Indie Gems: The Descent

-
If you're claustrophobic, you probably shouldn't watch this.
 
Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) has had a rough year. She lost her husband and daughter in an accident and has been trying to keep moving forward. She decides to go spelunking (which after viewing this, I will never fucking do) with a group of her girlfriends. At one point, they mention that they are two miles BELOW ground. Suddenly, the encounter strange creatures that are going to tear them apart. Now it's a race to get back to the surface.
 
I actually kept stretching out my arms and legs the first time I saw this because it made me feel so claustrophobic. Just the simple line of them mentioning how deep below the earth they were made me uncomfortable. This movie really excels when it comes to the horror aspect. We don't get a good look at the creatures right away, but when we do, they're creepy as hell. It definitely doesn't lack on the gore either. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors in this film before hand, but they all did wonderful jobs. I imagine this movie was pretty hard to shoot, and their efforts are certainly not wasted.
 
I was let down by the ending, but not because it was bad. Actually, the ending is kind of perfect. I was just sad when it didn't go the way I thought it would.
 
Grade: A
 
Memorable Quote: "It hasn't got a name. It's a new system. I wanted us all to discover it! No one's ever been down here before." - Juno (Natalie Mendoza)


Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 28, 2013 at 10:17 AM

    Love this movie! Great choice for this 'Indie Gems' series. You are so right about the claustrophobia. I couldn't breath while I was watching this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 29, 2013 at 6:53 AM

      Thanks! This movie and Buried really got me with the claustrophobia thing.

      Delete
    2. Lights Camera ReactionJuly 4, 2013 at 9:48 AM

      I haven't seen Buried yet, I keep meaning to watch it.

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamJuly 6, 2013 at 1:03 PM

      It was pretty good for a movie that's literally just a guy in a box for 2 hours.

      Delete
  2. m.brownJune 28, 2013 at 10:31 AM

    I saw this in the theater and haven't had the balls to watch it again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 29, 2013 at 6:53 AM

      I wish I could've seen this in theaters. I had to wait for it to come out on DVD.

      Delete
  3. s.June 28, 2013 at 4:32 PM

    You know there are actually two different endings - one ends with her still in the cave and I just loved that ending. This is one of my favorite horror movies because it's crazy and gory but also you can argue that the heroine went batshit and imagined the creatures and killed everyone herself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 29, 2013 at 6:50 AM

      That's the one I like too. I was so let down. I thought she escaped, then she wakes up.. that was sad.

      Delete
    2. Lights Camera ReactionJuly 4, 2013 at 9:47 AM

      That's the ending I like too.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJune 29, 2013 at 10:12 AM

    This movie has been on my to-watch list for ages. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. asrap virtuosoJuly 1, 2013 at 9:46 AM

    I'm ashamed to say that I've never heard of this movie.... or recognise any of the actors. But that's a good thing, watching the movie without knowing much about it is a rarity nowadays. Your grade "A" also sold me. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen...
Read more

My Favorite Movie Youtube Channels

-
Image
Starting around 2018, I started watching Youtube for more than just movie trailers or music videos whenever a new one dropped. Now I'm in full blown subscription mode and don't bat an eyelash at watching a Youtube video that's over an hour long. I watch Youtube for a few different categories of content, but one of them that I love most is movie/TV essays and commentary, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. Below is a list of my favorite movie related Youtube channels. Let me know if you're familiar with them too, or if you have any you'd like to recommend to me.  Double Toasted - I'm honestly surprised this channel isn't bigger. I first came across Korey and Martin when they reviewed War for the Planet of the Apes a few months before it hit theaters and I thought they were hysterical. While their full length videos stream on Twitch, they often upload their movie reviews and commentary on youtube and they're always hilarious. They've...
Read more