The Cave

Sam and Sarah Nesmith, struggling to save their marriage after the death of their daughter, arrive at their new home in a beautiful but deserted part of Andalucía; a cave house built into the side of a hill. Estate agent Rodney Tebbutt tells them about their new home, including about climbing on the roof to get a phone signal. While Sam is in town, Sarah spots a fire in the desert. She finds a dead man in a car wreck and, wondering in the hot sun, a young American called Dennis. She takes him back to the cave. But Sam doesn‘t fully believe Dennis’s story about the accident and goes to investigate. Before he does he stops at the house of Manuel, his young Spanish helper, and asks him to go and guard Sarah. An exhausted Dennis goes to sleep. Sarah is inquisitive about his bag. When Sam gets to the accident he finds the victim was shot and the car set alight. He starts racing home. Sarah finds Dennis’s bag is packed with parcels of drugs and a gun. Manuel turns up on his bike, waking Dennis. Dennis sees Sarah at his open case. He grabs the gun and shoots Manual dead. Sam drives recklessly on the rough desert road, hits a rock and the car upends. Sarah escapes into the cave and hides in a ‘mushroom hole’, concealed in the back room Tebbutt showed them. Dennis fails to find her but knows she is trapped in the cave. He taunts her. Meanwhile Sam comes around and is trapped in the car, his leg busted. He patches himself up and starts the long, painful trek home. Dennis gets progressively drunk. Eventually, exhausted and drunk, he falls asleep. Sarah climbs out of her hole and ties him up before he wakes. She imprisons him the cave’s wine cellar. Sam is struggling through the desert. Sarah goes on the roof to call police, but can’t get a signal. She turns on the overhead courtyard light in the darkness. Dennis escapes his gaol and grabs her. Sam collapses and is about to give up but sees the courtyard light. He is close. It urges him to get up and go on. Dennis has Sarah tied and starts getting sexual. She goes along with it but when his guard is down she attacks him and escapes into the night. Sam is outside the cave and attacks Dennis but Dennis overpowers him and forces Sarah into coming out of hiding. Dennis ties Sam up and he goes to rape Sarah. A drunk Tebbutt arrives. Dennis kills him. Sarah uses Tebbutt’s knife to stab Dennis. Dennis escapes in Tebbutt’s car. Sarah climbs up on the roof to call the police. Dennis drives the jeep through the front of the cave. Sarah almost falls to her death. Dennis is torturing Sam as he scrambles into the cave. Sarah retrieves Manuel’s ancient rifle and shoots Dennis.