In caves, no one can hear you scream

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2006)

While The Descent is not as original as 2004's Shaun of the Dead, it's still a breath of fresh air to the genre, and another reason for me to like the British horror even more.
The Descent tells the story of Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), a mother who loses her her husband and daughter in a car accident. One year later, she goes with 5 other friends on a caving expedition that goes horribly wrong.
Surprisingly, the thing I liked most about The Descent was its story. The film only has six characters, and each one of those is essential to the story. They're not there just to be killed. We have the grieving mother, the supporting friend, the suspicious friend, the doctor, her older caring sister, and the adventurous newbie. Another great thing was the direction the story took in the second half of the film. In 99% of the horror films made these days, there's an inevitable teaming-up between the characters to escape the trouble they were sunk into. That's not the case with The Descent. In The Descent, the characters don't trust each other, deceive each other, and they even start hurting each near the end of the film.
The setting of the film is very creepy, and very reminiscent of horror classics Alien and Aliens. Director and writer Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) kept building and building the tension in the first half, and fortunately the second half really paid-off. When the chaos started, I could even hear my own heartbeat.
After seeing the film, I read a long debate on these boards regarding the film's end. It seems there are 2 endings for The Descent. The film's original ending, and a new "happy" Hollywood ending for the American version of the film. I've seen the original, and while I wouldn't exactly call it a feel-good ending, I still think it's a perfect one. It makes The Descent much more than a horror film. It makes it a redemption tale.
The Descent wasn't flawless. You could predict who's going to die 15 minutes into the film. You might even be able to predict the order of the deaths. Also, there were a lot of cheap jump scares we've a thousand times before. But, on the other hand, the acting, sets, and music were all very good.
So, bottom line, do yourself a favor, and go watch he Descent.