LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Revisiting The Descent, returning to U.K. theaters Friday for the 20th anniversary of its original U.K. release, is a celebration of the survival horror film's visceral thrills and themes.
Set one year after an automobile accident killed her husband and daughter, the film follows the grieving Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) as she reunites with a group of friends for a spelunking trip to a cave. There is tension with her friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza), who apparently left hastily after the accident.
The other women -- Beth (Alex Reid), Becca (Saskia Mulder), Sam (MyAnna Buring) and Holly (Nora-Jane Noone) -- are there for Sarah. But, they all must rely on each other after Juno leads them into an unmapped cave system.
Writer/director Neil Marshall filmed The Descent on sets that look like real caves and capture the pitch blackness of the underground. You are watching the cast or stunt performers descend great distances, crawl through tunnels and hang from ceilings and walls.
The space is only illuminated a fraction at a time by the characters' head lamps and occasionally larger flares. The sound design also captures both the silence and echo of isolated caves.
