Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) emerges from the Appalachian Mountain’s cave system alone following the epically disastrous expedition with her five female pals. Distraught, confused and covered in the blood of others, it’s not really surprising that the poor Scot is crazed with fear (this isn’t even taking into account that she’s already lost her kids and husband). There’s a slightly convenient plot whereby the local sheriff is so suspicious of Sarah’s account of events that she’s is forced back into the caves to explain what really happened. If you’d been through what she’d experienced, you’d probably prefer to rot in a US jail than face that fate, but off they go to the mountains for the biggest ‘I told you so’ of their lives.
Although there’s plenty of B-movie style gore, the real terror comes from the sense of claustrophobia (created at Ealing Studios, so a long way from the location portrayed) and new director Jon Harris (editor of the original) is just as bold as the original’s Neil Marshall when it comes to veering off the ‘safe’ path, literally and metaphorically. Not one for the faint hearted.