The Descent
Review
by Clint Morris
Oh,
so that’s why the U.K Customs office has acknowledged an increase in
the importation of corn syrup - The Queen’s Country is the new home of
horror. OK, so the Brits have had their finger in the gore
for a while now – with the troupes Hammer, AMICUS and TIGON all adding
something to the genre in their time– and are king when it comes to DVD
releases of any genre fave – Anchor Bay, we bow at your pearly gate –
but in the last five years, especially with folks like Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers)
staying put and making hair-raisers there, it’s becoming more and more
evident that the British Horror Industry is a force to be reckoned with. 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. 4 out
of 5
The Descent
Australian release: 2nd November, 2006
Cast: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone
Director: Neil Marshall
Website: Click
here.
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