The Descent

     Hands down one of the best scary movies of the last two decades- "The Descent" is 70's/80's style horror all the way.  The plot is simple.  Six women decide to go exploring a cave deep in the Appalachians and become trapped as rocks fall and cover the entrance.  So begins their descent down, as they figure there must be another way out.   Claustrophobia sets in almost immediately as they venture farther down into the earth.  Soon, they discover they are not alone down there.  That's when all hell breaks loose.  The women find themselves face to face with some very scary monsters living down in the darkness. It soon becomes a bloody battle of wits and survival as the women desperately try to reach the surface.

     "The Descent" is brutal, suspenseful, gory, and intelligent.  Homages to classic horror movies pop up throughout- towards the end the lead character seems to be channeling Marilyn Burns from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Sissy Spacek  in "Carrie".  Echoes of "Deliverance", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Alien", and other classic horror movies can be seen throughout this dark and scary monster flick.  The monsters (humanoid cave-dwelling mutants) are wisely held in the dark until almost an hour into the film- when you actually see them for the first time, they deliver quite a shock.  "The Descent" is a great throwback to classic 70's/80's horrorfests and very well-made movie.  Two thumbs way up!