The Descent

Six women, an uncharted cave system in the Appalachians, and a group dynamic already poisoned before anything goes wrong.

The first hour has no monster and does not need one. Sarah's husband and daughter died in the opening minutes, Juno slept with the husband, everybody knows, nobody says it, and Juno has lied about which cave they are entering. By the time the crawlers appear the group is finished.

Neil Marshall built the caves as sets at Pinewood rather than shooting underground, which is why the geography reads clearly and why it is unbearable if you dislike enclosed spaces. The crawlers are actors in makeup, lit by flares and a camcorder screen.

The British and American cuts end differently. The US distributor removed the final ninety seconds, which turns a film about grief and guilt into a film about a woman escaping a cave.

Watch the UK version. It is not a matter of preference.