Scariest movie since...

Rating: 8/10 (13 November 2005)

I'm a major horror film buff. I was actually at the Dead By Dawn Festival in Edinburgh this year listening to (director) Neil Marshall talk. Nice, funny guy. Loved the stories about his previous film DOG SOLDIERS, a movie destined to be THE Italian JOB of British horror movies.
But the endless re-runs of THE DESCENT trailer put me off. Its just a humourless chick flick about cavers right? It can't seriously be good yeah? Shamefully I've just caught this on DVD and I'm struggling to remember anything as efficiently scary made recently. It uses darkness like the best of BLAIR WITCH, the character dynamics of ALIENS and has the black heart of STRAW DOGS Comparing DOG SOLDIERS to DESCENT is like comparing DUEL to JAWS. (I don't say that lightly - JAWS is my favourite movie) When it gets moving THE DESCENT is less like a roller-coaster ride and more like being in a lift dropping down a mineshaft You know the acid test? When a confirmed horror film nut has to turn the lights on when he goes upstairs. When this movie crosses the Atlantic you won't know whats hit you..