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The Descent Whether or not you like horror movies is largely dependent on how much you like feeling uncomfortable. In fact, the very raison d’etre for the genre is the inherent catharsis in being able to experience your deepest, darkest fears made flesh in the controlled environment of the movie theater. Individual movies accomplish this unsettling feat in a variety of ways, some allegorically, some viscerally, and some through the brute force method of throwing as much gore at the screen as possible. While each method has its own pros and cons, all three, in the right proportions, are present in the best horror films, a disconcerting balance that keeps viewers off-balance as much as possible. While I would stop short of calling The Descent one of the best, it is certainly one of the better, an unrelenting experience that will leave most viewers breathless and exhausted. The Descent centers on a group of women adventurers who regularly gather for extreme outings like white water rafting. This time, the sport is Once in the cave itself, though, the film really takes off. Director Neil Marshall (who had previously directed the semi-effective short Combat and the disappointing Dog Soldiers) mines every bit of potential from the setting, with a lot of help from cinematographer Sam McCurdy. The lighting and setups are nothing short of brilliant, evoking a very real sense of anxiety and palpable horror (one cringe-inducing sequence is one of the best I’ve seen at capturing the very essence of claustrophobia on film). The visceral punch of these early scenes in the cave is hard to beat and sets a high standard for the rest of the film to live up to. The fact that it doesn’t is only a minor complaint, as the film’s final third continues the brutal pacing and bruising intensity with only nitpicky issues lessening the film’s overall impact. Eschewing the evocative horrors of earlier, the movie shifts into overdrive, piling on the gore and effects almost to the point of diminishing returns, relying on sensory overload to move from creeping dread to full-on terror. As the women start to find themselves stalked by human-like creatures living deep in the caves, some of the consistency is lost (an earlier reference to Tomb Raider takes on ironic undertones), and the film veers dangerously close to the edge of If I have one major complaint, it’s that the film’s ending is a cheat, one that ultimately doesn’t make any sense. Lion’s Gate, with Marshall’s cooperation, has changed the original ending from the UK release for US distribution, but it’s hard to see how the “new” ending is preferable giving that the implied result is the same. Regardless, the film’s disappointing destination does little to lessen the thrilling effect of the rest of the movie. The Descent is a thrilling, visceral experience that may not linger long in the memory, but certainly packs a punch as you watch it. ©2006 Ed Owens |
silliness. But Marshall, who also wrote the screenplay, is aware enough of the genre’s conventions to occasionally toy with them in ways that keep The Descent fresh without descending into the overly self-aware mentality that threatened to finish off the genre once and for all a scant few years ago, and McCurdy’s stunning visuals help keep the focus where it belongs.