The unexpected brilliance of Neil Marshall’s The Descent meant that it’d always be a hard act to follow come sequel day. But that original film’s editor, Jon Harris, has proven himself worthy of the task in this, his feature debut.

The movie takes up where the first one left off, with sole survivor Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) emerging blood-soaked and hysterical from the caves where she and her friends had been potholing.

Flagging down a passing truck, she’s carted off to hospital where her diagnosis of amnesia arouses the suspicion of local sheriff Vaines (Gavan O’Herlihy). He drags the traumatised victim back to where she escaped from and, with a rescue team, sets out to find the missing mates he assumes she’s killed. However, as they descend, it soon becomes apparent that Sarah’s not the villain of the piece.

Normally, a film with four scriptwriters (which include Harris and Eden Lake director James Watkins) would set alarm bells ringing. But it doesn’t matter how many scribes tinker with the plot if what appears on screen works cohesively – which it certainly does thanks to Harris’s skilful execution.

Taking a pointer from Marshall’s previous outing, he generates some of the flick’s fear factor through the claustrophobic setting. Yet rather than replicate his predecessor’s modus operandi entirely, Harris stamps his own mark on the project by going down the explosive, in-your-face horror route.

So this time, the monsters – known simply as ‘the crawlers’ – get more screen time to tear out throats. They’ve also had a hideous slimy makeover.

With a scenario set in the confines of a close-fit tunnel, the actors need to be extremely convincing. Thankfully Macdonald transforms from quaking casualty into the same kind of creature-bashing babe that Sigourney Weaver became in the Alien franchise.

 In fact, the only slight demerit against Harris’s compact chill ride is the occasional burst of dreadful dialogue, such as, “What are these things – Death?” But maybe these moment are intended as light relief.

While The Descent: Part 2 isn’t the type of horror film that makes you sleep with the lights on, it’s frighteningly cool entertainment – and guaranteed to put you off potholing for life.

Bily Chainsaw