Review of The Descent (2005) by Mike

Title: The Descent (2005)

Original UK Release Date: 8^th July 2005

Original US Release Date: 4^th August 2006

UK Rating: 18

US Rating: R

Director: Neil Marshall

Genre: Horror

Plot: A group of friends exploring a remote cave system encounter mysterious and deadly creatures underground.

Mike's Review

I watched this with my girlfriend Kelly not knowing what to expect. We knew it was a horror, but it was also a British film. There are some great British films but would this be one of them?

The film is about a group of women who get together to explore a set of remote caves. During the expedition they encounter strange creatures and end up having to fight for their lives.

Staring Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, MyAnna Buring & Nora-Jane Noone. All the actresses are great in the roles of the six friends, however Natalie Mendoza stands out for me as Juno. There are undertones of something more with her character and her performance is eerie and mysterious.

This film is one of the best modern horror films I have seen. While many modern horror films fall under the category of torture porn like Saw and Hostile, this film doesn’t rely on gore and gross out moments to shock you. It manages it in traditional ways using subtle camera effects, building tension and good acting. The director is a genius in his ability to scare you. He builds the tension to a point where you feel you will burst. There are no cheesy moments just good old fashioned scares. And what scares they are. There are moments that truly scare and surprise you. This is one of the best horror movies and a very well made film. The intro is just long enough to give you a good background to the friends and then all hell breaks loose!

If you like classic horror movies check this one out. Keep the lights on and if you are watching with your girlfriend, watch out for your hands. Kelly was so scared I thought she would break mine when she squeezed it really hard when she jumped!

9 out of 10

Additional Information

Stand out performance: Natalie Mendoza as Juno

Trailer