The best British horror movie in years!

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2005)

The opening scene of The Descent shows three girlfriends happily enjoying the thrill of some white-water rafting, establishing right from the off that these women like their adventure and extreme sports. One year on and things have changed between these friends; Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) has suffered a breakdown after a family bereavement (in a shocking pre-credits sequence that will make your jaw hit the floor) and whilst best friend Beth (Alex Reid) has remained by her side, her other friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) has fled to America. In an aim to rekindle their friendship Juno organises a caving expedition for the girls, and also invites Swedish sisters Rebecca (Saskia Mulder) and Sam (MyAnna Buring) and her young headstrong protégé, Holly (Nora Jane No one). What the group doesn't know is that Juno is taking them to an unchartered series of caves... and naturally with this being a horror film, things don't quite go to plan. First of all Sarah gets trapped and they lose a bag of equipment, then the tunnel collapses behind them forcing the group to find an alternative exit, and then one of the girls suffers a nasty fall, displayed in all its bloody, bone-protruding glory. And then the horror really begins...
To say any more would spoil the surprise, for The Descent is one of those movies where the less you know about the plot, the more you'll enjoy it - if being terrified is your thing. Let's be honest here, this is the best British horror films in years, it really is that good. From the moment the girls enter the caves you're enveloped in a feeling of dread, and the sense of claustrophobia is almost unbearable as they begin to crawl through the narrow tunnels. The dark confined environment succeeds in unsettling the audience so much that when the action finally kicks in it almost comes as a relief. Some relief; this is a brutal exercise in sustained tension and horror with copious amounts of bone-crunching violence and gore. Even a seasoned genre fan like me has to admit that I was sat biting my knuckles at times and I must have jumped on at least three or four occasions during the course of the film - always a good sign that a horror movie is doing its job properly.
It's a simple premise and it works so effectively due to director Marshall's flawless execution. The pacing, editing and sound design are all faultless and the brooding soundtrack echoes the work of John Carpenter, and The Thing in particular. The lighting is also consistently atmospheric, relying mainly on torches, flares and at times, the infra-red viewfinder of a video camera. After his debut with Dog Soldiers and its cast of all male soldiers, he subverts the genre by casting all women this time and the fact that there's no big stars ensures that you're never sure who's going to make it out alive. All six of the principal cast do a great job in what must have been a very demanding shoot, and each of them are given enough screen time to establish their characters and make us care about what happens to them. The dynamic between the original trio of Sarah, Beth and Juno is at the movie's core and Mendoza deserves much credit in her portrayal of the bitch who leads them into trouble, yet for all her faults is clearly the strongest of the group. There's so much more I'd like to say about this film, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet had the pleasure. This is one descent into madness that you won't want to miss and it firmly establishes director Neil Marshall as a real talent within the industry. One thing is absolutely certain - after watching this film I am never ever going caving!