Brilliantly Claustrophobic: Dr Lucy Fife Donaldson discusses The Descent
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Descent at Dundead Halloween
Part of Dundead Halloween, we're excited to be screening a new 4K restoration of claustrophobic horror The Descent in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
And we're delighted that the screening will be introduced by Dr Lucy Fife Donaldson, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at University of St Andrews. Ahead of the screening, we caught up with her to chat about the film and what makes it one to watch on the big screen.
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Hi Lucy, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a senior lecturer in the Film Studies department at the University of St Andrews. My teaching and research focuses on the sensory qualities of film, how we experience film worlds as richly material environments and in particular the important contributions of the filmmaking team who shape them through the details of setting, sound, costume, make-up and so on.
Horror films are especially sensory in their evocation of atmosphere, compelling depictions of bodies onscreen and appeal to our bodies, making us jump or squirm, which is why I love them. I’ve been watching horror films through my fingers since childhood. I also make video essays (including this one which features The Descent).
I’ve been watching horror films through my fingers since childhood.
The Descent turns 20 this year, what's your history with the film and why do you think it still resonates today?
I saw the film when it was first released, just before I started a PhD about horror films, and I still vividly remember the experience of watching it in the cinema - shrinking in my seat as the characters made their way into the caves (let alone anything more horrific!).
It came out at a fairly low point in mainstream horror, which is part of the reason it stood out at the time, but it still works because it taps into some really fundamental fears. That and because it focuses on a group of tough women, which is always a thrill.
Our screening is a preview of the film's new 4K restoration - what will people get out of seeing it on the big screen?
It’s a really beautiful film! The work of cinematographer Sam McCurdy in lighting the underground spaces is visually captivating, as well as unnerving. The film also makes great use of scale, which comes across really well on a big screen, with brilliantly claustrophobic moments counterpointed by a dramatic sense of the characters’ precarity as they are miniaturised by their surroundings.
Plus, it’s always better to watch a horror film at the cinema with an audience, especially the Dundead audience!
It’s always better to watch a horror film at the cinema with an audience, especially the Dundead audience!
Do you have any other horror recommendations for fans of The Descent?
There are lots of other horror films about what happens when you go into the woods and stray from the path - a couple of recent versions of that I would recommend are Cuckoo (2024) and Significant Other (2022).
If you want more horror films about groups of women, though it’s a totally different vibe, I’d recommend Blink Twice (2024), which didn’t get enough attention on its original release and is really smart (if very disturbing).
Thanks Lucy! Don't miss The Descent on the big screen on Fri 17 October. And make sure to check out what other screenings we have coming up this Halloween.
