Marshall becomes more and more formidable.

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2006)

Minor spoilers, not specific.
"The Descent" is a pure horror film, probably the first (hopefully not the last) of the century. Firstly, there's no cutting corners for a bigger audience as so many horror films from the West do nowadays; secondly, it doesn't bog itself down with the convoluted curses and supernatural themes like horror films from the East do nowadays. No; there are some people. In a cave. And there's some monsters. And it's really dark. And there's no explanations.
The darkness and the tight spaces are frightening enough. The film could be just as chilling without the mysterious predators, so when they do arrive its impossible for the situation of the six women to feel any more hopeless; there's a feeling of isolation constantly apparent throughout the film that hasn't been seen since 1982 (Meaning The Thing). In fact, this feeling of dread is much more effective than the monsters themselves. Even if one of the creatures is slaughtered, there's no feeling of happiness or success; the group is still trapped 2 miles underground. It's apparent from the outset that there's no hope for these women; yet Marshall's skill with the material keeps you hooked, waiting to see how many more circles of hell the poor victims will fall through.
If the film slips up anywhere, it's in Marshall's decision to actually show the predators in all their glory. Unlike his fantastic debut Dog Soldiers; the monsters aren't kept off screen, they're given almost as much screen time as the human cast. This sort of white washes over the initial mystery surrounding the strange shapes that are moving in the darkness and often the film leans more towards a gore shocker than a well crafted nihilist horror film. There is also a lack of the black humour that made Dog Soldiers so memorable and enjoyable; a film which I probably still prefer subjectively.
Still, I haven't seen a horror film this bleak, claustrophobic and downbeat for a very long time. The decision made by some studios to cut the film few moments of the film only goes to show how out of touch the industry has become with horror films; because the talent's out there. If only more people had the freedom Marshall has, the horror industry wouldn't be as farcical as it is nowadays.
Round of applause for everyone involved.