“I have to see that movie again. I can’t stop thinking about it .. it ruled.”- Ben K
“Serious suspense! You could feel the claustrophobia!”
– Mary A
“Sometimes I burp up gorditas hours after I’ve been to Taco Bell.”
– Sean T. Conrad
I will never spelunk again, even if invited by five hot girls from various parts of Europe. Created by Scotsman Neil Marshall, The Descent starts at claustrophobia and cycles through all the fears, spending lots of time on the “getting-your-face-bitten-off-obia.”
Filled with homage to other films, The Descent gets the horror formula just right. The action and terror slowly build as the girls loose more clothing. My palms sweated clutched napkins and I rethought my adventure hobbies. Ironically, the small cavern spaces impact more on the large screen. For some excellent horrific catharsis, see it in a theater near you.
…
That bit was exactly 100 words, minus Ben’s quote. I had to use a lot of hyphens to cheat, but whatever. What I didn’t go into in that review was all the specific homages in the film Tons! According to an interview with Neil Marshall, that was all intended. Below is a list.
WARNING! MOVIE SPOILERS AHEAD!
First Blood – When Sarah lights the torch and crawls through the cave, it’s very similar to Rambo escaping the mine.
Blair Witch Project – The infrared video camera shots and the intentional forgetting of the map both say BW.
Predator – So many allusions to Predator. The noise the crawlers make is identical to the Predator. The conquistador helmet that Sarah finds harkens to the one the Predator pulled out of his trophy bag. When the crawler can’t see the sisters huddled against the wall or when Scar puts his hand on Sarah are both similar to the Predator walking past the mud-covered Arnold. And then when the blood coverered, ripped Sarah stands with the torch and screams to the crawlers (and Juno!) that it’s killing time–I saw Arnold covered in mud with the fire calling out that it’s Predator season-no limit!
Carrie – Any hot blonde with her hair slicked down with blood tips the hat to Stephen King’s masterpiece.
Army of Darkness When Sarah fights the mother crawler in the sludge pool, it’s identical to Bruce Cambell taking on the sirens in the well.
Aliens – The scene in the end where Juno is shown surrounded by monsters and you know she’s about to check out shows the crawlers swarming like at the end of Aliens.
Lord of the Rings – The crawlers crawl and bite like orcs.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula – They have white noseless faces and pointed ears like the vampires in that movie.
There are tons more. Send them to me and I’ll add them to the list.
…
Site of the Day: Nothing about Pluto’s demotion. That cold jerk had it coming. Maybe the other planets will take the hint and begin to toe the line. I’m looking at you, Uranus! Instead, read about the guy who is running 50 marathons in 50 days.
“I have to see that movie again. I can’t stop thinking about it .. it ruled.”
– Ben K
“Serious suspense! You could feel the claustrophobia!”
– Mary A
“Sometimes I burp up gorditas hours after I’ve been to Taco Bell.”
– Sean T. Conrad
I will never spelunk again, even if invited by five hot girls from various parts of Europe. Created by Scotsman Neil Marshall, The Descent starts at claustrophobia and cycles through all the fears, spending lots of time on the “getting-your-face-bitten-off-obia.”
Filled with homage to other films, The Descent gets the horror formula just right. The action and terror slowly build as the girls loose more clothing. My palms sweated clutched napkins and I rethought my adventure hobbies. Ironically, the small cavern spaces impact more on the large screen. For some excellent horrific catharsis, see it in a theater near you.
…
That bit was exactly 100 words, minus Ben’s quote. I had to use a lot of hyphens to cheat, but whatever. What I didn’t go into in that review was all the specific homages in the film Tons! According to an interview with Neil Marshall, that was all intended. Below is a list.
WARNING! MOVIE SPOILERS AHEAD!
First Blood – When Sarah lights the torch and crawls through the cave, it’s very similar to Rambo escaping the mine.
Blair Witch Project – The infrared video camera shots and the intentional forgetting of the map both say BW.
Predator – So many allusions to Predator. The noise the crawlers make is identical to the Predator. The conquistador helmet that Sarah finds harkens to the one the Predator pulled out of his trophy bag. When the crawler can’t see the sisters huddled against the wall or when Scar puts his hand on Sarah are both similar to the Predator walking past the mud-covered Arnold. And then when the blood coverered, ripped Sarah stands with the torch and screams to the crawlers (and Juno!) that it’s killing time–I saw Arnold covered in mud with the fire calling out that it’s Predator season-no limit!
Carrie – Any hot blonde with her hair slicked down with blood tips the hat to Stephen King’s masterpiece.
Army of Darkness When Sarah fights the mother crawler in the sludge pool, it’s identical to Bruce Cambell taking on the sirens in the well.
Aliens – The scene in the end where Juno is shown surrounded by monsters and you know she’s about to check out shows the crawlers swarming like at the end of Aliens.
Lord of the Rings – The crawlers crawl and bite like orcs.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula – They have white noseless faces and pointed ears like the vampires in that movie.
There are tons more. Send them to me and I’ll add them to the list.
…
Site of the Day: Nothing about Pluto’s demotion. That cold jerk had it coming. Maybe the other planets will take the hint and begin to toe the line. I’m looking at you, Uranus! Instead, read about the guy who is running 50 marathons in 50 days.
I love the natural history museums, so I stopped by the big on on The Mall when I was in DC. I’m not sure why, but skeletons are fascinating. Maybe it plucks the same chord that made me want to take all my toys apart as a kid.
