31 horror films you need to watch this October

The Descent

The Plot

A group of six women set out into the mountains of North Carolina for a day of spelunking in a remote cave system. But after a cave-in cuts off their exit and their leader admits that this is not, in fact, the cave they brought maps for, it becomes a race against their dwindling provisions and limited light sources to try and find another way out—and from deep underground, something else stalks them in the darkness.

The Breakdown

The Descent is a fantastic horror-thriller. Brutal, visceral action sequences are action sequences just bloody enough to make you cringe without going totally overboard. It’s hard to believe they didn’t film any of it inside an actual cave; the sets all look so real you’ll never doubt it for a second. The dark claustrophobia of the cave system is used to great effect, with every unexplored corner and shadow holding the possibility for some new danger. On top of being ripped apart by Crawlers, the characters have just as much to fear from fatal falls down bottomless chasms, thousands of tons of rock above them which could come crashing down at any moment, and the permanent and inscrutable darkness that will close in on them the moment their artificial lights go out.

But honestly, the best part of this movie is the characters. It has the distinction of being a horror movie with pretty much an all-female cast; the characters are rich, diverse, engaging—and most importantly, I didn’t want any single one of them to die. Unfortunately, it’s not that kind of movie.

The Scare Factor

Being trapped in an unfamiliar cave system with limited supplies and no sure way of escaping would be terrifying enough. The addition of the strange creatures stalking them turns The Descent’s tension up to eleven. Overall, definitely one that will have you white-knuckling the popcorn bowl.