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The Descent

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The Descent (2006)

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Reviews Counted:159

Fresh:134

Rotten:25

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: Deft direction and strong performances from its all-female cast guide The Descent, a riveting, claustrophobic horror film. In this low-budget import from Scotland, director Neil Marshall has masterfully created a spelunking nightmare, which doubles as a compelling meditation on morality, vengeance, and the depths to which we might go for survival.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violence/gore and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Aug 4, 2006 Wide

Box Office: $26,005,908

Synopsis: THE DESCENT is Neil Marshall’s hotly anticipated follow up to his 2002 hit DOG SOLDIERS. Directed by Marshall from his own script, it tells the story of an all-female caving expedition that goes... THE DESCENT is Neil Marshall’s hotly anticipated follow up to his 2002 hit DOG SOLDIERS. Directed by Marshall from his own script, it tells the story of an all-female caving expedition that goes horribly wrong, and stars Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone and Myanna Buring. Set in a cave system deep in the Appalachian Mountains, Marshall describes his film as ‘DELIVERANCE goes underground’. On a daredevil caving holiday, six women friends are unexpectedly trapped underground when a rock fall blocks their exit. Searching the maze of tunnels for a way out, they find themselves hunted by a race of fearless, hungry predators, once humanoid but now monstrously adapted to live in the dark… As the others battle for their lives, Sarah (Macdonald), still recovering from a mental collapse brought on by the recent deaths of her family, is fighting for her sanity. When old secrets are revealed, the friends turn on one another, causing the group to implode. Betrayed and desperate, Sarah realizes that to make it back to the surface, she must become as savage as the creatures themselves. THE DESCENT was filmed on location in Scotland and at Pinewood Studios from December 2004 to February 2005, and was fully financed and produced by Celador Films. Celador’s Paul Smith is executive producer and Christian Colson is producer. The film reunites Marshall with DOG SOLDIERS’ director of photography, Sam McCurdy, and production designer, Simon Bowles. Celador’s previous credits include the Oscar-nominated DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. THE DESCENT movie has already had a hugely successful release both critically and commercially in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. In September, 2005 the film took the top competition prize -- the Méliès d’Argent -- for Euro feature at Lund International Fantastic Film Festival in Sweden, and in November, Neil Marshall won Best Director and the film Best Technical Achievement (for the Editing) at the British Independent Films Awards (BIFA's) (THE DESCENT was nominated for Best Film). It has also been nominated for Best British Film, Best British Director and Best British Producer by the London Film Critics Circle (the winners are announced in February), an unheard of achievement for a genre piece. --© Lionsgate Films [More]

Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring, Oliver Milburn, Molly Kayll

Director: Neil Marshall

Director: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Screenwriter: Neil Marshall
Composer: David Julyan
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Release:

Dec 26, 2006

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Reviews for The Descent

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Blank screamers, fastidiously amplified "boos," and the most confused intimations of lesbianism since High Tension

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/30/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Marshall could very well be the Caravaggio of the B-movie.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/15/08
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s nasty, unpleasant and sadistic but brutally efficient and undeniably effective.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

[Writer-director Neil] Marshall makes real movies, not just schlockfests designed to sate the lusts of gore-lovers (although there is plenty of gore, too).

Full Review Source: Cinefantastique | comment Comment
07/14/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
Cinefantastique

Where the film exceeds 'Dog Soldiers' is toward the end, as Sarah comes to grips with what it will take to survive her ordeal and gets in touch with her feral side.

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
06/17/08
Lucius Gore
Lucius Gore
ESplatter

Six sexy spelunkers in an underground fright fest make for keen and claustrophobic cinema.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
11/19/07
David N. Butterworth
David N. Butterworth
rec.arts.movies.reviews
N/R

There are inconsistencies and frustrating ambiguities, but this is another reliable, vigorous horror experience for genre fans.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
09/24/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Cave done right.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
08/25/07
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Once it gets going, it shakes you and keeps shaking you.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
07/30/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

The Descent may not be a classic, but it's likely to remain with you for a while.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment 1 Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

It is to the film-maker's credit that these scenes are filled with real tension and edge-of-your-seat moments.

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
06/02/07
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

Offered powerful enough performances to keep me engaged throughout.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
05/18/07
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

With beautiful direction, a plausible plot, effective but downplayed creature effects, and top notch acting, The Descent takes a tired concept and actually adds a sense of distinction.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/14/07
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

This is an accessible art house horror film.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/14/07
Jeremy Knox
Jeremy Knox
Film Threat

A nifty little horror item.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

The violence of "The Descent" is brutal, but the smart psychology and multilayered screenplay provide the true satisfaction.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/03/07
Uri Lessing
Uri Lessing
eFilmCritic.com

Benefiting from well-concealed reveals, shocking developments, truly unnerving antagonists, taut editing and a hair-raising score, this neverending nightmare is easily the best horror flick of 2006.

Full Review Source: Upstage Magazine | comment Comment
01/04/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Upstage Magazine

Swing on the spirals, down into the darkness. The Descent will leave you exhausted and screaming for more.

Full Review Source: Dread Central | comment Comment
12/20/06
Uncle Creepy
Uncle Creepy
Dread Central
 
 
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Latest News for The Descent

June 12, 2009: Neil Marshall in Talks for New Predator? Opens in new window
According to Bloody Disgusting, you'll never guess who's in talks to direct the new "Predator" movie...unless you guess Neil Marshall ("The Descent"). More...

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Does a new collection of webisodes hosted on MySpace and featuring tabloid teen favourites Jamie Dornan and Lois Winstone constitute a revival of the Hammer Horror film? Not so,... More...

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The Doomsday director runs RT through the movies that inspired his cyber-punk vision of a dodgy future. More...

April 03, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Clooney Suits Up For Football Fun
George Clooney, the Mayor McCheese of Hollywood, leaves behind Oscar season and returns to the big screen with lighter fare with the period sports comedy Leatherheads. More...

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