When extreme holidaying goes wrong...

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2005)

I had relatively high hopes for 'The Descent' before going into it. Neil Marshall proved that he has a good understanding of the horror genre with his debut, 'Dog Soldiers', which is also a film that I like very much and don't hesitate to name as one of the best horror films of the new millennium. This follow up to that film works on the same terms; with tension and atmosphere being more important than characters and substance, and I'm pleased to say that Marshall has created another worthy modern horror flick. It's clear that he wanted to be more original this time round, as the monsters here are of his own creation rather than being classic horror icons, like the werewolves in Dog Soldiers. The plot follows an all girl group of cavers who descend down into a cave somewhere in the UK. Things quickly go awry for our team, when, in a surprisingly tense scene, part of the cave collapses and seals them inside. Things get worse still when it turns out that they're not the only ones down there; and what is down there with them isn't exactly friendly...
Through a gritty and realistic plot pacing, Marshall has managed to take a simple premise and turn it into a slick and extremely suspenseful horror thrill ride. The film is slow to start, with only one exciting event in the first half hour, but once the movie starts properly; the thrills come thick and fast, and even when the plotting slows down; you can always count on there being another moment to drag you back into the action. I'm not usually a person that jumps during the 'jumpy' movie scenes; but this movie actually did the trick! Marshall obviously knows what makes horror movies work too, as he spends much of the film building a foreboding atmosphere, which is complimented by the isolated setting of the cave, which is two miles underground. He keeps the atmosphere going with a plethora of different tricks, including 'Argento-style' lighting, which he realistically blends into the movie by way of the lights that the girls take down into the cave with them. The film always breaths a sense of the horror of journeying into the unknown too, and this along with the tension filled atmosphere and realistic way that the horror is presented ensures that the film always sticks firmly to it's horror style.
It's clear that Neil Marshall is more interesting in creating a film that shocks more than anything else, and this is shown by the complete lack of characterisation. Marshall does give his girls something of a story, but it's never the focal point of the film and, in fact, it's hard to really care about it. This does bring the film down, as the girls are clearly in the movie just as an excuse to show the horror, and this makes sure that the film is as empty as it is stylish. This isn't all bad though, as the style is consistent; and the way that monsters have been designed reflects that. Much like the werewolves in Dog Soldiers, the fiends here look great and despite the fact that they're a work of fiction; they even have some sort of reality about them. The scenes with the monsters in, however, bring the film down. For some reason, Marshall has opted to fast edit the sequences, and while this succeeds in being disorientating and true to dark surroundings of the film's environment; it also makes it very difficult to see what's going on - which is never a good thing.
The Descent isn't a great film, or even a great genre film, but it's style, effects and fair amount of gore will ensure that horror fans will be pleased; and if that doesn't grab you, the vast amount of tension in the film certainly will. It definitely is nice, however, to see a modern film that isn't afraid that show blood and gore, along with a bit of imagination. It's even better to see, due to the wave of Japanese and American remakes getting unjust high praise, that the film is home-grown right here in the UK! Overall, The Descent isn't 'must see', but it's well worth seeing and I recommend it.