The Cavern

DVD review It's all done with hardly any trace of finesse or affection for the clichés of the format, writes Ella Stimson.

Hastily retitled to capitalise on the brief popularity of caving-themed horror films, <i>The Cavern</i> is nonetheless a pointlessly unpleasant watch.

Originally called WIthIN, The Cavern was hastily retitled to capitalise on the brief popularity of caving-themed horror films. Unfortunately, the invited comparison with 2005's The Descent does it no favours at all. Here the action takes place in the Kyzyl Kum Desert in Kazakhstan, where a group of cavers discover an unexplored cave system. The expedition goes predictably wrong, with torch batteries draining, entrances closed off, and guides chewed in half by a mysterious predator. The cavers turn on each other as they try to find their way back to the surface while they are picked off one by one. It's all done with hardly any trace of finesse or affection for the clichés of the format. The special effects are gory but unconvincing, and the subplot (the expedition leader blames himself for the death of his wife, who drowned during a previous expedition) is tacked on and lacklustre. Osunsanmi can't seem to come up with a more effective way of conveying terror than having characters scream at each other shrilly, so much so that it comes as a relief whenever the monster returns to shut another one of them up. The final scene stands out for being deeply and pointlessly unpleasant, and, even more horribly, hints at the possibility of a sequel.
@email:[e-mail]