Demon (The Cave)

The Demon are a subterranean type of life form that appeared in the movie, "The Cave".

History

The creatures were first discovered in ancient times by Christian knights in a Romanian cavern system. Deep underground, they fought the demonic beasts but were unable to defeat them. The knights traveled to the end of the the cavern system into a chamber filled with flammable gases. They escaped through this hell-like area. After the surviving knights reached the surface they erected a Church to prevent the creatures from escaping and to warn future generations of the monsters that lay below.

Many years later, an American mercenary group enters the Church intending to gather some riches. However, an explosion set off by the bounty hunters causes them to fall in to the cave and destroys the church in the process. Many years later another group of explorers attempted to chart the cave system. After another explosion occurrs, the group is trapped within the cave and forced to fight off the demonic creatures that are present in the dark.

It is eventually discovered that the 'demons' depicted on the Church walls are humans, transformed by an insidious parasite present in all the animals in the underground ecosystem. The explorers are picked off one by one until they are led into the hellish region the knights themselves managed to escape through. The leader of the explorer expedition, infected by the parasite and transforming, manages to lead his comrades to safety at the expense of his own life. Only three people escape back to the surface. The cave's exit is blocked after the volatile gases are ignited and the chamber collapses.

Kathryn, the group's paleobiologist, speculates that the creatures are incapable of surviving on the surface due to their adaptations to live in the cave. However, at the end of movie, she herself is infected and escapes the cavern system, where she can evolve outside the cave.

Biology

The demonic beasts are actually the result of an infestation by subterranean parasites. Infection begins through a simple scratch and slowly changes the host. They gradually mutate their hosts into creatures that can survive in the dark underground cavern system.

Infected humans slowly develop keener senses and the ability to decipher, if not understand, the demon's motives. Early signs of the infection include the eyes turning black and paling of the skin. The latter stages of the transformation involve the complete loss of bodily hair and the development of a wet amphibious skin that enables the beasts to travel in the underground water system of the caves. The host also develops membranous wings under the arms and powerful teeth which add to the creature's demonic appearance. These wings allow them to fly from rock surface to rock surface - an excellent advantage over other humans or prey. The host's skull mutates enough for the brain to be visible. In the end, they develop an amazing ability to climb and tend to travel from the ceilings of the caves. Sharp rocks protruding from the roof can be used to spear food, or as weapons which they break off and then hurl to the ground, striking their intended prey.

The hosts also lose their eyes and develop a sonar-based method of navigation which is hindered by gases in the environment. While this is an advantage in locating prey in the pitch-black environment of the cave, it is also a disadvantage: strong sonic beams are painful to them.

It should be noted that despite their transformation into beasts, the creatures do retain part, if not all, of their intellect. They are capable of using advanced tactics to bring down prey and they enjoy 'hunting' as well as toying with their prey.

Other

A similar, if more human, creature is seen in the movie "The Descent".