"Hey, there's something down here..."

Rating: 9/10 (23 August 2007)

Sometimes I feel like I'm a couple of years behind everyone else. I had read the reviews from my online "friends", but for whatever reason, I had a hard time believing what they were writing about The Descent. I thought there was no way it could be that good! Well, they were right and I was wrong because The Descent is surely one of the best horror films this century has thus far produced. I've been watching horror for 35 or so years and it takes a lot to frighten me. I mention this not as a boast, but to put some credence behind my statement that The Descent is one of the scarier movies I've ever seen. It's frightening because it works on several different levels. There's the fear of closed spaces. There's the fear of the dark. There's the fear of the unfamiliar. And there is the fear of some unknown creature. Director Neil Marshall masterfully plays with each one of these types of fear. I was literally on the edge of my seat. In addition, most everything else about The Descent is first rate  acting, special effects (nice to see so much non-CGI on display), sound, editing, lighting, cinematography, etc. It's a very nice job indeed!
Another thing that Marshall did that I really like was he kept it "real". What I mean is that everything worked within the framework of reality as the audience knows it (well that is if you accept the notion of the underground creatures). The women were real and most of their reactions to the situations they found themselves in were real. The cave felt real even though it wasn't. The cave lighting was real and justified given the equipment the women were carrying. Even the albino mutants seemed to operate and function in a manner I would expect from such creatures. It's this realism that Marshall put into The Descent that goes a long way to making it as frightening as it is.
As good as The Descent is and as much as I enjoyed the experience, it's not a perfect movie. There are a couple of areas where I thought Marshall should have done something differently. First, did there have to be a final showdown between two of the women? I realize it was necessary for the subplot of Sarah taking control of her life, but did it have to be so clichéd? Second, some of the foreshadowing all but slaps you in the face with its obviousness. Yeah, she left the map in her car  do you have to beat me over the head with it? I realize these are very minor quibbles and hardly take anything away from the movie.
Finally, I can't wait to see what Neil Marshall comes up with next. He is truly one of the most promising directors working in horror today.