The Descent

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The Descent

R

2006

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

189 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

01/07/2021

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.

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Sarah Lilleyman

TIME Magazine

10/15/2008

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

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

09/24/2007

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.

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Marcelo Paredes

Cinencuentro

Feb 20

The Descent stands as a great horror film worth revisiting. It's a profoundly sensory work, the experience of which is significantly enhanced under optimal viewing conditions...[Full review in Spanish]

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Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

Feb 17

4.5/5

An unbearably tense, constantly surprising and visually inventive experience, which concludes in a depressing but appropriate way (thankfully, here it's arriving with the original British ending). [Full review in Spanish].

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23

10/10

This is a fantastic horror movie that hits a lot of different beats of horror. It deals out claustrophobia, dread, jump scares, interpersonal drama, all while passing the Bechdel test. A rare accomplishment in any horror film.

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Taylor

Oct 12

The Descent scares from the first to last scene. Claustrophobic and nauseating in the best way.

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James K

@Jamesdkman 4d

This movie is pretty good, but the back end of the film gets a bit dumb. The premise of this film is pretty decent, the acting is really good, and it does a good job of pulling you in. When the scary parts come about, it gets wild, but in a really good way. The later portions of the film goes from a very intense horror flick, bleak in nature like that of 40 days of night, to a G.I. Jane concept where these girls suddenly appear OP. This transition is very jarring, and it's not done in any convincing fashion, nor is this sudden heroism earned. There's no established back story to indicate these ladies can kick ass like such, nor does the fighting appear desperate in nature; they're just mauling through these monsters. It really feels like another movie when this back half starts, and this tonal inconsistency removes the horror element entirely. The Descent is at its best when it's operating as a horror, and that aspect of the film makes it decent enough to see.

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Jennifer B.

@JennyRae527 5d

Best movie! Obsessed. Love the actors! Makes me never wanna go spelunking! I was totally going to be a spelunker until I saw this movie. Now I read at home with my cat.

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Wendel L

@BRZRKR Feb 9

Direção: Bom Atuação: Bom Roteiro: Ok Caracterização: Bom Soundtrack: Ok

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Jim Q.

@JimQuecc Feb 1

Starts out strong but quickly ends up turning into a hack and slash where the main characters are able to just kill the monsters with their bare hands. To the point that it feels like the characters are more of a threat than the monsters chasing them.

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Shaun R

@Shaun666 Jan 26

A claustrophobic classic, spoilt by a stupid sequel that should never have been made. This is a great film.

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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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