get yourself down to the cinema ASAP. Just be prepared for the films psychology to leave you with a slightly unsatisfying end.