Another day, another horror flick! 4 days ’til Halloween. You can almost taste it now, can’t you? It’s close. Outside the vultures wheel, the wolves howl, and the serpents hiss as the days darken, and the descent into is almost complete. You jacked? This Guy’s jacked! It’s great that we’ve come so far as a species that we can spend an entire month each year celebrating the things that go in the night, and watch us from the shadows of our own reality. So, let’s take an extra couple hours today to think about those not so lucky.

Mankind is where it is today because we stepped out of the shadows and into the light. We left the caves and the dark parts of the Earth, to come together and build a better future. But, what if some of had chosen to stay behind? What if some of us were happy in the cold and dark, silently from the shadows, just waiting for the moment to strike? It’s an interesting question, and it’s why tonight This Guy’s watching. . .

Neil Marshall’s The Descent

The Descent seems to take it’s inspiration from two sources mainly. Jeff Long’s novel of name deals with a far reaching underground society of humanoid creatures, while HP Lovecraft’s story, “The Beast In The Cave” finds a man lost in a cave running face first into something that haunts him for the rest of his life. Now, with a few small tweaks, and not much added, you can get The Descent quite easily. A more intimate tale, with a small cast, and an almost intolerable, unending claustrophobic atmosphere. Darkness, dankness, and decay. Cave diving is not for faint of heart.

“I’m an English teacher, not fucking Tomb Raider!”

The Descent follows a group of old friends exploring an uncharted cave system. Of course it doesn’t take long for the trip to go far off course, and soon the women are trapped, unsure which way leads out, or whether there’s even a way out at all. Before they can gather their thoughts, the group is beset by an army of creatures, spawned from the deep, dark underground. Vicious, bloodthirsty, and desperate for fresh meat, these Crawlers aren’t going to let their prey escape. But these aren’t your typical damsels in distress, and they aren’t going down without a fight either.

The great thing about The Descent, aside from the great acting, insanely tight directing, and constant scares, is the amazing creature work. Not only do the monsters look and sound great, but they’re “real.” It’s not hard to imagine dark, unexplored parts of the Earth where evolution took a darker, stranger turn. These Crawlers aren’t as unrealistic as we’d like to think. With no light, and no love, it’s not hard to imagine how twisted humanity can become. And that is what’s truly terrifying.

So, 4 days to Halloween. This Guy’s watching The Descent, and you should too!