Full Review

If the thought of being trapped in tight spaces makes you break out in a cold sweat, then "The Descent" (Lionsgate) is not for you.

Echoing elements of "Aliens" and "Deliverance," and superior to last year's schlocky similarly-themed "The Cave," the creepy atmospheric chiller from British director Neil Marshall involves six adventurous female friends -- including best buddies Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) and Beth (Alex Reid) -- whose thrill-seeking outing takes an ill-fated turn when they become entombed while exploring a maze of dark and dank tunnels deep beneath the Appalachian Mountains.

As if they need added motivation to find the nearest exit, the group falls prey to a vicious humanoid creatures -- the clammy cousins of Gollum from "Lord of the Rings" -- that have adapted to life down below.

Also, at the least opportune time, Sarah begins to suspect that Juno (Natalie Mendoza), the group's domineering wonder woman, may have been having an affair with her husband -- who died, along with Sarah's young daughter, in a horrific car crash at the beginning of the film -- putting another tangle in their girl-power battle for subterranean survival.

Lighted almost exclusively by flashlights and flares, what starts out as a highly effective horror film that conveys an unnerving, almost palpable, sense of claustrophobia and primal fear of being buried alive -- including a terrifying scene in a crawl space more frightening than any of those with the pasty predators -- becomes a routine monster flick, as Marshall increasingly indulges in easy jolts and grisly excess.

The film contains gratuitous bloody violence and gore, a mercy killing, a gruesome car accident, much rough and crude language. The USSCB Office for Film & Broadcasting is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

The following movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The classifications are as follows:

• A-I -- general patronage;
• A-II -- adults and adolescents;
• A-III -- adults;
• A-IV**
• L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
• O -- morally offensive.