The Descent
I couldn’t wait to see The Descent, the latest horror film from writer/director Neil Marshall. It’s not that I love horror films. I don’t. What hooked me was hearing that The Descent was set in a cave.
I used to be an avid spelunker. Back in 1997, I found myself stuck in a narrow passage of Capricorn Caverns on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. My friend Dave and I had signed up for the cavern’s guided “Adventure Tour,” eschewing the tourist visit for a more up-close-and-personal exploration of the limestone cave system. When we asked how long the tour would last, we were told, “It’s a three-hour tour.” Remember how Gilligan’s Island began? But our visit to Capricorn would become more a comedy of terrors.
When it comes to The Descent, however, forget comedy. It’s pure terror. As with my experience in Capricorn Caverns, the film begins innocuously enough. After a tragic personal loss the previous year, six women meet in the Appalachians for their annual adventure—this time, a descent into a remote mountain cave. Juno has planned this spelunking trip as therapy for her friend Sarah; sisters Sam and Rebecca, along with Holly and Beth, are more than happy to push the edge for Sarah’s sake.
Dire circumstances befall the group, however, when Sarah becomes wedged in a narrow crawlspace. As I did under similar conditions in Capricorn Caverns, Sarah panics. She begins to hyperventilate. Juno tries to calm Sarah, pointing out that a rational mind and shallow breathing will be the keys to freeing herself. This helps Sarah only marginally. She is determined to work herself loose, however, and the fear of being stuck forever overcomes the fear of being merely stuck. I know the feeling.
But when Juno manages to haul Sarah out of that crawlspace, their problems have only begun. The noise they make draws the attention of “the crawlers,” deadly beasts of prey adapted to hunting in the dark. Who will find their way out, and how?
In The Descent, Neil Marshall tells a grisly and claustrophobic tale of survival. Occasionally, Marshall’s low budget gets the better of this film, but by and large The Descent works remarkably well—both as a horror film, and as pure entertainment. Natalie Mendoza is particularly good as Juno, the group’s strongest leader, and Shauna Macdonald stunningly portrays Sarah’s journey from broken weakness to twisted heroism.
But one thing is for sure. This movie will not be everyone’s cup of tea. For some, the spelunking itself will be too intense. For others, the violence will be too graphic or distasteful.
For those who can get past the darkness and bleak ferocity of the story, however, there’s a powerful message lurking under the surface. Like Juno and her band of followers, we all sometimes bite off more than we can chew. We can easily get ourselves into trouble by venturing into places we don’t belong, by coming up against enemies we aren’t prepared to face (much less defeat).
What do we do then? The Descent presents the only option that often seems plausible: in order to defeat the enemy, we must become the enemy. From the depths of our humanity, we must summon the will to become inhuman. Witness Mai Lai in Vietnam. Witness Abu Ghraib.
But is that really the only option? Is the deck so stacked against us that other choices are simply off the table? If survival is the only objective, then maybe so.
But what if survival is not the only objective? What if we live with other priorities?
In the first chapter of his letter to the church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” Paul also found himself at the mercy of brutal enemies, more than once. His response? “I will continue to rejoice,
for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” Unlike Juno and company, Paul knew he could count on something other than himself for deliverance; and he knew that deliverance would not necessarily take the form of continued life.
“Christ will be exalted in my body,” Paul continued, “whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”
For Paul, the prospect of death was not a terror. It was merely the beginning of the next step of the adventure. Because of this, he knew that his survival was only worthwhile if it served God, and if it could be managed with integrity.
In The Descent, Sarah’s transformation is truly remarkable. But there is only descent, and no ascension. Survival is the only priority. She has forgotten, or never known of, Paul’s advice to the Philippians: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
I used to be an avid spelunker. Back in 1997, I found myself stuck in a narrow passage of Capricorn Caverns on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. My friend Dave and I had signed up for the cavern’s guided “Adventure Tour,” eschewing the tourist visit for a more up-close-and-personal exploration of the limestone cave system. When we asked how long the tour would last, we were told, “It’s a three-hour tour.” Remember how Gilligan’s Island began? But our visit to Capricorn would become more a comedy of terrors.
When it comes to The Descent, however, forget comedy. It’s pure terror. As with my experience in Capricorn Caverns, the film begins innocuously enough. After a tragic personal loss the previous year, six women meet in the Appalachians for their annual adventure—this time, a descent into a remote mountain cave. Juno has planned this spelunking trip as therapy for her friend Sarah; sisters Sam and Rebecca, along with Holly and Beth, are more than happy to push the edge for Sarah’s sake.
Dire circumstances befall the group, however, when Sarah becomes wedged in a narrow crawlspace. As I did under similar conditions in Capricorn Caverns, Sarah panics. She begins to hyperventilate. Juno tries to calm Sarah, pointing out that a rational mind and shallow breathing will be the keys to freeing herself. This helps Sarah only marginally. She is determined to work herself loose, however, and the fear of being stuck forever overcomes the fear of being merely stuck. I know the feeling.
But when Juno manages to haul Sarah out of that crawlspace, their problems have only begun. The noise they make draws the attention of “the crawlers,” deadly beasts of prey adapted to hunting in the dark. Who will find their way out, and how?
In The Descent, Neil Marshall tells a grisly and claustrophobic tale of survival. Occasionally, Marshall’s low budget gets the better of this film, but by and large The Descent works remarkably well—both as a horror film, and as pure entertainment. Natalie Mendoza is particularly good as Juno, the group’s strongest leader, and Shauna Macdonald stunningly portrays Sarah’s journey from broken weakness to twisted heroism.
But one thing is for sure. This movie will not be everyone’s cup of tea. For some, the spelunking itself will be too intense. For others, the violence will be too graphic or distasteful.
For those who can get past the darkness and bleak ferocity of the story, however, there’s a powerful message lurking under the surface. Like Juno and her band of followers, we all sometimes bite off more than we can chew. We can easily get ourselves into trouble by venturing into places we don’t belong, by coming up against enemies we aren’t prepared to face (much less defeat).
What do we do then? The Descent presents the only option that often seems plausible: in order to defeat the enemy, we must become the enemy. From the depths of our humanity, we must summon the will to become inhuman. Witness Mai Lai in Vietnam. Witness Abu Ghraib.
But is that really the only option? Is the deck so stacked against us that other choices are simply off the table? If survival is the only objective, then maybe so.
But what if survival is not the only objective? What if we live with other priorities?
In the first chapter of his letter to the church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” Paul also found himself at the mercy of brutal enemies, more than once. His response? “I will continue to rejoice,
for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” Unlike Juno and company, Paul knew he could count on something other than himself for deliverance; and he knew that deliverance would not necessarily take the form of continued life.
“Christ will be exalted in my body,” Paul continued, “whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”
For Paul, the prospect of death was not a terror. It was merely the beginning of the next step of the adventure. Because of this, he knew that his survival was only worthwhile if it served God, and if it could be managed with integrity.
In The Descent, Sarah’s transformation is truly remarkable. But there is only descent, and no ascension. Survival is the only priority. She has forgotten, or never known of, Paul’s advice to the Philippians: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
posted by Greg Wright at 3:31 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home