"The Descent"
Directed by Neil Marshall, "The Descent" is a British horror film about several women who go caving in North Carolina and (shocker!) get trapped underground. What I liked about this movie is that the first part of the film takes time to establish at least some character development, so that by the time the women are in peril, it's not like they're killing off "Sorority girl #4" and "the annoying prick who had it coming." Okay, so there is one slightly annoying, reckless, seeming lesbian who had to encounter her fate early. You can pretty much always tell who is going to get killed off first in a horror movie. But what's different here is that the group is entirely female, and they're pretty hardcore. For the first part of the movie, all the tension comes from the women just getting lost in an uncharted cave system and having to find their way out. Then creepy cave-dwelling monsters show up, who look like Gollum's cousins. The monsters here, called the Crawlers, are decently frightening. For being underground in the darkness, you actually see a whole lot of them. Any horror fan can write the ending from here, women get separated and killed off in nasty ways like being eaten alive while hopelessly searching for a way out. But because of some care in characterization, there's some interesting morality questions raised when some dark secrets are revealed regarding one woman's late husband's indiscretions. The women aren't sure they can trust each other anymore and we all know the saying, "live together, die alone." Apparently the film was aired in the US with a slightly altered ending, but I watched the original ending on the DVD. I don't like where the US version left off, because it leads you to believe that maybe one woman did survive but will be haunted by hallucinations of the woman she abandoned. The original ending is much more depressing but also much more satisfying as an ending. It also makes more sense, in my opinion. Grade: A- (Plenty of scares, disturbing monsters, non-cliche characters, could have benefited from a little more character drama and a little less slasher flick chasing and killing. I love that the DVD includes outtakes, which clashes so perfectly with the tone of the film)
"Slither" 
Starring Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks, this is one of the better horror-comedies I've seen. It's an homage to B-movies; it's like something you'd watch on Syfy channel at 2 in the afternoon on a Sunday. But that's not a bad thing, as the movie is intentionally funny and gross at the same time. It plays like a zombie movie, but it's really an alien invasion film. Extraterrestrial worms come to Earth and begin crawling their way into people's brains, taking over a small Southern town. Fillion is great as the sheriff who has to be a hero when he's one of the last uninfected people around. I never understood how he didn't become a bigger star than he is. He's got leading man appeal and is also a great comedic actor. Banks is a fun presence as well. This movie actually does have "the annoying prick who had it coming" in Gregg Henry, the town mayor, who plays sleazy dirtbags really well (To me, he'll always be that smug Mitchum Huntzberger from "Gilmore Girls.") After the misery of "The Descent," this movie was a delightful surprise. I was afraid it would devolve into a "Snakes on a Plane" scenario, where the entire movie is just a slideshow of all the gross, painful ways someone could be killed off by slithering creatures. But, thankfully, it doesn't get lost that way and you end up with an entertaining movie that would be perfect for a Halloween movie night.
Starring Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks, this is one of the better horror-comedies I've seen. It's an homage to B-movies; it's like something you'd watch on Syfy channel at 2 in the afternoon on a Sunday. But that's not a bad thing, as the movie is intentionally funny and gross at the same time. It plays like a zombie movie, but it's really an alien invasion film. Extraterrestrial worms come to Earth and begin crawling their way into people's brains, taking over a small Southern town. Fillion is great as the sheriff who has to be a hero when he's one of the last uninfected people around. I never understood how he didn't become a bigger star than he is. He's got leading man appeal and is also a great comedic actor. Banks is a fun presence as well. This movie actually does have "the annoying prick who had it coming" in Gregg Henry, the town mayor, who plays sleazy dirtbags really well (To me, he'll always be that smug Mitchum Huntzberger from "Gilmore Girls.") After the misery of "The Descent," this movie was a delightful surprise. I was afraid it would devolve into a "Snakes on a Plane" scenario, where the entire movie is just a slideshow of all the gross, painful ways someone could be killed off by slithering creatures. But, thankfully, it doesn't get lost that way and you end up with an entertaining movie that would be perfect for a Halloween movie night. Grade: A (Genuinely gross, genuinely funny, and genuinely scary at times, it's got all you could ask for in a horror-comedy. Don't go in expecting "Shaun of the Dead," but don't take it too seriously and you'll enjoy yourself)
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