Neil Marshalls tale of six women who encounter some nasty beasts while spelunking a cave is arguably one of the scariest movies of the past ten years, mainly because its relentlessly claustrophobic and takes place almost entirely in the dark. The Descent confirms every childs worst fear, even after they think theyve outgrown it there are bad things lurking in the dark, terrifying creatures which dwell in places youve spent most of your life avoiding. When we finally see them, our worst fears are realized. Not only are these monsters grotesque, theyre quick, agile and intent on eating you. Along with the nearly-overwhelming claustrophobia you feel as these women venture further and further downward, cave walls practically threatening to squeeze the air from their lungs (long before before any monsters even show up),The Descent masterfully exploits two of our most common phobias. On a side note, if youre in the mood for even further despair, you definitely need to see the original - much darker - ending to the film. Youll feel like hell afterwards, but its arguably the greatest coda to a horror movie since John Carpenters The Thing.
D.M. Anderson works and lives in Portland Oregon. He is the author of two young adult novels (Killer Cows & Shaken) and a collection of dark tales (With the Wicked). He has also published several short stories which have appeared (or will appear) in various anthologies and magazines such as 69 Flavors of Paranoia, Night Terrors, Trembles, Encounters, Implosion, Strange Fucking Stories, Perpetual Motion Machine. He documents his adventures in the dark on on his movie site, Free Kittens Movie Guide
