Deep space is a popular destination whenever the horror genre wants to leave solid ground and enter the great unknown. Yet in the 2005 movie The Cave, the unnerving openness of outer space has been replaced with the sort of growing claustrophobia that can be likened to waking up inside a coffin. Being trapped in near or total darkness naturally leads to the imagination running wild. In this instance, though, what you think may lurk in the dark is real—and very hungry.
Caving, or spelunking, is not a universal hobby. So for those who do have the urge to crawl around inside of caves, they go about it seriously. Hence, that team of experts found in director Bruce Hunt’s movie. As opposed to those who mistakenly wandered into their subterranean nightmare, these characters chose to explore the vast cave system beneath an old abbey that dates back to the thirteenth century. Up until some Cold War-era looters stepped foot inside—and then never left—it stood mostly intact.
There is a long history of churches building themselves inside of natural caves and other rock formations. Security was one reason for this practice, but as The Cave brings up, sometimes these places were built “as a display of God’s protective power”. Caves were seen as hellmouths in desperate need of plugging up. Putting down a place of worship was then the best way to stave off any potential scourges from the underworld.
That unique method for keeping evil at bay turns out to be true in The Cave, seeing as how the movie’s spelunkers encounter a colony of monsters down there in the dark. These are anything but mere creatures that exist only to feed; on top of devouring the intruders, they use them to increase their numbers. Before anyone cringes at the prospect of interspecies breeding, the expansion I speak of here is more along the lines of zombism. One scratch from these cave-dwelling abominations (who were portrayed by Brian Steele), and you’re bound to become a lifetime member of their club.
It would be remiss of me not to bring up The Descent. It and The Cave are a glowing example of “twin films”; their plots are eerily similar, and Neil Marshall’s movie premiered in the U.S. two weeks before The Cave did. So although their on-paper parallels were enough to make audiences feel some déjà vu back then, their executions are quite different. And just because The Descent is the standard by which all below-ground horror is now measured, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for others. Especially one as well made as The Cave.
The Descent pulled the rug out beneath audiences by having its monsters (a.k.a. the Crawlers) come out of nowhere. Whereas in this movie, the creatures are known from the start. Those aforementioned looters gave us a preview of these nocturnal demons before the present-day cast got up close and personal with them. What happened to the plunderers after their falling into the cavern, and before they mutated, would have made for a viable prequel. Nonetheless, the one movie we did get is a treat for those of us who don’t always want their monsters to be mysterious.
The Cave is largely driven by its plot, as opposed to the characters. That’s not to say there isn’t a little something brimming beneath the surface; the main character of this group, Eddie Cibrian’s Tyler, has a thorny relationship with his brother Jack (Cole Hauser). A certain level of distrust fuels that rift between siblings and business partners. Meanwhile, their peers, namely the other athletic members of this expedition, can’t ever seem to ditch their competitive streaks, even as danger approaches.
What happens when you put a bunch of stubborn thrill-seekers in a bad situation? According to The Cave, nothing good. Save for Tyler, as well as scientists Kathryn and Alex (Lena Heady and Daniel Dae Kim), erring on the side of caution is really no one’s strong suit. Luckily, that recklessness keeps the action high and the boredom low. The movie being PG-13 does prevent any major blood loss on screen, but that rating also doesn’t rule out violence. The monster-on-human carnage is plentiful, if not noticeably inhibited. You just have to use your imagination a bit more whenever a creature claims its victim.
It’s only fitting that there would be an emphasis on setting; the titular location is easily the real star of this movie. Out of all the things that get criticized, that mazelike cavern shouldn’t be one of them. The Dante’s Inferno-esque environment, which was designed by Pier Luigi Basile, gives the movie some teeth, as well as a sense of wonder. Yes, all its studio-built constructions are enhanced by digital effects, but the care and work are also undeniable. Your admiration for the production values and visuals during key scenes, such as Piper Perabo’s rock-climbing clash with a suddenly triphibian monster, is understandable.
Even if The Descent had never existed, critics very likely would have still hated The Cave. The low innovation, in terms of story and characters, was more offensive than its resemblance to a then-recent release. In my own biased defense of the movie, though, it’s overly, not to mention bitterly, hated.
Admittedly, the quality of the script doesn’t match the movie’s craftsmanship. Not in the slightest. Yet if all you crave is a well-produced, stylized creature-feature that boasts an easy-on-the-eyes cast and some underrated monsters, then you’re in luck. Once you realize what you’re in for, The Cave is a hell of a lot more enjoyable.
