The Descent

This movie is undeniably scary and if you like the genre, you shouldn't miss it. The premise is simple and the setting claustrophobic enough to guarantee a lot of tension and jumpy moments.

My only gripe is with the very last scene, which comes across like a slap in the face that jolts the viewer right out of "the zone" the movie works so hard to create. And my question is, Why? Was it really necessary to make the movie work? No. So, does that scene detract from the whole experience? Yes, and the fact that I'm here writing about it is the evidence that proves it.

That last "scare" is so superfluous and irrelevant, it should have ended up on the editing room floor. Instead, in order to get one more cheap scare out of the audience, the director decided to tag it along, thereby cheapening the whole production.

The movie would have ended on a much higher note if, for instance, the camera had simply panned up and away, slowly, with the score hovering and the credits beginning to roll. That's more or less the way 1972's Deliverance ends, a much more effective finale, and one that leaves you wondering what will happen next, instead of feeling like someone screamed "The movie's over, please leave the auditorium!!"

Not only that. I also have to admit that, conditioned by that kind of final whammy in movie after movie, part of me was wondering when it would happen and what it would be. By including that scene, The Descent failed to distinguish itself from so many other crappier products and only re-established a cliché.

That being said, however, The Descent is still a good entry in the horror genre, and by far one of the best I've seen in a while.

Grade: 7.5