|
The Descent,
the new film from the abovementioned Marshall, will have Hollywood
sobbing frenziedly. ‘Why, Oh, Why – can’t we do that?’ the exec
blubbers, as he tallies up his returns on The Fog remake.
Answer?
Easy, fellas: ‘You’re more interested in a pretty young cast,
showcasing special effects and repeating what’s done before. Marshall,
on the other hand, seems to realise that if a film’s to have any
staying power, it’s got to be unique, put character before cast, and
largely, be scary – and not just ‘Oh no, Tom Welling’s going to be
gobbled up by the mist, scary, - Run Superman Run!’. We’re talking
frightening. Shit ya pants scary’.
The Descent,
though more than just ick and eww, is definitely Goosebumps ripe. It
tells of a group of go-getting female friends (one of whom lost her
child in a tragic car wreck the year before) who get together for yet
another of their unwise adventure trips. This one involves heading down
into a cave (in the middle of nowhere, mind you) that they ultimately
discover is filled with…. well, that would be telling wouldn’t it?
What’s effective about this one (and Marshall’s last film Dog Soldiers)
is that you not only care about the characters (credit then to the
mostly-unknown cast that play them), but you’re swept up in their
quandary. In this case, you’re in the caves with them and sucked right
into the claustrophobic nightmare yourself. And for once, there’s
hardly no special effect, overwhelming music score or cheesy ‘cat jumps
out’ moments to entice such emotion.
This adrenaline-pumping scarefest might just be the most effective cinematic chiller since Alien
(1979), and encompasses just as strong female heroines as Ellen Ripley
too. Not for the squeamish, but definitely for the horror boffin who
looks their films as icky as they’re imaginative, The Descent is well worth a peekaboo – so long as a pillow’s in close proximity.
EXTRAS
Oh, you want DVD extras? There's a cave-load here! Commentaries,
featurettes, cut scenes... you'll know everything there is to know
about the movie by the time you've scanned through them all. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 60%
|
