The Descent

Neil Marshall 2005

A group of friends meet up to go pot holing. Following a rock fall they become trapped and stumble across a group of cave dwelling creatures that are less than friendly. Carnage ensues.

I've never quite understood the allure of caving, squeezing through tight spaces in the dark like an oversized Mole, with nothing but a head torch and the constant drip of water to entertain you.

Neil Marshall was the man behind the rather excellent "Dog Soldiers", and once again proves that although us Brit's don't make as many horror films as we used to, we can still produce suspense and gore by the bucket load.

The brilliance of this film lies in its building up of tension. After an initially slow start you are suddenly thrust into the heart of the action with characters.

My only issue with this film is a petty one...the swearing! Now thankfully I have never been trapped underground with strange cannibalistic monsters but if that ever happens I'm sure I would utter the odd expletive, however for some reason the swearing in this film sounded totally out of place. For me, it sounded fake and every 'fuck' and 'shit' was like a slap around the face reminding you that you are watching a film. But hey, I'm getting old and yearn for simpler days when everyone spoke the Queen's English with pride.

The film relies heavily on the fact that the dark is scary and that things jumping out of the dark are scarier still. Simple but effective, and for the first time in many years I found myself watching the screen through gaps in my fingers.

So while I won't be taking up caving as a new hobby anytime soon I will be waiting excitedly for the next Neil Marshall film.