A fast, jolting setup.. character introductions & conversations that felt quite natural.. fantastically well-done caving.. nasty monsters and nasty things happening.. and a brilliant ending.
You need anything else? How about six good unknown actresses who feel like individual characters without any one being over the top. How about some devilishly good scares underground, with camera pans and lighting reveals that DON'T just turn out to be a cat or a loud noise. How about great gore without noticeable CGI. How about feral monsters that are just plain scary (not indestructible or supernatural, but like a very scary wild animal). How about really effective tension generated through the danger and claustrophobia of caving, before we even get to the nastiness.
Sure, we know who's going to be left at the end of the film from about 90 seconds into the film (because of the characters), but it's not a problem - and the ending still delivers in spades. There's only one moment where I had to laugh at something that was 'over-the-top'. Script-wise I don't recall a single line out place, and not one "come and get me, MF" or "We're gonna need a bigger boat" sort of cliché.
Although its no-nonsense British charm means that it does stand apart from classics like "TCM" or "The Thing", it IS up to the same quality, and is undoubtedly one of the finest horror films ever. Bravo.
You need anything else? How about six good unknown actresses who feel like individual characters without any one being over the top. How about some devilishly good scares underground, with camera pans and lighting reveals that DON'T just turn out to be a cat or a loud noise. How about great gore without noticeable CGI. How about feral monsters that are just plain scary (not indestructible or supernatural, but like a very scary wild animal). How about really effective tension generated through the danger and claustrophobia of caving, before we even get to the nastiness.
Sure, we know who's going to be left at the end of the film from about 90 seconds into the film (because of the characters), but it's not a problem - and the ending still delivers in spades. There's only one moment where I had to laugh at something that was 'over-the-top'. Script-wise I don't recall a single line out place, and not one "come and get me, MF" or "We're gonna need a bigger boat" sort of cliché.
Although its no-nonsense British charm means that it does stand apart from classics like "TCM" or "The Thing", it IS up to the same quality, and is undoubtedly one of the finest horror films ever. Bravo.