All forms of horror.

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2006)

Six gorgeous women with an unhealthy love of extreme outdoor pursuits (whitewater rafting, rock climbing, absailing  you get the idea) meet up in the remote Appalachian mountain range to explore a labyrinth of uncharted caves. These are strong, confident women who can hang by their fingertips from great heights without fear of breaking a nail. But this is not a chick flick; it is an adrenalin overdose of tension and terror.
For anyone who is claustrophobic, afraid of the dark, or unnerved by the sound of constant dripping, the fundamentals of caving are horrific enough. Add mutant crawlers and psychotic friends and we were scurrying for the light switch. Unfortunately we were disoriented in the dark and unprepared with flares. For all the times that we strained in the dark to see what was going on, there were also times when we really could not bear to watch. And that was even before the Crawlers got hungry.
But this horror film is not only buckets of blood and slashing rock picks, it is a desperate descent into madness. And just when you think you can see the way out, any such sentimentality is immediately skewered. We are left wondering who really is the enemy  those creepy crawling humanoids, that traitorous tramp Juno who organized the trip, or the primitive paranoia that stalks us all? Scary! A group of girls stumbling round in dark, confined spaces with a bunch of mutants could have been a crashing cliché, but this is one of the best horror films we have seen, ever. For all their confident athleticism and boyish camaraderie these girls are completely credible. When the girls first view the dramatic drop that is the entrance into the caves Beth's first reaction is "You're having a laugh..I'm an English teacher, not fing Tomb Raider." These girls are not feeble, frivolous, or petty. And they certainly don't deserve what happens to them in the depths of those caves.
So get ready to hyperventilate and then stop breathing altogether.