Girl Power

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2013)

I always get fired up when I find a good scary movie. It's such a specific genre and it's becoming more and more difficult to find originality. Instead of inventiveness and imagination we're getting Teenagers Having Sex and Getting Killed, remakes, and a never-ending supply of Saw films that just keep coming off the assembly line.
The Descent really surprised me because I remember completely dismissing the previews. An attractive, all-female group of friends get together to go spelunking in the Appalachians and find themselves getting picked off one by one by cave dwellers. Snore.
What surprised me though was how the director and the writer paid attention to the story and the relationships, which ultimately makes any film scarier.
On the trip, the leader of the group takes it upon herself to bring the girls to a cave system that has yet to be charted. After a collapse in the cave leaves them stranded for a way out, they find themselves "descending" deeper into the caves looking for a second route. The deeper they search, the more information is revealed about the bonds between the women. Some are strong, others cripplingly weak but these ties provide the characters with dimension and a believable resilience.
The best part of the film was taking the story out of the standard setting and into a place that felt truly claustrophobic, consequently making the viewer just as panicked and anxious as secrets are exposed and the odds are dwindling. The ending is pretty good too...