In Darkness We Fall (Spain: La cueva), 2014.
Directed by Alfredo Montero.
Starring Marta Castellote, Xoel Fernández, Eva García-Vacas, Marcos Ortiz and Jorge Páez.
SYNOPSIS:
Five friends go unannounced on a vacation. Soon they discover a cave entrance, which they decide to explore.
This simple but sufficiently scary Spanish horror (known as La cueva in Spain – The Cave) tells the story of group of friends heading off on a break together to blow off some steam. With mixed reasons for the get away (break-ups, debauchery, escaping the norm), the five-strong team head off to a remote coastal part of the Spanish peninsula, camping gear, alcohol and the like in tow.
Carlos (Xoel Fernandez) is adamant in chronicling the entire trip for his adventure blog, as they drink into the night on a cliff top, perform daring dives into lagoons or catch his fellow explorers “in the act”. Soon enough, their exploration leads to a remote cave, which while looking treacherous will certainly add some more spice to their trip. “This would be a great story for a movie” our cameraman jokes playfully. Boy, would it.
While the idea of yet another found footage film would fill many with dread, In Darkness We Fall is a prime example of what can be positively achieved in the sub-genre. Many have tried and failed to match the combination of terror and realism that made The Blair Witch Project such an astounding success, whether it’s because the subject matters doesn’t lend itself to the style, while some have given up the ghost half way through under the sheer weight of creating situations in that style. But director Alfredo Montero has done the very smart thing in not only utilising the found footage gimmick in a legitimate way (blog videos), but also found a situation that would be best served by it.
There is a real terror level throughout In Darkness… that starts the moment we enter the cave with our intrepid explorers. You feel every inch of the black hell-hole that encapsulates them, with its murky caverns and its low ceilings that get narrower and narrower the more they explore, mutating into a dark labyrinth of never-ending holes and slim passageways that lead inexorably round and round in a never ending circle of blinding nothingness. And as the walls get smaller, the tension rises, each friend losing hope quicker than the last as the realisation of impending doom, and death, looms large. Think The Descent without any monster nonsense.
With the scares constant and sharp but always human, the group of actors entrusted with the difficult task of navigating through both the cave and the story perform wonders. Across the board there are superb performances, each with their own nuances as to how they react to the situation: one retains hope while another becomes more aggressive almost instantly, and everything in between. In addition, the hellish conditions they face as both actors and humans take their toll, but every element only adds to the realism and sheer dread that has taken hold of them and won’t let go.
There are some minor quibbles (mainly with the conclusion of the film, but to speak of it here would ruin the overall impact), as well as the unoriginality that comes with yet another found footage film, but by and large In Darkness We Fall is a breath of fresh air to both the genre and sub-genres. Tense, taut and genuinely terrifying, this is undoubtedly one of the surprises of the year.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★
Scott Davis
Originally published September 24, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
