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The Descent
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The Descent (2005)

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Reviews Counted:164

Fresh:138

Rotten:26

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.

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

Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genre: Horror

Theatrical Release: Aug 4, 2006 Wide

Box Office: $26.0M

Synopsis: In a remote mountain range, six girlfriends meet for their yearly adventure, a caving trip into the arteries of the earth. The group makes their way... In a remote mountain range, six girlfriends meet for their yearly adventure, a caving trip into the arteries of the earth. The group makes their way through the remote cave system, enjoying the hazardous but beautiful surroundings. Then, deep inside the cave, disaster strikes when their route back to the surface is blocked by a rock fall. When they learn that Juno, always pushing herself that little bit further, has brought them to an unexplored cave, and that no one is coming to rescue them, the group starts to splinter. Left with no other option, they push on through the cave, praying for another exit. The women battle through this harsh underground world, pitting their strength and determination against each new challenge. Unbeknownst to them, there is something else lurking under the earth, a race of monstrous creatures hidden from the light, evolved to live perfectly in the dark. As the friends realize they have become prey, they are forced to unleash their most primal instincts to face the creatures. As old wounds break open and loyalties disintegrate, the women realize the horrible truth-they have most to fear from one another. [More]

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

Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring, Oliver Milburn, Molly Kayll, Leslie Simpson, Justin Hackney, Craig Conway, Steve Lamb, Sophie Trott, Catherine Dyson, Tristan Matthiae, Mark Cronfield, Julie Ellis, Stuart Luis

Director: Neil Marshall

Director: Neil Marshall
Screenwriter: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Studio: Lionsgate

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REVIEWS FOR THE DESCENT

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1 - 20 of 168 (sorted by date)
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Director Marshall has obviously kept his DVD player spinning for days studying all of the classics and simply taking everything he needed like a Vanilla Ice "Under Pressure"

Full Review Source: Kinetofilm | comment Comment
Jan 31, 2010
Brian Holcomb
Brian Holcomb
Kinetofilm

Blank screamers, fastidiously amplified "boos," and the most confused intimations of lesbianism since High Tension

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
Aug 30, 2009
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
Apr 23, 2009
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

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

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
Oct 15, 2008
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
Aug 7, 2008
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
Jul 14, 2008
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 1 Comment
Jun 17, 2008
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
Nov 19, 2007
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: Film4 | comment Comment
Sep 24, 2007
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Film4

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 3 Comments
Sep 24, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Cave done right.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
Aug 25, 2007
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

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

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 2 Comments
Jul 30, 2007
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
Jul 14, 2007
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
Jun 2, 2007
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com | comment Comment
May 19, 2007
Bullz-Eye.com

Offered powerful enough performances to keep me engaged throughout.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
May 18, 2007
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
May 14, 2007
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

This is an accessible art house horror film.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
May 14, 2007
Jeremy Knox
Jeremy Knox
Film Threat

A nifty little horror item.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
Mar 1, 2007
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
Feb 3, 2007
Uri Lessing
Uri Lessing
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 of 168 (sorted by date)
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LATEST NEWS FOR THE DESCENT

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