Viper Squad Ten

[ Thursday, July 28, 2005 ]

The Descent
Stuart [13:39] Comments: 3 []
 
I'm not very good at all that serious stuff. Well, I am, but prefer to save my views for close friends in pubs after 6 or 7 pints, rather than inflict cyberspace (note use of word CYBER, follwoing conversation on Sunday) with them.

So instead I am going to say that I saw the Descent last night and it was, if you like such things, an almost perfect example of the 6 or 7 people being picked off by beasties horror genre. It had some very unexpected shocks, which the director (he of the good but not as good as this Dog Soldiers) worked very well by messing with the pace of the film - often teh shcoks in horror films can almost be measured by metranome (I'm beginning to lose any idea of what I'm talking about here) - you have nice bit, build up, build up, scare, cathartic laughter post-scare, on repeat. The other way to do it is nice bit, build up, build up, expected scare moment, no scare, audience relaxes, THEN scare, then even more cathartic laughter post-scare.

Anyway, he obviously does all that, but kinda more sustainedly when you don't expect it, or less when you do (right I really have no idea now).

We're not talking horror that stays with you for days, but we are talking a serious amount of raised heart rates.

Look, suffice to say: 6 adventure-minded women go caving. The caves are dark and narrow and scary in themselves. BUT they are not alone down there... What's not to like? Add to that a seriously 18-certificate amount of gruesomeness, brutality and gore, and anyone who likes this sort of thing should be down to their local cinema like a shot.

It was ALMOST as scary as sizing up the various other people in the audience, in the middle of Leicester Square, with a plethora of different shaped and sized enormous bags and rucksacks.

3 Comment(s):

Comment by Blogger Starbuck, at July 28, 2005 6:16 pm  :

Hah, yes, very good review Mr S - though was the film as shocking as some of your mis-types, he says smarmily ;-)

Note to non-VSX-editorial-staff - the conversation about the word "cyber" was had in a church - yes a CHURCH - of all places, and was about the Cybermen in Doctor Who - how when the writers dreamt up the name "Cyberman" it must've sounded well futuristic but nowadays it would sound incredibly naff without the weight of nostalgia behind it.

Incidentally, in the church some play-group kids had to act out various "incarnations" of Jesus for the congregation to guess. "Jesus the Carpenter", "Jesus the Teacher", "Jesus the Shepherd", oh, and "Jesus the Shark"! How I giggled. But I digress.

Yep, the film sounds just my cup of tea. I don't think I'll have much luck getting Mrs Powersuge to see it, however. I wanted to take her to see Bombon El Perro" at the cinema this week. Unfortunately she didn't like the look of the nice doggie in it so we didn't go (which is just as well as she might've ran out - nearly happened in Shaun Of The Dead as well...)

I'll just have to go see it on my own I think. Mucho scareness ahoy!

Comment by Anonymous Anonymous, at July 29, 2005 1:24 pm  :

I'm dying to see Fantastic Four.

Funny you should mention cyber as I heard the cybermen are returning in the next series of Dr Who.

Now...how cool is that-t.

Comment by Blogger Starbuck, at July 29, 2005 8:05 pm  :

As long as they don't reincarnate Adric. The git.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to W*lly W*nker & The Fudge Factory.

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