The Descent *** (2005 Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid) – Classic Movie Review 3438

When six daredevil women go caving in America’s Appalachian mountains, they are trapped by a rockfall and then attacked by blind Gollum-style cave creatures – ‘crawlers’ – hunting by smell and sound.

Working with a sterling, little-known cast, British writer-director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, 2002) stirs up a nail-biting horror film with more than its fair share of shocks, scares jumps, gore and nail-biting suspense.

Maybe too long is spent on the initial build-up and the ending is a let-down. But the central hour is a crucial chiller, made with great flair and imagination, mostly on convincing sets in Pinewood studios. It stars Natalie Mendoza, Shauna Macdonald and Alex Reid.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3438

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