Forget
about that piece of crap “The Cave”. The Descent is the definitive “spelunking
crew gets terrorized by monsters living in uncharted underground caverns”
flick. This British import is a breath of fresh air to those who think the horror
genre is dead. This is a true monster movie in every sense of the word, and it’s
the most fun I’ve had being scared at the movies in a long time (yes, I loved
Hostel, but that’s an entirely different kind of horror).
Director
Neil Marshall (who made the creative werewolf picture Dog Soldiers) has fashioned
an extremely claustrophobic thriller that pays homage to the likes of Alien, the
George Romero “Dead” series, Carrie, and the lesser known gem Dead Calm.
What’s more, the heroes in this film are women. Tough, beautiful women. And
when they get into the nastiest of subterranean scrapes, they do a convincing
job of fighting for their lives.
As
The Descent opens, we are introduced to our heroines, a pack of adrenaline junkies
who meet each year to sate their adventure jones. Following a white water rafting
trip, a violent tragedy destroys the emotional stability of one of these woman,
and as a pick me up, her buddies decide to take her on another adventure a year
later so that she might get back on the horse, as it were, and hopefully be able
to move on with her life.
This
year’s adventure? Cave diving. Only this isn’t your average cave. This
underground cavern has the virtue of never having been explored and in the world
of horror, that can’t possibly be a good thing.
As
these women battle against nature’s harshest elements, they come face to
face with something far more deadly than they ever could have imagined. Now, the
cave itself is the least of their worries. If they’re going to make it out
alive, they must contend tooth and nail with the residents of this cavern, a strange
orcine-like species of carnivorous creatures whom are as quick as they are savage.
Oh, and did I mention that they crave human flesh?
Neil
Marshall seldom gives the audience a chance to catch their breath in this roller
coaster thriller. These woman are put through the ringer and I was never quite
sure if or how they might get out of this situation alive. Credit Marshall for
his unlimited energy and for knowing the rules of the game.
My
gripes with The Descent are minimal. I had an issue with choices made by a couple
of characters in the final act of the movie and I could have done without the
horrid, nonsensical sudden shock ending (Neil Marshall promises further explanation
when the film finds it’s way to DVD), but overall, this simplistic thriller
is incredibly atmospheric and more importantly, it moves like a bullet train.
The Descent generates real terror and I was immensely entertained by it.
