The Descent

Neil Marshall directs a taut, claustrophobic horror film – the story unfolds almost entirely in the shadowy twists and turns of a series of underground caverns -, demonstrating a fine mastery of suspense pacing. After an initial sequence focusing on the difficulties of exploring the area, the plot takes a decisive turn to the realm of horror.

Although the director’s decision to introduce the monsters (aggressive humanoids adapted to a chthonic existence) was understandable and appropriate, he doesn’t use them to best advantage. In fact, the further he strays from Hitchcock’s lessons that true horror comes from anticipation rather than surprise, the more the film degenerates into a chaotic series of explosive run-ins with difficult-to-understand motivations. Repeatedly showing the creatures on screen only serves to dissipate the earlier terror of the unknown which had kept the audience on pins and needles for nearly an hour.

As the movie progresses, the audience increasingly finds itself more startled by the booming sound effects than by the actual appearance of the deadly predators, whose features are certainly compelling, but whose movements are annoyingly distorted to the point that they’re reminiscent of the ghosts in Japanese horror films of the late 1990s. Very fine performances by the all-female cast.

Well received by audiences and critics alike.