Shauna Macdonald

In The Descent (2005), Shauna Macdonald holds our attention even when the caves threaten to overwhelm the people inside them. Her Sarah is easy to care about, which is a substantial achievement in a horror film so good at making confined spaces frightening. We were frightened for her because she remained a particular woman to us, not simply someone waiting to be hurt. Neil Marshall's control of light and tension works better because Macdonald gives us that reason to worry.

She is helped by an ensemble whose characters are not equally well written. Natalie Mendoza makes Juno difficult to trust, while Alex Reid's Beth helps the women seem like people who knew one another before the film began. Macdonald and Mendoza are the strongest presences, and the difference between our responses to them keeps the group interesting. There are women here who need sharper characterisation; we would not pretend the performances fix that. Macdonald does, however, make the film's attention to Sarah feel justified.

Spooks (2003–2004), in which she played Sam Buxton, brought early recognition, but Sarah established her as a horror lead. Returning to the role in The Descent: Part 2 (2009) strengthened that association, and Howl (2015), Nails (2017) and White Chamber (2018) followed. The injured protagonist of Nails is another physically demanding part, asking for endurance as well as emotional intensity. It is a recognisable line of work, though her television roles have continued across spy drama, period pieces and contemporary comedy.

The danger in such casting is that physical punishment becomes the only thing anyone notices about the performance. What we value in Sarah is the concern Macdonald earns for her; the cave setting and brutality would be less involving without it. We would welcome more parts that ask for that emotional hold without requiring quite so much suffering. Start with The Descent, provided its brutality is something you can stomach.