I love me some horror films, enough so that when I was over at cinefile and saw the region 2 version of this movie on sale for 40.00, I quickly plunked down the cash based on the sole UK audience response to it. And I wasn't let down one bit. I was terrified to the point of screaming, and had nightmares for two days after I saw it. This is no cheesy B-Grade picture. It features themes and metaphors that are mature and has a statement on the value of human life, and the road to self-destruction. The Cave, the fact that all the characters are fully adult women, the issues that are on the surface and beneath for each character even if each character isn't put front and center is realistic and has a depth not seen in Marshall's previous film, Dog Soldiers. I really felt the pain of Sarah as she suffered internally throughout, and could feel the regret, the horror and shock of Juno as she makes her fatal mistake. The ensemble works greatly, each character not feeling like a cardboard cut out but a fully realized woman, with a past, present and future. The terror, which comes in the form of "Crawlers", is insanely claustrophobic and terrifying, considering this film takes place in complete cramped isolation and darkness. They are not portrayed as movie monsters. They have no over-dramatic flourishes. They are presented as wild animals in their natural habitat. And the body of the film takes place within that habitat, where these women meet abject horror and each deal with it in their own very personal way. It reminded me a lot of the original Alien, with a little Deliverance on top for good measure. It also contains some beautiful artistic flourishes which really put it over the top. The only complaints I have is that some of the action scenes involving Juno were shot a bit "posy" for me. She did a knock down drag out performance, but the way the camera framed her when she was fighting off the crawlers in some instances smacked of cheese. But that was it, and that's nit picking. Other than that, if you want the crap scarred out of you, if you want to be traumatized, see this film, it's not only good horror, but good cinema.
Review of The Descent
