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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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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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In a genre where misogyny runs as a matter of course, 'The Descent' is a true rarity: a feminist horror film. It's Ida Lupino kicking Brian De Palma right in the junk.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
08/10/06
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

...whatever qualities have made horror fans embrace The Descent are lost on me.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment 1 Comment
08/10/06
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

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

As The Descent draws to its close, or rather shreiks to a halt, you may well admire how many thematic reads the movie has kept in play.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
08/09/06
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Marshall may not have made the deep-dish horror flick he perhaps thought he was, but he has managed to pull off a splattery last act that's all anyone could hope for.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
08/09/06
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Marshall guides his game cast through their paces and it's refreshing to see a group of women as heroines

Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/09/06
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Murphy's Movie Reviews

For my money, (The Descent) is one of the most overrated and poorly realized spook shows in a very long time.

Full Review Source: DVD Verdict | comment Comment
08/08/06
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
DVD Verdict

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

At its most powerful (and evil), it lets viewers feel like they're being buried alive.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
08/08/06
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

No one really ENJOYS nausea. But for those of you who brag that a horror movie is "so scary that it made me sick," here is "The Descent," a grownups-only gorefest that is bound to have you cringing and jumping out of your seat at least once.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
08/08/06
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

A mindless, tense fright-fest

Full Review Source: Modamag.com | comment Comment
08/08/06
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
Modamag.com

Often-terrifying, often-brilliant.

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

[A] superior brand of monster movie, and Marshall's claustrophobic caves are worth catching in a dark movie theater rather than on DVD.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
08/08/06
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

This film, unlike Hostel or Saw, has a gross-out factor that's actually fun.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
08/08/06
Paul Salfen
Paul Salfen
Supercala.com

In America, the only reason six girlfriends would enter a cave would be to find reliable day care.

Full Review Source: MovieJuice! | comment Comment
08/07/06
Mark Ramsey
Mark Ramsey
MovieJuice!

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)

And I thought it was men who never ask for directions.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
08/07/06
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Symbolizes a return to horror-movie basics.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
08/07/06
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly

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

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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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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