The Descent Country : UK Year: 2005 Genre: Horror Format: Theater Running Time: 99 minutes Distributor: Pathe' Pictures Written and directed by Neil Marshall, the man who brought you Dog Soldiers... this is infinitely better. Credits Written and Directed by Neil Marshall. Starring Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring I am not going to beat around the bush here. As far as I am concerned this is one of the best horror movies of the last ten years. A bold statement I know, but this movie blew me away… a powerhouse flick, which is strong in so many respects. The plot is this. A group of young women go on a caving expedition. The story is predominantly centred around Shauna MacDonald’s character, 'Sarah'. Who has recently lost her husband and daughter in a terrible car accident. The trip was planned to reunite the friends with a view to help Sarah bring some enjoyment back into her life after all that she had been through. Suffice to say, the expedition goes horribly wrong. All the girls except for Juno (Natalie Mendoza) think they are in a known cave that has been explored before, but it turns out that Juno has taken them to a new cave, one that is very unexplored, or at least not recorded in any books. Juno wants them to mark this as their exploration, their accomplishment. Inevitably it is Juno’s selfish and irresponsible behaviour that envelopes the group in a prodigious tomb of absolute terror, with no escape after a passage they scrape through caves in, almost trapping and killing two members of the group (incidently Sarah and her best friend Beth, played by Alex Reid). Subsequently vital climbing gear is lost in the terrifying fracas which can never be a good thing. This scene in particular is breathtakingly claustrophobic and memorable. Up to this point director, Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) methodically builds an absolute atmosphere of foreboding, suspense and anxiety, but the movie eventually steps up a gear; the pace becomes startling. It is not one of those films that you sit ‘twiddling your thumbs’ throughout. It grips you. Initially there is the real first hand danger of the climbing and caving itself. Most notably when a complex and dangerous manoeuvre across a huge drop has to be undertaken. As mentioned above, vital climbing gear had been lost in the cave-in, making matters much worse. This is when a real sense of vulnerability starts creeping in. And unfortunately there is more to this cave than the girls realise, and if they thought things couldn't possibly get worse, they do... get, much, much worse... Couple the excellent cast with exquisite camera work, a wonderful musical score, awesome underground cave sets, marvellous make-up effects and plenty of gore, and you have something very special indeed. The tragedy itself that shrouds the movie throughout is a blessing with all the Hollywood bullshit we have to endure in the present climate. In closing, you should see this movie… OFFICIAL SITE DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS Review by Rich Carlin, for Pitofhorror.com