The Cavern

A virtual carbon copy of The Cave save for a fewer lower budget effects and a slightly different plot. I knew the movie was going downhill when I saw the fake campfire flikering lights clearly reflected in a facial close up of one of the actors. The conflicts between characters and subplots seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever, and added nothing to the film except fewer moments of silence. The acting wasn't as bad as the typical B movie, and there was some believability in their fear, but as professional cavers, they seem to be too psychologically unstable for their chosen profession. Overall not worth wasting $4.50 to rent.

There seems to have been some money behind this film, but it would be impossible to imagine a film this badly planned and executed if I hadn't actually started watching it.

To begin with, once we are in the cavern with the characters (the usual young adult stereotypes we've been meeting in horror films since the early '80s), the film is shot almost entirely in close-up. Since the actors are wearing helmet lights, this means all we see are glaring lights alternating with utter darkness - we never get to see what the characters see; so when they shout out "Look there!" we are left to beg "What?! Where?!". Ultimately the film has a nauseating, confusing strobe-light effect, with no sense to it until we get to the end.

And I won't tell you what 'the end' means - but you will recognize it if you've ever seen the old early '60s Arch Hall laugh fest"Eegah!" with Richard Kiel.

But what crazy person would ever want to make a variation on a theme like "Eegah!"'s, long remembered as one of the worst films ever made?! But that's what we have here, folks. Except that, unlike "Eegah!", "The Cavern" is not anyone's idea of goofy fun. It is unwatchable. (I ran it at x2 the normal speed, just to get it over with, hoping I would actually be able to see something by the end of the film; but when I did, it was just stupid.) This film did provide me with one satisfying moment, though; since it only cost a couple bucks, after I got it out of the DVD player, I was able to smash it with my own hands - what a relief!

My first post at the IMDb has to (unfortunately) be to warn others not to waste their time with The Cavern! There is no story, no character development, no scares, and no good lighting. It doesn't make any sense. If you enjoy bad acting, people running through small portions of caves, bouncing cameras posed at bad angles, and people screaming while the screen is in complete darkness, you'll love this movie. I could shut the lights off in my house and scream too, and I wouldn't have to pay for the rental. The only thing that scared me was that someone actually made a movie this awful.

... one of the worst movies I've ever rented.

WIthIN, released in Australia as "The Cavern", is for all intents and purposes a very cheap remake of "The Cave". The film borrows elements from a number of genre films; most noticeably "Blair Witch" and "Aliens", yet the similarities with "The Cave" remain overwhelming. WIthIN really should be a complete waste of time. However, despite its many failings, the film is surprisingly entertaining and possesses one of the better "shock" endings in recent memory.

I'm not sure which film came first, "The Cave" or "The Cavern", but they are ridiculously similar. In the former a caving expedition explores an ancient cave in Romania, while in the latter, cavers explore an old cave in Kazakhstan. In both films, the cavers are picked off, one at a time, by evil creatures. I enjoyed "The Cave" as stupid entertainment, mainly due to the stunning photography and impressive stunt work. And yet strangely, it is the absence of these qualities that gives WIthIN its sense of menace. The glossy stunt work in "The Cave", while spectacular to watch, has the effect of distancing the viewer. The caving action in WIthIN is less impressive but, as a result, more realistic.

"The Cavern" gains momentum as the film progresses. At first, I feared I was not only watching a zero budget re-imagining of "The Cave" but also the work of rabid "Blair Witch" fan. The first person perspective camera work, the resulting blurred images and the emphasis on strange noises all seemed very familiar. Thankfully, these annoying devices give way to an emphasis on more traditional gore. The violence is mostly implied but it is effective. If the script was less ridiculous and the actors somewhat more competent, the film could have been quite disturbing as the director definitely has a gift for creating a sense of suspense and claustrophobia.

The main reason to watch "The Cavern" is the ending, which is far more sinister and interesting that the main body of the film. The brutality of the finale took me by surprise, given the rather meek nature of the violence that pervades the rest of the film. The final revelation actually makes no sense at all given the circumstances surrounding the cavers' deaths earlier in the film. However, I was willing to overlook that small detail due to the gloriously exploitative turn of events. If the entire movie had been similar in tone, it would have packed a far heftier punch. As it is, WIthIN is a curious low budget horror film that shows glimpses of a director with some potential.

The Cavern: 2 out of 10: Blair Witch meets The Cave and gives me a headache.

I have something to ask all film schools, could you please teach future directors how to hold a camera steady. Flailing the camera around like Aunt Betty with 12 drinks is headache inducing.

Also film is primarily a visual medium directors may want to point their camera's in the general direction of the action. Film also requires light to work. Perhaps a light source should be employed so one can see the action on the screen. I know it is a cave movie but there is absolutely nothing frightening about watching pitch blackness for minutes at a time.

For that matter showing the film upside down doesn't indicate confusion on screen it indicates confusion in the editing booth.

A last note to the director I'm sure there was a good reason to have a horribly fake CGI campfire. I honestly can't for the life of me think of one.

Now on to the screenwriter. Try to make at least one character likable. I'd prefer two or more but one decent person I can root for or care about might help. Also if you are going to have flashbacks make them relevant to the story.

If you are going to have a surprise ending it is probably best if it doesn't contradict every single thing that comes before it. And try adding some fancy spelunking terms to a cave movie. You might have wanted to start with spelunking.

The Cavern is a pretty bad film, poorly shot with a confusing, improbable and anticlimactic ending.