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The Descent

Play trailer Poster for The Descent R Released Aug 4, 2006 1h 39m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 187 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: Underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.
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The Descent

The Descent

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Critics Consensus

Deft direction and strong performances from its all-female cast guide The Descent, a riveting, claustrophobic horror film.

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Critics Reviews

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Alyx Vesey Bitch Media While I think we should question the authority of the ubiquitous male writer-director to shape horror productions, I think Marshall does a good job representing his female characters. Jan 7, 2021 Full Review Sarah Lilleyman TIME Magazine Marshall could very well be the Caravaggio of the B-movie. Oct 15, 2008 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader This intermittently effective UK horror thriller carefully establishes the psychological relationships among the women, then squanders this calibrated and generally plausible setup with a series of crude, implausible, and scattershot horror effects. Sep 24, 2007 Full Review Akos Peterbencze The Screen In Neil Marshall’s 2005 horror masterpiece, darkness emerges as a living organism. It shifts and lurks and claws its way into our nerves, under our skin, and eventually, inside our heads. Oct 31, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... a film stripped to bloody basics, a ferocious and taut exercise in action horror that recalls early James Cameron, with more gore and less sentimentality. Aug 19, 2023 Full Review Stephanie Archer Film Inquiry The Descent falls into a long line of horrors preying on the visceral fears of audiences, cleverly bringing these terrors to the surface in a film that is at times hard to watch and experience. Jul 29, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Caroline L One of the best horror films i've seen (and i've seen a LOT). Great acting, great directing, a soundtrack that support all play/action. A very acute reading of the human psychee. It's one of the few movies that are a "must-see in dark" to enhance the experience and event if one isn't claustrophobic upon watching it, one will definitely be by the end of the film. The open end was of course the best indicator of an eventual sequel but it is first and foremost what gives this film its salt. What happens at the ending is your guess/will and while this often is used as a lazy (and often lousy) way out it is not the case here. Years later, this is still one of my top horror films and if you haven't seen it yet, brace yourself and watch it lights off. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/31/24 Full Review Thoki and Nathan M Immaculate acting and claustrophobicly terrifying. One of the best horror movies ever made. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/24 Full Review Sarah G I really appreciated the first quarter of this movie, which I think was executed beautifully. However, I think the last 3/4ths would have been even better with a different direction. The monster you don't see is worse than the one you can. Take advantage of the cave setting!! I don't even want to talk about the last 15 minutes. Severe lack of organization and thought there. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review Craig B This is truly one of the creepiest movies you will ever see. Fantastic all female cast, a terrific storyline and so many atmospheric and terrifying scenes. A must watch for fans of creature-centric horror.... and don't forget the equally riveting sequel. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/26/24 Full Review Emmanuel L I don't understand the ratting of this movie... Ok it's not "bad" but seriously, these classic and originally absurd creatures didn't help me get into it. The idea of ​​the 6 adventurous women was good at first but their emotional construction is very caricatured. The main character goes from "broken by life" to total badass in less than 5 minutes The sets are clean but limited, there was a way to offer a more impressive supporting environment and finally it remained on a classic ground without scope. Without blowing the budget there was a way to make a film with more scope and depth. In the end the existing opinions seem unfounded to me or the film has aged very badly Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review Terry H Descent is one of the last great thriller movies. The director relied on more than just jump scares to make it suspenseful, the acting was overall good, and the premise was inherintly creepy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Descent

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Cast & Crew

The Descent

The Descent: Official Clip - Sudden Death The Descent: Official Clip - Sudden Death 2:02 The Descent: Official Clip - Words of Warning The Descent: Official Clip - Words of Warning 2:18 The Descent: Official Clip - The Creature Looks Human The Descent: Official Clip - The Creature Looks Human 2:46 The Descent: Official Clip - Blood Bath The Descent: Official Clip - Blood Bath 2:28 The Descent: Official Clip - Holly's Death The Descent: Official Clip - Holly's Death 2:10 The Descent: Official Clip - Fighting Back The Descent: Official Clip - Fighting Back 2:13 The Descent: Official Clip - A Rock and a Hard Place The Descent: Official Clip - A Rock and a Hard Place 2:15 The Descent: Official Clip - If We Stay Here, We'll Die The Descent: Official Clip - If We Stay Here, We'll Die 2:01 The Descent: Official Clip - Juno's Descent The Descent: Official Clip - Juno's Descent 2:13 The Descent: Official Clip - The Killing Floor The Descent: Official Clip - The Killing Floor 2:08 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: Underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.
Director
Neil Marshall
Producer
Christian Colson
Screenwriter
Neil Marshall
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Production Co
Celador Productions
Rating
R (Strong Violence and Gore|Language)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 4, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.0M
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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