THE DESCENT

THE DESCENT (2006). Written and directed by Neil Marshall.

A group of athletic women friends come together a year after a shattering tragedy – one of their number lost her husband and daughter in a terrible accident – and decide to explore a nearby cave for an adventure. Unfortunately, the most experienced spelunker among them, fearing that this particular cave is merely a tourist trap, leads them into a different unexplored cave instead without telling them. This really becomes a problem when a rock slide traps them in the cavern, as not only does no one know where they are, but they have no maps to show them another way out of the cave. 

one of the creatures

This claustrophobic nightmare only gets worse when the women slowly realize that there are horrid, carnivorous, humanoid creatures living down in the caverns, and the women have become their latest food supply. Although these slimy rodent men aren't exactly original – they remind one a bit of the cannibalistic Morlocks in H. G. Wells' novel "The Time Machine" – they are fearsome, fast-moving and shuddery creations nonetheless, and they jump out at the women and the viewer in some very creepy sequences. The acting is generally convincing, and the picture is very well-directed and briskly edited for maximum scares and impact. Wisely, scenes are never over-lit, which only increases the dread and the claustrophobia. While the idea of women becoming warrior-like after winding up in a kill-or-be-killed situation is not new, this is a highly interesting variation. Although there is probably not as much sub-text as some critics have seen – and the all-female cast (or victim) business is probably not misogynous in intent – the movie does have a more “serious” tone than similar pictures. Atmospheric, chilling, and undeniably poignant.

Verdict: A notable if imperfect horror film. ***1/4.