Product: The Descent (Original Unrated Cut) [Blu-ray] (2006)
Rating: 5.0
Sticks with you
Wow. I read the favorable reviews and as a horror movie buff, I had to see it, albeit on DVD. Usually this type of movie disappoints me; not the case with this one. I watched it alone (how scary could cave monsters be when you're at home?) and it really stuck with me that night. It wasn't the monsters; it was the atmosphere. The Descent takes place in a cave. It's dark, wet and claustrophobic. I found the setting disturbing and very, very scary.What I liked the most was the way the characters are portrayed. These are all strong, intelligent, capable women. There are enough character traits provided to distinguish each woman, but these remain mostly subtext. There are no ditzy blonds, no comic relief characters, and no 'red shirts.' When these women go down, they go down fighting.It's not perfect, of course. There is too much gore for my taste, although at least the camera doesn't linger. As other reviewers have noted, we get too many clear looks at the monsters, which diminishes the scare. However, it seemed to me that we as viewers were getting a much clearer look than the characters do.The ending that I saw (US unrated version) worked for me, as did the general darkness of the film (physical and mental). It's well-acted and convincing. I recommend it.