Review of Descent (2007) by Rob C — 01 Apr 2012

I would like to start off by saying when the bat-like humanoids start to surface, that's when the real treat of this film starts up. A good chunk of the film has the women stalking through the cave looking for a way out after their realization of being in the wrong one. I've always thought British horror was much creepier in terms of what they display in their films. There's just something about the British that always has my vote. I think it's probably the accents. I've always been fascinated by those, especially the female kind. So, when I'm presented with a horror film that involves these aspects, I'm all ears and eyes for it.

I was not disappointed one bit about The Descent. Even though the start of the film is pretty long with dialogue, there is still that sense of fear. It's like when you put a pot of water on the stove and watch it slowly start to boil. You first have the death of a husband and child in a freak car accident. Then, when the females finally get into the cave and you are presented with claustraphobia and their battles with eachother because of their predicament.

It all leads up to the final scare when the creatures start to show their faces one by one---it's like an unrelentless assault. It gets even better when the girls start to fight back and actually succeed in taking some of them out. (Where they got these fighting instincts is beyond me, but I'm happy they do have them and not the kind where they just get paranoid and give up on life. I really do hate when films portray that.).

The gore and the look of the creatures are so realistic. It's even better that the film is shot mostly in the dark, so you don't know exactly where they are coming from. That adds on to the essence of the film. The Descent provides the right amount of jolts, even though it takes a while for them to come about. But, you'll be happy they did when you finally do see them. I sort of wish I saw this in theaters rather than on DVD.