Solid British Horror.

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2005)

Very rarely do I write a review about a film, but this one really justified me doing so.
I'm going to say out-right that I loved this film. I'm not a horror fan by any means, finding all the recent British crop such as 'Creep' and Hollywood's "Boogeyman" very poor. This wiped the floor with them.
Set in an intricate cave system, the story follows six women getting trapped and trying to escape, but they are not alone. The first act follows the women from their arrival at a cabin in the middle of nowhere to the titular descent, and once down there the film really moves up a notch.
This film will make you jump. One scene involving a view through a video camera made me leap out of my seat, which was a first for me, it was brilliant. The gore is strong, yet not overdone, and the characters all mostly fleshed out.
The acting is strong and interesting, and the idea is a very unique spin on the trapped cave adventures. I felt it was much more interesting having the group all female.
This is the second film I have seen by director Neil Marshall, after the excellent 'Dog Soldiers' and hopefully he will now get a shot in Hollywood. He's very much earned it. If I was to write a horror right now, he would at the top of my list for directing. Capable and imaginative, the man knows how to shock and create tension. Superb.
The film does lose two marks for the first act. It's acceptable, but you just wait for them to get into the caves. The ending was also not too clear, but that leaves the audience to interpret for themselves, an interesting move.
Overall, the best British horror since "28 Days Later", and certainly on par, if not better when down the caves. If directors like Marshall keep producing films of this quality, perhaps their is hope for the industry yet.
-Stu