In what is rapidly becoming a commercially lucrative yet critically lambasted year for the horror genre, it’s with a slight groan that yet another horror film is released.

Yet The Descent bears a few hallmarks which may distinguish it. Firstly it’s British, rare for a contemporary horror. Secondly it comes from the director of the fun 2002 hit Dog Soldiers. Thirdly it’s an all-female cast, another rarity. Lastly it’s set in an underground caving system, an ingenious setting for a scary movie. So can The Descent pull it off and become the first truly terrifying film of the year?

A year after an horrific car accident, Sarah is in need of something to take her mind off things. Travelling to the Appalachian Mountains in America with her friend Beth, they are joining their gung-ho friend Juno for a bonding experience…underground. Along with three other women, they make their way beneath to a caving system. But once there, the women find what is supposed to be a tourist spot, incredibly hard to move in, especially when their entrance is blocked off. They soon discover that they are in a new caving system as yet undiscovered. Initially scared as to how they’ll escape they realise there’s something far more terrifying to fear than the dark….

The Descent starts with a shock and doesn’t let up. A brutal car accident kills of the sole male character in the film and give you an idea of where we’re heading. This is pure horror. No restrictions and no censoring. While director Neil Marshall’s last film Dog Soldiers injected a heavy dose of humour into a horror plot-line, there’s no such merriment here. After the accident the film bravely takes its time in setting the scene. We’re introduced to the characters and can feel the underlying tensions among them.

Even before we’re in the caves there’s a sense of unease. A number of creepy dream sequences set the viewer on edge and one causes a giant leap out of the seat. When underground however, that’s when the real fear starts. I’m not a particularly claustrophobic person but after watching The Descent, caves are my new least favourite place to be stuck in. Marshall expertly twists the tension as characters crawl through dark, tight spaces. Sarah’s mid-tunnel panic attack is particularly terrifying and a rope-bridge crossing is suitably nail-biting. And we still haven’t even encountered the Crawlers.

Sarah is insistent that there’s something lurking in the shadows and most creepily she swears she can hear her late daughter laughing. Then after a wince-inducing piece of bone breakage, we see them. Like a mix between Gollum and Nosferatu they are a lot scarier than they sound on paper. From then on, it’s one long succession of scares. The film is masterful in it’s constant energy and ability to have one scare after another after another. Even hardened horror viewers will be leaping out of their seats. It’s reminiscent of Aliens and Jurassic Park, where there is literally no respite from the constant fear.

The cast are all surprisingly efficient. The powerplay between traumatised Sarah and action heroine Juno provides the most entertainment. The ending is likely to cause much debate. I won’t spoil it but it is brave, yet bleak, giving us an array of double bluff shocks. Neil Marshall has matured since his last film and this is a slicker, classier, scarier film which is drenched in atmosphere. Her also uses numerous references to other horror films, most notably Carrie, Don’t Look Now, The Thing and The Shining. Like any great horror film there’s also some emotion beneath the blood. Sarah’s grief is believable and her ability to face her fears is more understandable as her friend tells her ‘The worst thing in the world has already happened to you’.

Finally, a horror film to triumph. A nerve-shredding, heart-pumping, palm-sweating rollercoaster ride, it’s a kick in the teeth for the Americans. It’s also likely to be a massive crossover hit. Playing on our fears of the dark and of enclosed spaces, it’s hard to imagine many people not walking away from this a little shaken. The scariest film of the year and quite possibly one of the most important genre offerings for the last 5 years.

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