The Descent (2005)

“Hostel” is an example of the kind of trouble guys can get into while “The Descent” is an example of what could happen to a group of women who enjoy extreme sports who accidently pick the wrong set of caves to explore. “The Descent” is the second film that writer/director Neil Marshall created after his amazing first feature film, “Dog Soldiers”. In this film, we see a group of women dealing with both natural obstacles such as getting lost in unmapped tunnels and becoming stuck in very small, tight passage ways as well as dealing with a more unnatural, evolved race of cave dwelling cannibals. The tension is thick and heavy in this movie and the violence and terror is relentless. This film is unique in that the main characters are all women, a rarity in the horror genre as well as most movies in general. Mr. Marshall also attempted to try to create characters that weren’t just clichés and standard stereotypes. He intentionally cast actors with different accents so the viewers could tell the characters apart while they are in the dark and underground.

The main character, Sarah, is dealing with the tragic loss of her husband and daughter who both died in a horrible car accident after one of Sarah’s extreme sport outings. Like Jenna from “247°F”, this event has a direct impact on Sarah’s choices and actions in the film. But unlike Jenna, Sarah is believable and convincing; we care about Sarah and we are rooting for her to survive the ordeal. The ending is made stronger and stings more because we know the source of Sarah’s pain and we can relate with her.

Five friends gather once every year for an extreme sporting event; Sarah goes even though she is still emotionally recovering from losing her husband and daughter in a terrible car accident the previous year. This year the group heads down into some caves in the Appalachian Mountains. Almost as soon as they begin they become trapped after a cave-in, forcing them to try to find a way out. The person who planned this adventure admits that she doesn’t know the cave system at all, saying that she thought it would be great if they explored an uncharted area. While they go deeper into the tunnels, they begin to realize that they are not alone; a cannibalistic clan that were trapped as well begin attacking and feeding upon the friends. It’s a living nightmare that seems to have no escape…

Favorite moment - The scene where everyone is trying to squeeze through the small passage way and when Sarah becomes stuck, escaping right before the passage collapses is super intense. 

Dog Soldiers (2002)

“Dog Soldiers” is a violent and fun werewolf movie that is brave enough not to rely on CGI. The werewolf bodies look odd as they are actors in spandex-like suits but I think the heads and arms look great and these beasts are still vastly superior to the werewolves in “Cursed”. This film was the directing debut for Neil Marshall, who would later go on to write and direct “The Descent”. The film costars one of my favorite supporting actors, Sean Pertwee, in a role that’s absolutely perfect for him.

“Dog Soldiers” is about a unit of British Army soldiers running through a training mission against elite forces deep in the forests of the Scottish Highlands. Notable members include Sgt. Wells, Pvt. Cooper, and Spoon. When they cross “enemy lines” and raid the elite forces campsite they find the camp ransacked and empty except for one wounded survivor, Capt. Ryan. A few weeks before, Cooper had tried out for a spot on a Special Forces unit under Ryan’s command but failed to get in when Cooper refused to shoot a dog. Suffice to say, the tension between the two is high. The team moves out with Capt. Ryan in two as they realize that whatever took out the Special Forces was closing back in on the camp. They manage to get to a road just as a local woman named Megan was driving by. She picks them up and takes them to the nearest house. No one is home and so they barricade themselves in for the night. From what Megan and Capt. Ryan reveal, the soldiers learn that they are being stalked by a pack of werewolves, smart werewolves. Before they can leave to get help, the car that Megan was driving is torn apart, forcing the soldiers to buckle down and fend of the monsters until daylight. In classic horror movie style, they are picked off one by one until the big finale.

Favorite moment – Sgt. Wells was wounded as he went back to look for one of his men, having his stomach sliced open and some of his intestines falling out. Once at the house, Cooper and Megan try their best to Sgt. Wells back together. I love how he keeps grabbing a bottle of whiskey and chugs it until it’s promptly taken away from him so he grabs a gun until it’s taken away from him so he grabs the whiskey again. It’s a very playful scene and you can’t blame him for trying!

Second favorite moment – The fight scene between Spoon and a werewolf in the kitchen is EPIC!