The Descent – Review

Horror heads will be well aware of this extremely claustrophobic and terror-infused dive into the earth below, but for those less squeamish and down for darkness and gore, The Descent is a must see.

Sarah (Macdonald) and her longtime friends Beth (Reid) and Juno (Mendoza) have always been adventurers, seeking the next adrenaline boost and activity to conquer. After a white-water rafting trip, Sarah’s husband and daughter pick her up. Then, in an instant, Sarah’s life is shattered by an unexpected event. She will never be the same.

The following year, Beth and Juno try to give her a new event to look forward to and participate in: cave spelunking. This fits in with their rush-seeking natures and her friends hope it will be a worthy distraction. They head to the Appalachian Mountains, deep in the woods of North Carolina.

Joining them this year is Sam (Buring), Rebecca (Mulder) and extreme adrenaline junky Holly (Noone) who suggests base jumping. Sarah does her best to smile and keep her head up. The women appear to be a tightly knit group and they will need to be in order to face their upcoming ordeal.

As the girls get a super early start and make their way down into a deep and dank cave system, disaster feels mere inches away, as tight passages restrict movement and something is making noises in the dark. What could possibly go wrong? AND what could possibly be making the sounds?

The Descent is a hard-hitting and absolutely thrilling ride. The women are all well realized and mostly sympathetic. When things get rough this heightens the tension as it is easy to hope that no harm comes to them. The bits of life drama mixed in do not spoil the anxieties, and the film rarely lets up when it gets going.

There’s only one way outta this chamber, and that’s down the pipe.

The “unrated” cut of this film is in reality just the original UK cut of the film, and it contains the proper ending. The R-Rated US Theatrical cut loses some of the blood, and also a few moments in the resolution, changing the ending experience.

I realllly did not like The Descent Part 2, and it undoes the great ending of the original film, so I do not recommend checking it out even if you love this film.