Product: The Descent (Original Unrated Cut) [Blu-ray] (2006)
Rating: 5.0
good solid modern horror flick
I had reasonably low expectations of this film at the onset,since it takes quite a bit to actually unnerve me and the more recent "horror" films of late have been quite laughable. There are a few exceptions,Hostel entertained my gore side,Saw 2 was just a cool horror movie,and The Hills Have Eyes was a good horror/suspense flick. I have yet to be entertained on more than one level which is why I guess its hard for me to imagine a horror flick that will truly hold my interest and unnerve me, however slightly,like the first Alien movie did. I must say,I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this movie. Once again a low budget movie by the director of Dog Soldiers which was pretty darn good, and not a notably named actor in the bunch. The acting was pretty solid and the story was adequate enough that I didnt lose interest during the first half of the film,which was all leading up to the meat and potatoes. I am not like some reviewers and dont really care how the group of women met,it was evident to me they had been friends awhile and that was sufficient. It was established well enough that there was a strong bond between the characters,and just enough information shared about each one to allow for some empathy at their imminent demise. The real treat of this movie starts about halfway through,after they have been trapped in the cave and it becomes clear they are not alone. The level of confinement and paranoia is communicated quite well to the viewer,and the feeling of complete claustrophobia at times is very potent indeed. The gore was not overdone and not understated as in Dog Soldiers,and although the creatures immediately brought to mind Gollum from Lord of the Rings at first glance,further inspection shows them to be quite frightening. I think the real treat for me was the subtle plot twist toward the end,and after building to a violent crescendo the movie hits you with another little surprise treat. All in all Id say I was very entertained by this movie and found myself to be quite satisfied with it,to the degree that I would certainly watch it again. If your a long time horror fan like myself and not all that hung up on some lenghthy character development,I am sure this movie will be a winner with you as well.