The Descent

The Descent is a British horror film about 6 women who go spelunking in an undiscovered cave system where they run into a strange breed of predators and fight for survival. The Descent just so happens to be genuinely frightening and one of my favorite Survivor movies of all time! The creatures the women run into are suggested to be a variation of humans that evolved overtime underground. They are pale white and blind, which would be expected for creatures living in a world with no light. I enjoy when stories interject a bit of realistic science fiction; it makes you think. Actually, the whole movie makes you think...do these creatures in the caves even exist or are they all imagined by one woman's descent into madness?

Well, part 1 of The Descent leaves you thinking and tingling with goose bumps. Part 2 steam rolls over these thoughts and bewilderment when a group of rescuers go down to review, repeat and regurgitate the first film all over again. But hey, bring on a third and i'll watch it!

Of course, like any cave movie, the plot is driven by the characters becoming trapped inside. But what makes this movie different is that 1) it's realistically dark throughout. The only lighting is from the peoples head lamps and torches, etc. This really sets the mood for a very dark, claustrophobic and sometimes hard to see, movie. And 2) the cast is mostly women which is unique and gives itself a bit of originality in the genre.

I actually heard of this movie long before it was released in the United States. I stumbled upon the title on imdb.com after thinking this might be the movie version of a book I had been reading titled the same. It is not based on the book by Jeff Long, but apparently The Descent was released in Europe a year or so before the US. It had a quiet release in the US without a lot of fan fare, but over the years it's picked up notoriety. It might even get spoofed in the next Scary Movie...even though, The Descent: Part 2 actually feels like a spoof on Part 1 at times.

Part Spoilers 1:

Holly (first to die) - Sort of the tomboy of the group. Holly falls and injures her leg before the group encounters the creatures. When the group is later ambushed she's becomes the first victim.


Beth (second to die?) - Sarah's best friend. During the initial ambush with the creatures, Juno whips out her pickaxe. Thinking a creature is behind her, Juno swings and stabs Beth right through the neck. Later, a dying Beth tells Sarah that Juno injured her (albeit accidental).


Sam (third to die) - Flees from the creatures and attempts to scale a cavernous ceiling over a deep, dark pit. Midway across the ravine a creature climbs onto her and..


Rebecca (fourth to die) - Spends most of the chaotic part of the movie with Sam. Immediately after Sam is killed, another creature attacks Rebecca killing her.



Juno (last to die?) - After the initial ambush Juno becomes Lara Croft and spends most of the remaining film doing acrobatics and karate type stuff killing creatures left and right. In the final scene, Sarah takes a pickaxe to Juno's thigh disabling her so the creatures can finish her off (as revenge for killing Beth)...oh irony!

Sarah (Escapes?) - Sarah manages to escape the caves. In the original film ending, however, she only imagines escaping. In the [happy-ending approved] American version the movie stops before she realizes she's still in the cave. So [Yay!] Americans can sleep at night knowing she's ok. Either way she does make it out and moves onto Part 2.

Part 2 Spoilers:
Dan (first to die) - The leader of the rescue squad is the first to die when the creatures come back for a second helping and a taste of man.



Cath (second to die) - Cath and Greg are the cute couple on the rescue team. During the ambush they stumble upon Sam's body dangling above a dark ravine. Cath makes it across swinging on Sam (Greg falls), however the creature on the other end of the ravine slaughters her.

Vaines (third to die) - Vaines is the sheriff who insists on accompanying Sarah and the rescuers back down in the cave system looking for the other 5 women. At one point he handcuffs himself to Sarah...slips...long story short Juno ends up hacking Vaines' arm off so he doesn't take Sarah with him when he falls.

Greg (fourth goner?) - One of the rescuers. Greg is bitten and falls down a deep and dark hole into water. You later see the last of him in the creatures' bone pit.



Juno (Finally dies) - Juno the creature slayer takes one too many gashes to the abdomen before finally saying adieu.




Sarah (Sacrifices herself) - In the end it's just Sarah and Rios. Sarah's character is an interesting one. She lost her daughter in the beginning of part 1, suffered from amnesia and didn't remember the creatures until about 3/4s of the way into part 2. She sacrifices herself so Rios can escape and be with her daughter.

Rios (Sole Survivor?) - She escapes the caves. Relieved, she calls her daughter and then BAM. Shovel to the head. The old man who lives above the caves knocks her out and feeds her to the creatures. It's like the ending of Lake Placid, but moreso out of nowhere.