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Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone ... see more see more... , 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

A group of close female friends on a yearly adventure vacation find themselves trapped and hunted in a series of caves by an unknown force that lurks in the shadows in The Descent, the second horror f... read more read more...eature from Dog Soldiers writer/director Neil Marshall. After suffering a devastating car crash one year before, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) is lured to the States with her friend Beth (Alex Reid) to a special spelunking trip by the fearless Juno (Natalie Mendoza), who abruptly fled from the U.K. after Sarah's accident. Along with two old friends and a new acquaintance of Juno's, the group embark on a cave expedition that takes a turn for the worse after a rock fall leaves them stranded in an uncharted cave with no map and only a handful of supplies to last them the rest of the trip. As tensions arise in the group, they are faced with another danger -- one whose love of the dark is as strong as its lust for blood. Opening to rave reviews in the U.K. in July of 2005, the creature-feature went on to show at the Venice Film Festival and garnered the top prize for Euro feature at Sweden's Fantastic Film Festival. The Descent was picked up for future U.S. distribution by Lion's Gate, whose work was cut out for them considering the tame opening of the similarly-themed stateside production of The Cave in late-August of the same year. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

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71% liked it

183,706 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

165 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Neil Marshall, Alex Reid, Neill Marshall, Craig Conway, Leslie Simpson, Molly Kayll, MyAnna Buring, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Nora-Jane Noone, Oliver Milburn, Saskia Mulder, Shauna MacDonald

Release Date: August 4, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 26, 2006

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Stats: 15,112 reviews

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The Descent The Descent the descent the descent poster The Descent The Descent Natalie Jackson Mendoza The Descent (2005) All the girls of The Descent Shauna MacDonald *gasps* air! woooo! Natalie Jackson Mendoza The Descent Shauna MacDonald The Descent Juno and Rebecca Shauna MacDonald Nora- Jane Noone
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Flixster Reviews (15,112)

  • jmanard52
    June 8, 2008
    jmanard52
    Well done horror flick. Ive noticed a lot of the better thrillers are being made in other countries. Im so glad that these movies are getting shots to shine here in the US.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    April 11, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    The Descent is director Neil Marshall follow-up film to his memorable debut, Dog Soldiers. The Descent is yet another monster film and it's a genre that Marshall knows how to handle well. The result is a terrifyingly bold original film that is not your typical Hollywood trash tha... read moret we see nowadays. In the past, the British have made great horror films such as 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead. The Descent is yet another film that follows that tradition to create strong horror films that have the ability to terrify and be original. Neil Marshall has already made his mark in the genre, but with this film he secures his place a promising director. The film has monster film elements with the usual Backwood elements that is a great setting for many horror films. The film has a good cast of actresses a thrilling story and above all great directing. The film doesn't rely on cheap scares to create effective terror. The film takes time to build the terror and suspense, which is a key element to build effective terror and dread in the viewer. Neil Marshall has outdone himself with The Descent. This is a superb film that delivers old school thrills that die-hard horror fans expect. The Descent doesn't rely on cheap scares and it's one of the few recent films that really tries to terrify you by relying on the atmosphere of the films setting, which work well to elevate the terror on-screen. This is a terrifying film that is a much needed breath of fresh air in this tired out genre. The Descent is a well executed horror film that proves that real horror is still alive. The feeling of dread is constant and this is a film that delivers the shocks and thrills.
  • fb1463751009
    March 10, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Claustrophobic, chilling, and brutal... this movie is one of the few that truly stands out as a great horror movie. Really well done. Cannot recommend it enough. Watch it!
  • fb729949618
    November 28, 2011
    fb729949618
    WOW, I couldn't ask for a more engaging and suspenseful horror film. I was actually skeptical as to whether this film would even be worthy enough to watch, but once I was 10 minutes in, I was sold. I have many positive things to say about the film but i'll keep the review short. ... read moreI really loved how this film was shot first and foremost. It's filmed almost entirely in the dark but manages to do the job with great camera angles and great acting. I think it's awesome how it was made with all chicks in every role, and I also think it's pretty neat how they created these monster/human evolved creatures who lurk in the caves. Which is even surprising that I like that because I am not really into sci-fi like creatures and monsters that are put into films with real life scenarios, but this film pulled it off brilliantly. It's a definite must watch.
  • ironclad1609
    October 6, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Six women climbing into a cave system for a bonding adventure a year after a tragic accident soon find out what real horror is. What this British film makes of this situation is no less than a highlight of the genre: terrifying, nerve-wracking, gory, mean, intense and claustropho... read morebic. A big plus is the lack of computer tricks (except for a flock of bats), which makes for a very real feeling, even when things turn fantastic. Sure, the number of ugly fractures and flesh wounds is hard to stomach for the average viewer. But one of the biggest assets of the film are female characters that are not merely bimbos ready to be killed one after another, but round characters that stand an honest chance and whose demise is a pity. Towards the end a few of the fights and action get a tad repetitive but that doesn't lessen the impact of the unbelievable ending which pretty much reaches down the audience's throat and rips out their spine. Holy crap. Easily one of the best horror films of the last ten years.
  • jennifxu
    May 2, 2011
    jennifxu
    I love how girl power this movie is, even when it gets so crap-my-pants scary.
  • MizturY0da
    April 16, 2011
    MizturY0da
    4 stars
  • ScoopOnline
    November 1, 2010
    ScoopOnline
    Tiny bits of shocking moments and the classic thing, when not to scream exactly then they do! lol.
    This Movie caused me headache and got on my nerves. Thats why I loved the end!

    Fav bits
    Sarah falls down a hole and is knocked unconscious. Sarah awakens, scrambles up a hu... read morege pile of bones towards daylight, squeezes through a narrow opening onto the surface, runs to her vehicle and speeds off. Suddenly, Sarah sees Juno sitting next to her, her face streaked with blood. Sarah screams and awakens to find herself still in the cavern. She sees her smiling daughter close by and a birthday cake between them. The field of view widens to reveal that Sarah is hallucinating and she is actually staring at a torch. The calls of the crawlers grow louder, but Sarah is oblivious. THE END
  • LWOODS04
    October 22, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Shauna MacDonald, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, Oliver Milburn, Leslie Simpson, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, MyAnna Buring, Molly Kayll

    Director: Neil Marshall

    Summary: Six girlfriends, led by thrill seeker Juno (Natalie Mendoza), go spelunking a year after a... read more tragic incident. But when they get trapped under the earth, all rationale escapes them as they start to suffer from limited oxygen and delusions -- or are they? Now, the friends must find a way to escape the cave and the murky creatures that lie within it.

    My Thoughts: "This was a film that was out to scare you. Although I didn't feel scared, I did feel disgusted. The film is one of the goriest horror films I have seen in some time. Lots of blood and guts. But the film did make me jump and the whole scenario, although unrealistic, is still terrifying. The creatures are the most scariest looking things. Very ferocious looking. The acting is good by all the gals. They really made you feel some of the stuff they were going through, the fear, claustrophobic, and the understanding of ones survival. Even if that means betraying a friend to further yourself in the possibility of making it out alive. Great horror flick. Not as scary as others led me to believe, but still worth the watch."
  • fb733768972
    October 1, 2010
    fb733768972
    I thought that the descent was one of the stupidest concepts for a movie in a long time. It definitely had it's moments, but I never thought I would be able to sit through it. The end is a bit worth waiting for, but other than that I really don't like it!

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Critic Reviews

October 15, 2008
TIME Magazine

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

Jonathan Rosenbaum
September 24, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

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 cr... Full Review

Claudia Puig
August 4, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

For my money, [the] first 20 or so minutes are the best in the film. Once the real adventure gets underway in the cave, things get less interesting. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
August 4, 2006
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

While the movie has wonderful moments of unmotivated tension that make sure we're quite ill at ease from the beginning, it's also got a few too many of the kind of cheap boo-scares that indicate a dir... Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
August 4, 2006
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

Do we even need men in horror films any more? They're bound to do something stupid, they almost always get killed in the end and don't look as good covered in sweat and blood. Full Review

Peter Travers
August 4, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Prepare to be scared senseless, and then, when you think you have it figured, your certainty will be shaken by scenes built to scare you even more.

Roger Moore
August 4, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

This grueling trapped-in-a-cave-with-boogey-men movie is a solid thriller, and a terrific horror experience. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
August 4, 2006
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Every theater should come with a sign: Your expectations must be this low to ride. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
August 4, 2006
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Working on terrific sets with imaginative lighting effects and cinematography, Marshall creates a palpable sense of claustrophobia and danger well before murderous cave dwellers make their appearance ...

Jack Mathews
August 4, 2006
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

This is one of the scariest movies featuring female heroines since the Alien series. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Sarah: What about you Holly, got a man?
    • Holly: Oh, I'm a sports fuck like Juno.
    • Beth: You put in a flight-plan, right? If we don't report in they'll come looking for us.
    • Rebecca: That's how it's supposed to work, except I put in a flight-plan for Boreham Caverns and this isn't Boreham Caverns, is it Juno?
    • Beth: We're in the wrong fucking cave!
    • Juno: Holly was right! Boreham Caverns was a tourist trap!
    • Holly: Don't try and pin this fucking shit on me!
    • Rebecca: This is not caving, this is an ego-trip.
    • Juno: What happened to you?
    • Juno: Sam's gonna be Doctor Van Ney in like a year's time.
    • Beth: Please tell me it's longer than that.
    • Sam: Trying to set this watch is impossible, the buttons are too fucking small.
    • Holly: Why do you wear that thing anyway?
    • Sam: My boyfriend gave it to me, it's sentimental.
    • Holly: It's fucking mental, any guy who'd give that to me I'd dump him on the spot.
    • Juno: I don't know, It could be anyone of these tunnels, take your pick!
    • Rebecca: Ahh fucking listen! HELLOO? IS THERE ANYBODY THERE?
    • Beth: Yeah, hello?
    • Crawler: Blurghhh
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The Descent Trivia

  • 'Afraid of the dark? You will be.' what movie is this tagline from?  Answer »
  • Neil Marshall directed 2 of the movies below, what were they?  Answer »
  • In which movie six girls go into a cave and get trapped and meet predators?  Answer »
  • Which of the following movies has Wes Craven NOT directed?  Answer »
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