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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 critic A-Z)
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Let's just call it a chick flick for people who like a high body count.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment 1 Comment
12/03/06
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

See this movie, it’s terrific with high tension all the way through. Just don’t go spelunking.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
08/13/06
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

It's brutal, bloody and brilliantly entertaining.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
08/19/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

The Descent is very simply the scariest film I've seen in years.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
04/27/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Far too gory for any but the very strongest of stomachs, this is nonetheless intelligent and well constructed horror fare.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
07/10/05
Scott Andrews
Scott Andrews
FilmFocus

Grabs at the jugular and doesn’t let go until the last gory frame.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
08/04/06
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

It's 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.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
08/03/06
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Unsettling and claustrophobic, as the lost women squirm through the damp tunnels of the virgin cave in re-enacted birth traumas punctuated by Sarah's visions of her dead daughter.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
08/07/06
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

For horror fans and those who love things that go bump in the night, this is one not to miss.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
08/01/06
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[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

This dark labyrinth of trauma, treachery and troglodytes sets terrifying traps for the mind.

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
07/13/05
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

A clever blend of psychological thrills and stalked-by-monster terror is what makes writer-director Neil Marshall's sophomore effort a cut above most horror films.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/06
Kelly Borgeson
Kelly Borgeson
Premiere Magazine

One of the most physically demanding and dramatically rewarding examples of the genre since Saw.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
07/18/06
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

The Descent is so expertly made that it more than holds its own as a full-throttle horror flick, yet it's Marshall's decision to provide it with a psychological bent that puts it firmly over the top.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
08/09/06
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

An exercise in pure craftsmanship, this is one lean, mean, blood-curdling thriller -- maybe the best of its scrappy breed since The Blair Witch Project.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment Comment
08/08/06
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

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

A lean, mean genre exercise for those who prefer their horror full-blooded.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
08/04/06
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

a gripping journey into madness

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
08/06/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Often-terrifying, often-brilliant.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
08/08/06
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

On the surface, the film is competent ... but where The Descent triumphs are in the little details.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
08/06/06
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies
 
 
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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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