The Descent (2005)

Six friends squeeze through a gap in the rock barely wider than their shoulders, and if you’re claustrophobic you can stop reading here. Neil Marshall builds the first half on pure pressure: headlamps, flares, glow sticks, the sound of rock settling and a crawl so tight it’ll make your chest hurt. It’s so scary before anything shows up that the creatures almost feel like a step down. They’re pale, blind and fast, and they turn a smart survival story into a chase. Shauna Macdonald is great as Sarah, a woman carrying a fresh grief into the dark, and Natalie Mendoza’s Juno is the most interesting person in the group, a leader whose confidence is part of the problem. The weakness: a couple of the friends blur together, and the late stretch trades dread for jump scares. It made $57.2 million worldwide. A 7.9 because the cave alone is scarier than most movie monsters, and the ending sticks with you. $2.37 says you check the batteries in your flashlight before bed tonight.

What works: The claustrophobic first half is masterful, and the tension between Sarah and Juno gives the horror real emotional stakes.

What doesn’t: Several of the friends are barely sketched, and once the creatures arrive the film swaps its slow dread for a string of jump scares.

Who it’s for: Horror fans who want genuine tension over cheap tricks, as long as they’re fine watching people squeeze through very small spaces.