Chilling and claustrophobic

Rating: 7/10 (30 August 2006)

Six adventurous friends, some recovering from a tragic accident a year earlier, embark on a spelunking expedition in big ol' cave in a desolate part of the Appalachian mountains. Suddenly, there's a rumbling in the earth, and the entrance is blocked behind them. And that's about when they realize they're not in a mapped cave, but rather a new cave that their ersatz leader Juno (Natalie Jackson Mendoza) wanted them all to "discover" and perhaps even be able to name.
The women do not fall under the typical categories for horror films; all are strong, tough, kind, resilient, and indomitable. They don't screech at the slightest noise or movement just beyond their line of vision. At the same time, though, they're not all uberfit adrenaline junkies out for another thrill (one character remarks that she's an English teacher, not Tomb Raider). All bring something unique to the team, such as scouting, climbing, or medical knowledge.
So there's your situation. Six experienced cavers are trapped in a cave that may or may not have more than one entrance. Will they be able to use their combined skills to find another way out? Perhaps, but the situation quickly worsens, as they discover they're not alone in the cave - one of their number spots a Gollum-like creature climbing the walls and ceiling of the cave. Eeek! The ladies discover that the creatures aren't benevolent at all; they're blind (think mole men, really) and track their prey by sound, like bats, and they're utterly carnivorous.
The overall question that the movie poses to its audience is: Will the friends work as a team, as they always have, to escape their predicament, or will they turn on each other? It's not a question with a simple answer; the women all like each other, but they don't necessarily like each other equally, as would be the case in any small group. Take minor tension among them and add a severely traumatic situation, and nerves will be frayed, with possible tragic results.
Director Neil Marshall did a fantastic job of scaring the bejeezus out of me at the appropriate times. This isn't a film that just throws a whole bunch of blood and guts at you, hoping something will metaphorically stick. The chills are calculated, sometimes coming one after the other, others laying in wait for the right time to pounce. Marshall's pacing prevents the film from lagging while not overwhelming the viewer with imagery and special effects. I imagine it's not easy to convey true dread and trepidation when most of your scenes are in literal darkness. Indeed, Marshall, who also wrote the screenplay, is perfectly adept at putting the viewer in the place of the six protagonists, allowing us to feel just as afraid as they do.
To be sure, there are some minor problems with the plot. Sometimes the connection between certain items is a little too blunt (i.e., the camera lingers on something, so you just know it'll come into play somehow later in the film). But these problems really are inconsequential in the grand scope of the film.
Personally, I found it to be particularly terrifying, because I am a little bit claustrophobic. Elevators are fine, but anything smaller than that would make me wig out. Some of the scenes in The Descent take place while the women are crawling through the tiniest crevice in the rocks - that, as a matter of fact, is where two of them find themselves when the cave entrance is abruptly closed. Truly frightening stuff.
Another caveat, though: This is a very gory film. People are liberally covered in blood; there are stabbings and guttings and smashings and what not. If you're the type whose own blood makes you squeamish, you'd do well to avoid this film.