Textual analysis of The Descent Directed by Neil Marshall August 4, 2006 Lisa Fodder
Synopsis: A woman goes on vacation with her friends after her husband and daughter encounter a tragic accident. One year later she goes hiking with her friends and they get trapped in the cave. With a lack of supply, they struggle to survive and they meet strange blood thirsty creatures.
The Descent is a Psychological with a bit of Slasher in it. The Descent fits these genres because the unstable women characters. The Slasher because of the murders of the women.
Characters The women in The Descent are all victims of the creatures.
The unlikely hero is the vulnerable women who has just lost her husband and daughter. The villains are the creatures (crawlers) that start killing the friends on by one.
Character codes seen in The Descent The characters in the film fit the Horror genre because there is a unlikely hero – the women who has lost her family in a car accident but makes it through the film to the end. This makes her another of the conventions, the final girl. The sex appeal character was also the most annoying character who everyone wanted to die first. The young girl who has all the experience and more, gives all the girls a run for their money. However, she gets injured and becomes more vulnerable to attack. This in mind she is also the first to die.
Location codes seen in The Descent The locations of The Descent are in caves and a cabin in the woods. The cabin in the woods is a convention in its self because it is in the middle of no-where. Meaning it has no phone reception if they needed help. No supply shop near by if they haven't got enough to get through the stay.
The cave is also a convention because of the small enclosed spaces which gives the feel of claustrophobia.
Sound in The Descent The sound in The Descent is mostly all diegetic. The diegetic sound includes, the struggling to get through the caves, the chains on the cave tools, the falling of the rocks and the voices.
Other diegetic sounds are the sounds that the creatures make, these are done to create effect on the viewer. The non-diegetic sound is the low rumbling all the way the film.
Camera work in The Descent At the start of the film a lot of long shots are used to show the surroundings that the characters are in. As the film goes on the shots become more personal and close-ups are used more regularly when the girls get to the cabin. As they entre the cave the close-ups and extreme closeups cant be helped as they are in a confined space. This also makes it hard to move for the camera making it feel more like you are in the film.
The film uses a range of dutch, high and low angles to show the the different people and there statuses in the group, the dutch angles are to used to introduce the creatures (crawlers).