The Descent (2005) Review

Written by: gabs1515   

There's something about a chick dripping in blood, a torch in one hand, a femur in the other, and going medieval on a cave creature's ass that just gives me a hard on.

The Descent is just an amazing film.   Anticipation and the unknown are what drive this movie.  There really isn't much to "see" in the first hour of the movie, but there's still enough reality going on to make anyone tremble in their seat.  The scene were they go through a VERY narrow opening was almost hard to watch because I am slightly claustrophobic myself and I could almost feel the walls closing in on me.

Once the shit hits the fan though, it is just a hell-storm from that point to the end.  Pure, unrelentless terror.  It's well worth the wait just to see the chaos and the ending.  The cave "crawlers" are scary as hell.  They seem to pop up out of EVERYWHERE, and being they have the ability to climb virtually anywhere, its no surprise for them to just...show up.

The Descent is a film that should, neh MUST, be seen by anyone fascinated in horror.  It deals with so many aspects of terror.  Death of family and friends, startles, fear of the unknown, fear of isolation.  Its all there.  You can even view it as a metaphorical film, showing "The Descent" into madness.

From my understanding, the US version DVD has a different "happier" ending, which I strongly suggest you avoid, because the Unrated Original Version's ending is much darker and much better.

The Descent

Written and Directed by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers)
Key Actors: Shauna Macdonald
Natalie Mendoza
Alex Reid
Saskia Mulder
MyAnna Buring
Nora-Jane Noone

My Personal Feelings on the Film

Characters - 9/10.  I cared a lot for the safety of all the girls in this film.  Not just the main characters either, and even before they were attacked by the crawlers.  From the short back story we got, I really liked them all.

Setting - Takes place 2+ miles below the surface in an unexplored cave...or so it seems.

Gore - YOU BETCHA!! oh how wonderful it is.  When Sarah looses it and lets instinct take over...most awesome thing I've ever seen.

Nudity - Nope, and it really would've taken away from the story too.

Shock Level - 8/10.  The last third of the film makes it hard not to shudder or hold onto whatever you can.

Humor - Theres a few light-hearted moments at the beginning, but that's about it.

Realism - 10/10.  The actors really made it seem believable.  Not that crawlers exist or anything, but for what its worth, it came off real to me.

Ending - To die for...but you really need to see the unrated original version to appreciate it.

Interest Level - It did take a while to get moving, but there was enough going on that kept me interested.  Especially knowing that there's...something...in the cave.

Classification - Creepy cave crawlers

Sequel - Well I could see a sequel happening, but I'd rather they not taint the greatness of the Descent.