With 'The Descent' Neil Marshall Joins the Ranks of Great Horror Filmmakers.

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2006)

Over the last few years people seem to have forgotten what the point of a horror movie really is. They seem to think that it's to merely "gross out" simply by showing violence (Saw) or get startled by something moving quickly on screen and making a loud noise. Even recent horror films that I've greatly enjoyed mostly used either one of these tactics. With The Descent, Niel Marshal reminds us all the point of horror films, and does it beautifully.
Starting slowly and using the pacing of a suspense film at first, we are shown the characters. They decide to go cave diving after one of them suffers a terrible tragedy, in hopes that the adventure will give her some fun and excitement. Things begin to go wrong almost instantly for them once they enter the cave. A few jump scares here and there, most of which can be seen a mile away even by a casual viewer, we're lured into a false sense of quiet suspense as the claustrophobic atmosphere is created for us to slowly take in, and their obstacles slowly get more and more dangerous. The "descent" into true visceral horror happens gradually, the arrival - suddenly. Once the horror starts, it doesn't let up. This is a film of such tension, such palpable, real fear, that it is almost overwhelming.
Few films actually scare me, few disturb me, this movie did both. From it's terrifying premise of one of the most horrible situations imaginable somehow becoming MORE terrible, to it's immensely skillful execution, to the monsters, which I think are some of the best movie monsters I've ever seen, this film could not have been better. The film moves from simple jump scares to deeply disturbing and morbid terror, mostly created by both the disgusting creatures that pursue our hero's and the cave itself, so seamlessly that you won't even see it coming. However, something that is also very unsettling is the witnessing of the character's slow "descent" into madness, caused by their dire and hellish situation.
The blood and gore is great in this movie. It's used, not to create the terror, but to enhance it. And it's never done to entice and excite, the violence is so damn excruciating, it's what gore should be used for.
With 'The Descent" Neil Marshall cements what I (and probably many) had thought and hoped after viewing Dog Soldiers - his other masterpiece - That he is one of the greatest horror filmmakers in the world, one that I think has a long long career ahead of him.