The Descent

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The Descent

R

2006

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

187 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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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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Akos Peterbencze

The Screen

10/31/2024

In Neil Marshall’s 2005 horror masterpiece, darkness emerges as a living organism. It shifts and lurks and claws its way into our nerves, under our skin, and eventually, inside our heads.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

08/19/2023

... 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.

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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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Shaun R

@Shaun666 1d

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

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Tobias K

@Tobiassssssss 3d

Technically impressive and authentically scary. The first half makes excellent use of its setting and feeds on claustrophobia, while the second relies on the dynamic of the creature feature. Actually, it would have worked kind of the same without including a separate danger to being stuck in a cave, but the practical effects are at least deliciously disgusting. An all-female cast is also a rare thing in this type of production and does a very good job, even if some twists and turns don't come off as strong as hoped.

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Jason W

Jan 18

An underrated early 2000s classic. Slightly slow build, but once the volume gets turned up, it's a suspenseful thrill ride.

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Austin J

@Austin765 Jan 2

By far the Greatest Horror Film of the 2000's besides the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I'm sure many would agree. I love the way the creatures looked in this film & the direction Marshall went with. A true classic & 5/5 Stars easy!

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Miranda A

@Mirrebou Dec 28

Now, imagine Outlast and Until Dawn mixed together...

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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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