So much to write about, so little effort in doing so
Lots to say, which I'll post about another day, but most importantly I want to let you in on a little home grown British secret, if you don't already know about it by now. If there's one thing you go to the cinema for. And I'm not taking the dirty masturbatory cinematography based establishments in lovely soho, as that's not what I'm getting at here you dirty bastards. You should go to your local cinema and buy a ticket to see the bloody masterpiece that is 'The Descent'. It scared the bejesus and the shit out of me like nothing before it ever has.
Both me and Ayla wandered out into the daylight, after seeing that, shaking like two little old women after an overdose of cough syrup and valium. And I couldn't shake the vivid imagery from my head for the rest of that day and the next. It is without doubt the scariest thing I've ever witnessed on screen.
Go see it kiddies. You'll like it, I promise.
I'm not as elequent with my words as these fellas when it comes to a review, but they just about sum it up, so I'll copy and paste them right here for your viewing displeasure.
___________________________________________________________________
The best British horror movie in years!, 8 July 2005
10/10 star rating
Author: soulmining from United Kingdom
"The opening scene of The Descent shows three girlfriends happily enjoying the thrill of some white-water rafting, establishing right from the off that these women like their adventure and extreme sports. One year on and things have changed between these friends; Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) has suffered a breakdown after a family bereavement (in a shocking pre-credits sequence that will make your jaw hit the floor) and whilst best friend Beth (Alex Reid) has remained by her side, her other friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) has fled to America. In an aim to rekindle their friendship Juno organises a caving expedition for the girls, and also invites Swedish sisters Rebecca (Saskia Mulder) and Sam (MyAnna Buring) and her young headstrong protégé, Holly (Nora Jane No one). What the group doesn't know is that Juno is taking them to an unchartered series of caves... and naturally with this being a horror film, things don't quite go to plan. First of all Sarah gets trapped and they lose a bag of equipment, then the tunnel collapses behind them forcing the group to find an alternative exit, and then one of the girls suffers a nasty fall, displayed in all its bloody, bone-protruding glory. And then the horror really begins...
To say any more would spoil the surprise, for The Descent is one of those movies where the less you know about the plot, the more you'll enjoy it - if being terrified is your thing. Let's be honest here, this is the best British horror films in years, it really is that good. From the moment the girls enter the caves you're enveloped in a feeling of dread, and the sense of claustrophobia is almost unbearable as they begin to crawl through the narrow tunnels. The dark confined environment succeeds in unsettling the audience so much that when the action finally kicks in it almost comes as a relief. Some relief; this is a brutal exercise in sustained tension and horror with copious amounts of bone-crunching violence and gore. Even a seasoned genre fan like me has to admit that I was sat biting my knuckles at times and I must have jumped on at least three or four occasions during the course of the film - always a good sign that a horror movie is doing its job properly.
It's a simple premise and it works so effectively due to director Marshall's flawless execution. The pacing, editing and sound design are all faultless and the brooding soundtrack echoes the work of John Carpenter, and The Thing in particular. The lighting is also consistently atmospheric, relying mainly on torches, flares and at times, the infra-red viewfinder of a video camera. After his debut with Dog Soldiers and its cast of all male soldiers, he subverts the genre by casting all women this time and the fact that there's no big stars ensures that you're never sure who's going to make it out alive. All six of the principal cast do a great job in what must have been a very demanding shoot, and each of them are given enough screen time to establish their characters and make us care about what happens to them. The dynamic between the original trio of Sarah, Beth and Juno is at the movie's core and Mendoza deserves much credit in her portrayal of the bitch who leads them into trouble, yet for all her faults is clearly the strongest of the group. There's so much more I'd like to say about this film, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet had the pleasure. This is one descent into madness that you won't want to miss and it firmly establishes director Neil Marshall as a real talent within the industry. One thing is absolutely certain - after watching this film I am never ever going caving!"
___________________________________________________________________
Masterful horror film, not to be ignored., 12 July 2005
10/10 star rating
Author: matt_cub from United Kingdom
"If nightmare inducing horror is not your bag then the less you know about The Descent the better. Geordie writer-director Neil Marshall has delivered an accomplished, well acted, out and out horror movie that comes as much of a pleasant surprise as his first major feature Dog Soldiers did back in 2002. Shot in a mere 7 weeks The Descent sees a sextet of undeniably attractive action women leaping headfirst into an Appalachian potholing adventure that goes wrong so quickly you are left wondering if any one of them will survive, let alone ever see daylight again.
There are comparisons to be drawn to Marshall's 'Soldiers of course - again the story is stark and wonderfully economic. Again there is group of six people, predominantly one sex accompanied with a lurking, ominous threat and again there are more nods to popular film culture than you probably realise. The Descent however has a sense of humour that is suitably pitch black.
Long before the cave appears we play witness to a traumatic event that underlies the plot and serves to both unite and tear apart relationships in equal measure. Mostly affected are fragile Sarah and physically strong Juno, an adrenaline junkie who leads the group further and further beneath the ground. No time is wasted in recreating the primal feel of crawling through tunnels with hard hats scraping the dust from the rocks, choking and inducing paranoia all the way as it lingers in the stale, torchlit air. It's here Marshall gets a little inventive. Playing with various different lighting techniques our heroines become colour coded through scenes via glow-sticks, flashlights and video camera. Sounds echo when visuals are briefly lost and deliciously bone crunching they are too. Events escalate quickly and the whole ride becomes what can only be described as a non-stop relentless assault on the senses that will demand repeated viewing.
The only thing that will ruin this movie for you is word of mouth, which ironically is exactly what this film will need to become commercially viable. But the less you know, the more you will enjoy it. Have fun spotting references to Carrie and The Time Machine by all means, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a mere standard entry into the much saturated genre-movie staple. The Descent will rank as one of the most unashamedly terrifying British films ever made. It was made by people that love good cinema, and it shows. Try to see it before 'The Cave' appears and you'll be afraid of the dark before you know it."
___________________________________________________________________
Going underground, 9 July 2005
10/10 star rating
Author: TomPaine-3 from Birmingham, England
"This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Imagine being trapped underground with your closest friends and some not very nice creatures preying on you. Then see those who you thought were your friends splinter and the group dynamic fall apart in a welter of gore and primal survival.
This is the basic premise of Neil Marshall's "The Descent". Its a very visceral film which meanders along for the first 60 minutes after the initial shocking car accident and then explodes into life with the appearance of the Crawlers (imagine Gollums nastier country cousins).
From the outset Marshall makes us sympathise with the group especially Sarah (whose character grows throughout the film), who loses her husband and daughter in the first few minutes and even with Juno, the "villain" who is weighed down by guilt of a big secret, whose recklessness gets the group into this mess in the first place. I personally found Beth's death the most upsetting. Her character was the most sympathetic.
Marshall does a good job in setting up the group dynamic in such a way as to make us care about them. Its because of his good writing here and its not often that you find such characterisation in a gory horror film. What Marshall has given us here sets a new standard for visceral shocks. He does rely on one jump-shock too many and I personally do not want to see what a compound fracture looks like (or how to treat one. Ever seen an entire cinema audience pull a nauseous grimace.) Its worth commenting on the production design. Stunning. You would not think it was a film set at Pinewood. It was a character by itself, adding to Marshall observations about claustrophobia, fear of the dark and friendship.
Of course, he could be asking: Do you know really "know" your "friends"?
Bloody excellent. 10 out of 10."
___________________________________________________________________
Reviews stolen from the hefty Internet Movie Database vault.
Hmm...
Note to self: fix background image asap.
Both me and Ayla wandered out into the daylight, after seeing that, shaking like two little old women after an overdose of cough syrup and valium. And I couldn't shake the vivid imagery from my head for the rest of that day and the next. It is without doubt the scariest thing I've ever witnessed on screen.
Go see it kiddies. You'll like it, I promise.
I'm not as elequent with my words as these fellas when it comes to a review, but they just about sum it up, so I'll copy and paste them right here for your viewing displeasure.
___________________________________________________________________
The best British horror movie in years!, 8 July 2005
10/10 star rating
Author: soulmining from United Kingdom
"The opening scene of The Descent shows three girlfriends happily enjoying the thrill of some white-water rafting, establishing right from the off that these women like their adventure and extreme sports. One year on and things have changed between these friends; Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) has suffered a breakdown after a family bereavement (in a shocking pre-credits sequence that will make your jaw hit the floor) and whilst best friend Beth (Alex Reid) has remained by her side, her other friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) has fled to America. In an aim to rekindle their friendship Juno organises a caving expedition for the girls, and also invites Swedish sisters Rebecca (Saskia Mulder) and Sam (MyAnna Buring) and her young headstrong protégé, Holly (Nora Jane No one). What the group doesn't know is that Juno is taking them to an unchartered series of caves... and naturally with this being a horror film, things don't quite go to plan. First of all Sarah gets trapped and they lose a bag of equipment, then the tunnel collapses behind them forcing the group to find an alternative exit, and then one of the girls suffers a nasty fall, displayed in all its bloody, bone-protruding glory. And then the horror really begins...
To say any more would spoil the surprise, for The Descent is one of those movies where the less you know about the plot, the more you'll enjoy it - if being terrified is your thing. Let's be honest here, this is the best British horror films in years, it really is that good. From the moment the girls enter the caves you're enveloped in a feeling of dread, and the sense of claustrophobia is almost unbearable as they begin to crawl through the narrow tunnels. The dark confined environment succeeds in unsettling the audience so much that when the action finally kicks in it almost comes as a relief. Some relief; this is a brutal exercise in sustained tension and horror with copious amounts of bone-crunching violence and gore. Even a seasoned genre fan like me has to admit that I was sat biting my knuckles at times and I must have jumped on at least three or four occasions during the course of the film - always a good sign that a horror movie is doing its job properly.
It's a simple premise and it works so effectively due to director Marshall's flawless execution. The pacing, editing and sound design are all faultless and the brooding soundtrack echoes the work of John Carpenter, and The Thing in particular. The lighting is also consistently atmospheric, relying mainly on torches, flares and at times, the infra-red viewfinder of a video camera. After his debut with Dog Soldiers and its cast of all male soldiers, he subverts the genre by casting all women this time and the fact that there's no big stars ensures that you're never sure who's going to make it out alive. All six of the principal cast do a great job in what must have been a very demanding shoot, and each of them are given enough screen time to establish their characters and make us care about what happens to them. The dynamic between the original trio of Sarah, Beth and Juno is at the movie's core and Mendoza deserves much credit in her portrayal of the bitch who leads them into trouble, yet for all her faults is clearly the strongest of the group. There's so much more I'd like to say about this film, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet had the pleasure. This is one descent into madness that you won't want to miss and it firmly establishes director Neil Marshall as a real talent within the industry. One thing is absolutely certain - after watching this film I am never ever going caving!"
___________________________________________________________________
Masterful horror film, not to be ignored., 12 July 2005
10/10 star rating
Author: matt_cub from United Kingdom
"If nightmare inducing horror is not your bag then the less you know about The Descent the better. Geordie writer-director Neil Marshall has delivered an accomplished, well acted, out and out horror movie that comes as much of a pleasant surprise as his first major feature Dog Soldiers did back in 2002. Shot in a mere 7 weeks The Descent sees a sextet of undeniably attractive action women leaping headfirst into an Appalachian potholing adventure that goes wrong so quickly you are left wondering if any one of them will survive, let alone ever see daylight again.
There are comparisons to be drawn to Marshall's 'Soldiers of course - again the story is stark and wonderfully economic. Again there is group of six people, predominantly one sex accompanied with a lurking, ominous threat and again there are more nods to popular film culture than you probably realise. The Descent however has a sense of humour that is suitably pitch black.
Long before the cave appears we play witness to a traumatic event that underlies the plot and serves to both unite and tear apart relationships in equal measure. Mostly affected are fragile Sarah and physically strong Juno, an adrenaline junkie who leads the group further and further beneath the ground. No time is wasted in recreating the primal feel of crawling through tunnels with hard hats scraping the dust from the rocks, choking and inducing paranoia all the way as it lingers in the stale, torchlit air. It's here Marshall gets a little inventive. Playing with various different lighting techniques our heroines become colour coded through scenes via glow-sticks, flashlights and video camera. Sounds echo when visuals are briefly lost and deliciously bone crunching they are too. Events escalate quickly and the whole ride becomes what can only be described as a non-stop relentless assault on the senses that will demand repeated viewing.
The only thing that will ruin this movie for you is word of mouth, which ironically is exactly what this film will need to become commercially viable. But the less you know, the more you will enjoy it. Have fun spotting references to Carrie and The Time Machine by all means, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a mere standard entry into the much saturated genre-movie staple. The Descent will rank as one of the most unashamedly terrifying British films ever made. It was made by people that love good cinema, and it shows. Try to see it before 'The Cave' appears and you'll be afraid of the dark before you know it."
___________________________________________________________________
Going underground, 9 July 2005
10/10 star rating
Author: TomPaine-3 from Birmingham, England
"This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Imagine being trapped underground with your closest friends and some not very nice creatures preying on you. Then see those who you thought were your friends splinter and the group dynamic fall apart in a welter of gore and primal survival.
This is the basic premise of Neil Marshall's "The Descent". Its a very visceral film which meanders along for the first 60 minutes after the initial shocking car accident and then explodes into life with the appearance of the Crawlers (imagine Gollums nastier country cousins).
From the outset Marshall makes us sympathise with the group especially Sarah (whose character grows throughout the film), who loses her husband and daughter in the first few minutes and even with Juno, the "villain" who is weighed down by guilt of a big secret, whose recklessness gets the group into this mess in the first place. I personally found Beth's death the most upsetting. Her character was the most sympathetic.
Marshall does a good job in setting up the group dynamic in such a way as to make us care about them. Its because of his good writing here and its not often that you find such characterisation in a gory horror film. What Marshall has given us here sets a new standard for visceral shocks. He does rely on one jump-shock too many and I personally do not want to see what a compound fracture looks like (or how to treat one. Ever seen an entire cinema audience pull a nauseous grimace.) Its worth commenting on the production design. Stunning. You would not think it was a film set at Pinewood. It was a character by itself, adding to Marshall observations about claustrophobia, fear of the dark and friendship.
Of course, he could be asking: Do you know really "know" your "friends"?
Bloody excellent. 10 out of 10."
___________________________________________________________________
Reviews stolen from the hefty Internet Movie Database vault.
Hmm...
Note to self: fix background image asap.