I am so tired of horror remakes and re-hashed urban legends. Just when a began to give up all hope in horror films for the new generation, along comes a truly original and frightening movie.

The Descent shows that women can do more in a horror film than be naked and trip at inopportune times. We get to watch a group of young, thrill-seeking women who pass time by rock climbing, white-water rafting, and cave diving. Obviously, a simple serial killer or some mythical spirit won’t scare them any. Instead, they put up the fight of their lives while trying not to get ripped apart by God-knows-what inside some huge cave in the middle of God-knows-where. That pretty much sums up the plot. From the first five minutes to the last five minutes, I was sucked in.

If you’re looking for suspense, it doesn’t get much more suspenseful than this. 85% of the movie takes place in a dark cavern where the only colors we experience are the green hue of their glow sticks, the limited view of their flashlights, and red for all the blood. There is a lot of blood. A lot. You will be on the edge of your seat, grabbing the arm of the nearest person, anticipating what could possibly be around the next corner or wondering what else will happen to them next. You think it can’t get any worse, but it does. You think there’s no way she can die, then she dies. You wonder if they’ll ever escape, then hope they don’t so you can see more gore. The only moving you’re body will do during the duration of this film is frequent jumping and the occasional covering of the eyes. I’m speaking for the male viewers, of course. I can only assume the female viewers will do the same. It is that thrilling.