The Descent

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The Descent

R

Released Aug 4, 2006

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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Critics Consensus

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

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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

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James B

The descent is a brilliant film that has great tension and scares and a twist ending you won't believe.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

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Audience Member

More funny than scary. [sleeping in bed emoji]

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

Full Review

Bryan C

so well done. Great tension build and ending

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/28/25

Full Review

Me a

one of my favorite horror-thrillers of all time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

Miranda S

This movie is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. The creatures in the caves are horrifying and the setting really makes it seem like you are inside of a cave; freaturing small, enclosed spaces. It is also pretty gory and overall creepy. Definitely recommend to horror movie fans.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

Hayden C

I am now officially scared of the dark. It starts off with a bang with the two deaths and immediately I knew I regretted watching this. There was no light besides for the light coming from their flashlights. It was a pure claustrophobic nightmare that made me jump multiple times. Bloody and creepy, I can never unsee that.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/09/25

Full Review

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Neil Marshall

Director

Shauna Macdonald

Sarah

Natalie Mendoza

Juno

Alex Reid

Beth

Saskia Mulder

Rebecca

Nora Jane Noone

Holly

The Descent: Official Clip - Sudden Death

2:02

The Descent: Official Clip - Words of Warning

2:18

The Descent: Official Clip - The Creature Looks Human

2:46

The Descent: Official Clip - Blood Bath

2:28

The Descent: Official Clip - Holly's Death

2:10

The Descent: Official Clip - Fighting Back

2:13

The Descent: Official Clip - A Rock and a Hard Place

2:15

The Descent: Official Clip - If We Stay Here, We'll Die

2:01

The Descent: Official Clip - Juno's Descent

2:13

The Descent: Official Clip - The Killing Floor

2:08

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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, Lionsgate Television
Rating: R (Strong Violence and Gore|Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Adventure
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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