n The Descent, a low-budget horror flick full of tough girls and creepy thrills, director Neil Marshall creates a setting that feels both cavernous and claustrophobic. In this follow-up to his 2002 debut Dog Soldiers, the twist in this horror-ama is that there's no testosterone to be found, giving the whole package a shot of adrenaline.

Marshall knows how to get your attention. Just minutes into The Descent, in a moment of claustrophobic terror, a young girl trapped between a body of rock, is told to relax because “the worst thing that can happen to you has already happened”.

Meet Sarah (Shauna MacDonald), she's the default heroine, as she's lost her husband and daughter in a nasty car crash early on in the film. A year later, her friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) persuades her to go on another trip as part of her therapy, an expedition in the caves of the Appalachian Mountains.

So off they go, with Juno (the gung ho leader), who has a few secrets of her own, daredevil base-jumper Holly (Nora Jane Noone), Scandinavian half-sisters Rebecca and Sam (Saskia Mulder and MyAnna Buring) and Sarah's English teacher friend Beth (Alex Reid).