Leader of the Splat Pack

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2007)

Neil Marshall is perhaps not as prolific as fellow members of the so-called "Splat Pack," (Alexandre Aja, Darren Lynn Bousman, Greg McLean, Eli Roth, James Wan, Leigh Whannell & Rob Zombie) but in my opinion, his two full-length films ("Dog Soldiers" & "The Descent") have already put him at the top of that list. Marshall treats the genre with more maturity, I think, than most of the above directors, and his strong background in drama pays off. While I understand this genre is not big in character development, Marshall brings just enough to add dramatic tension between the characters and make us care about their fates (as with Sarah & Juno in this film).
The special effects are excellent, the splatter is not crazily over the top, and the editing is smooth. It also looks like Marshall did some serious research in spelunking for this film, and cinematographer Sam McCurdy did an awesome job with the low lighting in the caves and conveying a sense of claustrophobia. I wish I could comment more about how he handles the subject, but I can't do it without spoilers.
This is the first film of this genre (including "Saw 2," "Hostel," "The Hills Have Eyes," "The Devil's Rejects" and others by fellow Splat Packers) that I have given a rating above 7 (7.2).
Without giving away too much, there are Cherokee legends and other Native American stories that do support the concept in this film...