THE DESCENT (2005) - Movie Review

Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring
Genre: Horror, Adventure, Thriller
Writer: Neil Marshall
Runtime: 99 min
Rated: Rated R for strong violence/gore and language
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: Underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.

Review:

Arguably one of the best horror films of the 2000s, "The Descent" is also British filmmaker Neil Marshall's career-crowning achievement. He had previously written and directed the cult classic werewolf action horror film "Dog Soldiers", but it's this movie that truly helped Marshall make a name in the genre. However, I can't say he's done anything since that matches the level of craft and ingenuitiy of this movie. It was also unusually progressive for its time, featuring an all-female cast.

The story begins with six adventure-seeking women embarking on a spelunking trip, which turns into a survival thriller as they end up trapped in an unexplored cave system in the Appalachian Mountains, which then takes an even darker turn into creature feature territory as the thrill seekers discover they're not alone in the dark. Each plot beat and pacing decision is so well crafted, you never once feel like the movie is jumping the shark at any moment. It's not an easy feat, but Marshall balances the psychological drama, emotional nuance and visceral horror incredibly well as the group of women confront their primal instincts in order to survive.

The characters are also very well written, each with a distinct personallity, which makes it so much easier to tell them apart in the dimly lit cave corridors, and Marshall allows us plenty of time to get to know them in the first part of the film. Shauna Macdonald is more or less the protagonist and the film's emotional anchor as her character's traumatic past comes alive in the bleak darkness of the cave, adding to the feeling that the dark abyss the women crawl deeper into somehow stares back into their inner selves. That's exactly when the horror genre is at its most effective, when it mirrors the darkness within our souls. Meanwhile, Natalie Mendoza plays a terrific badass as the no-nonsense survivalist leader of the group. When asked to give examples of strong female characters in movies, give the usual suspects like "The Terminator" or "Aliens" a rest, and try saying "The Descent" for a change. It's got strong women in spades.

The creature design is horrifically fantastic, with great makeup effects and sound design, and the devastating feeling of claustrophobia is enhanced by phenomenal sets, cinematography and clever use of lighting. Meanwhile Marshall relentlessly ratchets up the tension and violence, so much so that when we reach the film's second half it's almost a non-stop rollercoaster of gore and scares as the fight for survival reaches an absolutely savage, primal level. And it's all perfectly underscored by David Julyan's wonderfully atmospheric score.

The story is continued in the sequel "The Descent Part 2", but don't even bother with that one, it's not very good and completely unncessary. "The Descent" might have some flaws, but honestly I've watched this movie more times than I can remember, and my love for its craft and intelligence only grows with each rewatch. If there are flaws, they have evaded my detection. To me, this is as perfect as any horror film can get.

SCORE: 10/10