October 9th, 2015 
James Shotwell 
Of all the holidays celebrated worldwide, no single day is loved by the UTG staff more than Halloween. With October’s arrival, the time has finally come to begin rolling out a slew of features and special announcements we have prepared in celebration of our favorite day.
Now in its fourth year, 31 Days Of Halloween is a recurring feature that will run throughout the month of October. The goal of this column is to supply every UTG reader with a daily horror (or Halloween-themed) movie recommendation that is guaranteed to amplify your All Hallows’ Eve festivities. We’ll be watching every film the day it’s featured, and we hope you’ll follow along at home.
This year, the entire 31 Days series is dedicated to the memory of our friend, Justin Proper. We wouldn’t have a film department without him, and he specifically helped pioneer our involvement in the horror genre. Rest in peace, JP.
Day 9: The Descent (2005)
There are a lot of places I am willing to go in this world, but the one place you will never convince me to travel is underground. That is, until the day someone lowers my coffin, and to be honest I’m not even sold on that idea just yet. I simply have no desire to be conscious and below the surface of the Earth. Why? It’s not that I dislike spelunking, or at least I didn’t for a good portion of my life. I spent several years of my youth exploring caverns on tours and scouting trips, but all that changed when I encountered a film that shook me to my core (and it continues to do so to this day).
The Descent is a story rooted in reality, but with a wicked second act surprise that is familiar, yet exhilarating all the same. The film centers on a group of friends who embark on an annual outing together only to find themselves lost in a strange and potentially inhabited cave following a surprise earthquake. Left with no other option, the friends plunge deeper into the bowels of an unfamiliar mountain, and one by one they begin to fall victim to the creatures that dwell in the darkness.
So what, right? Cave monsters don’t seem all that scary to people who never spend time in caves, but when you see The Descent you realize there is something far more sinister afoot than creatures who go bump in the dark. The Descent is a relentless game of cat and mouse that begins long before you or the characters even realize what’s happening, and when you do become aware of the ever-present danger it’s already too late. It’s not about losing or finding hope. It’s about survival, plain and simple, and there is something about that angle that touches on something that is a universal component of the human experience.
Every horror subgenre has its own quintessential tale of terror. Every water based film is compared to Jaws, every zombie film is compared to Night Of The Living Dead, and every tale of toys come to life is compared to Child’s Play. These iconic titles are considered the best of the best, and they often inspire multiple generations of filmmakers, not to mention scare generations of genre fans. As far as cave horror is concerned there is nothing better than The Descent. Hell, I’m convinced it’s one of, if not the best horror film made since 2000. Don’t miss out.
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This made me so happy to see you write about this movie. I’ve always thought that this never got the recognition it deserved in both the horror genre and just as a movie in general. I went to see this the summer it came out about 3 times. It’s orginality and emotions that it produces while watching are truly remarkable.