Creepy, gory underground horror

Rating: 7/10 (19 June 2016)

THE DESCENT is a decent British horror film, very much along the lines of WILDERNESS and DOG SOLDIERS, the latter also directed by Neil Marshall. Although it falls into the trap of using all the tired clichés of modern horror films – if I never see another fake scare scene it'll be too soon – and has one too many obvious jumps along the way, for the most part it's a strong, gory film packed with suspense, and tension which sometimes becomes unbearable as the climax nears. The plot is simplistic, the script nothing special; things kick off with a nasty road accident which reminded me of the beginning of BUTCHER, BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER but then we're in slasher territory as a group of women head into the unknown and get picked off one by one by the nasties.
The best thing about this film is the atmospheric location: Marshall really gets his money's worth by photographing the eerie, dust-filled caves and natural wonders that are to be found beneath the ground. This is not a film that claustrophobic people should watch, or indeed those with weak stomachs: the blood flows pretty freely towards the end, although it's not really disturbing as it's included in the action scenes.
The idea of using an all-female cast is a nice one, that makes things feel different, and there are one or two excellent performances here which lift things a lot (Natalie Mendoza's ass-kicking heroine makes Ripley look like a prim and proper schoolgirl). The monsters, a combination of Gollum-style CGI and more traditional men in monster suits, are creepy and eerie, especially when glimpsed briefly in torchlight. The only thing I really disliked – and which stopped this film from being truly great – is the silly twist ending, one of those dream things I wish had never been thought up. It's dumb and makes you think "what the heck?", cheating the viewer, but aside from this THE DESCENT offers good solid chills.