
The Descent
James Marriott(Author)
Auteur Publishing
Published on 20. August 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
119 pages
978-1-906733-71-1 (ISBN)
Description
The story of an all-female caving expedition gone horribly wrong, The Descent (2005) is arguably the best of the mid-2000s horror entries to return verve and intensity to the genre. Unlike its peers (Saw [2004], Hostel [2011], etc.), The Descent was both commercially and critically popular, providing a genuine version of what other films could only produce as pastiche. For Mark Kermode, writing in the Observer, it was "one of the best British horror films of recent years," and Derek Elley in Variety described it as "an object lesson in making a tightly-budgeted, no-star horror pic." Time Out's critic praised "this fiercely entertaining British horror movie;" while Rolling Stone's Peter Travers warned prospective viewers to "prepare to be scared senseless." Emphasizing female characters and camaraderie, The Descent is an ideal springboard for discussing underexplored horror themes: the genre's engagement with the lure of the archaic; the idea of birth as the foundational human trauma and its implications for horror film criticism; and the use of provisional worldviews, or "rubber realities," in horror.
Reviews / Votes
Excellent. * Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Liverpool University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Adult education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
20 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 191 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-906733-71-1 (9781906733711)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
James Marriott is the author of the Virgin Film Guide to Horror Films and coauthor, with Kim Newman, of Horror! 333 Films to Scare You to Death.
Content
Foreword
Introduction
The Descent
The Shock of the Old
Going Underground
One Million Years BC
Return to the Source
Chicks with Picks
Nightmares in a Damaged Brain
Family
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
The Descent
The Shock of the Old
Going Underground
One Million Years BC
Return to the Source
Chicks with Picks
Nightmares in a Damaged Brain
Family
Conclusion
Bibliography