Review of Descent (2007) by Lewis E — 10 Jun 2014

A group of arguably hot girls venture into the middle of nowhere for a risky adventure. Hardly an innovative horror concept but this one is undeniably efficient in creating shocks and quick frights, so there is definitely a fair amount of screams to be had.

It also personally worked for me as a somewhat claustrophobic person because the setting of dark, narrow cave tunnels would replicate my worst nightmare. Unfortunately, it still shares the common flaw of the horror genre in lacking any real intriguing characters, making it less dramatic when the story disposes of them (Admittedly, Game of Thrones has played a part in making me even more immune to on-screen deaths now).

Though not terrible, I felt there was space for more creativity with the creatures' design. Without sounding like a macho man, I reckon they should have included more peculiar features to make them unique and appear even scarier, however this may be nit-picking.

Ironically, 'The Descent' descends into conventional mediocrity when the actual horror kicks since none of the deaths are that exciting and the film's strengths lie in the early tension and suspense.

It was the scenes of darkness or the quick snippets of the creatures where I turned away rather than the bloody graphic events. True horror fans may find a hidden gem in this, but for others, this may not be worth digging deep for.