An unrelenting, claustrophobic and subversive film that relishes its unique horrors and never relents.

Rating: 8/10 (16 April 2018)

What's remarkable about this low-budget British horror film is just how much tension and, frankly, sheer terror it's able to eke out of the central situation before we're even given but a glimpse of the carnivorous creatures that dwell in the dark. There's a claustrophobic, and almost panic-inducing, sense of isolation and entrapment that expertly escalates from the central cave-in in 'The Descent (2005)'. It's also thanks to the subtle yet consistent character development that we care for each and every person trapped in the caverns below and are on the edge-of-our-seats as their lives are almost constantly threatened. What's also refreshing, and somewhat exciting, is that most of the brutality comes not from the so-called crawlers - whose very existence centres around catching, killing and eating their prey - but rather from the group of women fighting their way through the caves as their battle for survival forces them to lose their innocence almost as quickly as they might lose their sanity. This brutality also makes each encounter unpredictable, with the violence always having tangible consequences. The scares are well crafted and mature too, meaning the whole picture comes together to form a cohesive and taut thrill-ride that relishes its unique horrors and never relents. 8/10