DESCRIBED by some as the most significant Brit chiller since 28 Days Later, this film fails to live up to expectations, giving plenty of blood and gore but missing out the horror.

The tale is fairly simple - six women on a caving trip who get trapped underground and are then forced to face a race of hungry monsters who are adapted to live in the dark, while trying to escape and also deal with their petty problems with each other.

The film takes a long, long time to get going, and by the time we have got to the so-called horror part, it seems suddenly to be over.

The monsters themselves are scary enough, but the chill factor essential to successful horror movies is never there.

There are a few subplots that could be interesting if developed but are never fully explained, leaving plenty of unanswered questions and serving to weaken rather than strengthen the plot.

Scenes that are obviously meant to be monumental seem contrived and rather reminiscent of other films.

And our heroines are annoying from the start, developing into unbelievable by the end of the film.

To be fair to The Descent, it does have its moments and in parts is quite tension-filled, with a few good hide-behind-your-hand moments.

But it could and should have been - bearing in mind it is directed by Neil Marshall, who took the credit for Dog Soldiers - much better than it was.

ECB