The Descent (2006)

Mordern horror movies are probably the weakest genre of movies being made today. Most horror movies released nowadays seem as if they are merely opportunities to score an easy profit for the studios. Hire a bunch of hot young minor actors, tweak a previously made movie (most likely from Japan), throw in a few descent CGI effects, promote the new movies during prime time T.V. a bit for a couple weeks, and whalla, here come throes of gullible teenagers willing to throw down the $8.50 they made from working an hour and a half at Juicy Lucy's the night before, to get a few cheap thrills. I don't blame the teenagers, and really I don't blame the studios, the only problem is that good horror movies are far and few in between.

That is what makes "The Descent" such a pleasent suprise. And not too suprising that it is not a Hollywood movie (but look for Hollywood's version starring Tara Reid and Sarah Michelle Gellar in a couple years) but is instead a British movie. Some horror movies try far too hard to have complicated plots, for example "Pulse," Hollywood's latest horror movie, has something to do with cell phones and wireless internet hookups being able to channel the dead from another world through which the demons or whatever teleport into our world, but only if you are using the right frequency during blah blah blah. The plot of "The Descent," on the other hand, is very straightforward, so here goes the overview: A group of thrill seeking women go sprelunkering in an uncharted cave in the Appalacian Mountains. Quickly things go wrong as a collapse traps the women underground in a labrynth of claustrophobic tunnels, crevaces, and complete darkness... this is worthy enough of a frightening experience, but to make things even worse, dwelling within this cave are Gollum-like monsters, (without the sympathetic Smeagol side to them) who are human-like creatures that have evolved perfectly for the environment of the cave, and they are intent on destroying the intruders to their home one by one. Bassically, women go into cave, get trapped, and are hunted down by monsters in said cave.

This plot sounds like it has the potential to be a terrible movie, but the directing is perfect for the plot and the result is a tense, bloody, fun, horrifying creep show. Don't take the kids to see this one. What the director, Neil Marshall, does exceptionally well is use old-school scare techniques using lighting or lack of lighting to set a horrifying tone throughout the movie. In some scenes for a while all we see is complete darkness, and are left to wonder what will be in front of us, or the trapped women, when there is light to show us the horrors we cannot see. It is the old addage that what you cannot see is scarryier then what you can. The women use glow sticks, matches, flares, and a camcorder with night vision to light up the complete darkness of the cave, all of these sources of light leave eery shadows and odd colors to illuminate the cave giving the cave an eery otherworldly feel. The other tactic Marshall uses to near perfection is sound, often times we hear things that will scare the wits out of us long before we can see them, just as would be the case for these trapped women in this unknown cave. There seems to be very little use of any CGI at all, instead the movie relies on lighting and sound, as well as excellent make-up and art direction to achieve its goals.

The acting is strong as can be expected. The women are all unknowns which gives a sence of reality to what would otherwise be an unbelievable story ( although if your going to a horror movie to see a believable representation of the world around us, you will always be dissapointed, most horror movies need some suspension of disbelief on the viewers part in order to succeed.) It is not without its flaws, these are brave atheletic women, however, it is hard to believe that they become the ruthless killing machines that they do at the end, especially because the one who this happens to the most is, at the beginning, the most 'soft' of the women.

But these are minor quibles, and if you are in the mood for a good, fun, scary, blood-fest (and it is very bloody!) this is a movie that can't be beat. Its not the most substantial movie of all time but it succeeds superbly at what it is trying to do and does not try to be something beyond what it is. And you have to respect that.

3 our of 4 stars