Review of Descent (2005) by Matt G — 15 Feb 2015

Holly: Hey, there's something down here...

Of course, it would be that "The Descent", one of the only good horror films in the last 15 years is underrated and under-viewed. Listen here, fans of modern horror (for some reason), this movie is something others can learn from. I realize at this point "The Descent" is almost 10 years old, but I consider it modern. Why? It's not unbelievably original, but it's done almost too well.

It's NOT unbelievably original, but of course it brings new ideas to the table. "The Descent" features some sort of creature to scare the human characters, as usual. The suspense kills us though. As a group of friends go caving for the day, the sense of panic and the uneasy feeling is incredibly tense. Heck, I was sweating, probably (I didn't look down to my hands I kept my eyes glued).

No matter how intense the movie gets, especially in its earlier parts, I don't think we're meant to be sitting around waiting for something to happen. It's not just filler, it's actually quite scary, even without the meat-eating humanoid cave dwellers. It's a claustrophobic movie. I know, on paper it seems like throwing in a group of blind, pale-skinned mutants could destroy all hope, but it completely and effortlessly pulls it off.

When we first get our great glimpse of a crawler, we're already as tired as our human characters. It caught me completely off guard. This movie most likely borrowed from the ideas brought about in "Jaws". Waiting until the most vulnerable moment to pounce. All in all, I think "The Descent" is an excellent horror film and I very much hope it survives for years and years to come.