Scared the Heck out of Me

Rating: 9/10 (15 April 2006)

Six girls in their early twenties go on a caving expedition in a previously unexplored cave. When the entrance to the cave collapses, the girls must try to find another way out. However, it soon appears that they are not alone in the cave.
This movie appealed to me for several reasons. First of all, it really scared me, which most horror movies unfortunately don't do. This movie brought to me some pretty vivid images that stuck to my mind for hours after watching this.
Secondly, the movie went straight to the chase. As movie watchers, we are often subject to movies moralizing over certain questions, as e.g. religion and political issues, even though these issues are not part of the plot of the movie, and this moralization can sometimes be quite irritating. British-made "The Descent" didn't have any of this. It is clear already from the beginning that the director has one single goalwhich is to scare the heck out of you.
Thirdly, I'm very glad that the "hero" in this film isn't the average Hollywood hero who has some kind of weakness that he/she manages to overcome in the end of the film. The characters in "The Descent" are characters you could find in a good novel. None are pure good and none are pure evil. You actually have to use your brains in order to make up your mind what to think of them.
The minus with this movie was that the plot was too thin, and even though a horror movie's main goal is to scare people, there should be a good story behind it. Since I all the same was thrilled from beginning to end, I only remove one point from the total score and give it a 9/10.