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.

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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Eric H.

@ZombieLab 7h

One of the scariest and most claustrophobic fils I’ve seen.

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Rachel C

@beemaine 2d

This was a crime against women lmao. It was fun to watch but I spent the entire time yelling about how everything they did made no sense and it made women look dumb and incompetent.

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Bret M.

@BretM-3 4d

For the most part, this movie is mid in my opinion. The first hour or so is pretty boring to me, but once this movie gets there, boy does it really get there!! You see, this movie thrives on fear, getting under your skin, and just being creepy. If the goal of this movie was to make me claustrophobic, it worked. When they’re climbing through tight, cramped, and small tunnels, it really got under my skin. And when the girls eventually do come upon this movie’s creatures, they’re creepy and violent. But other than being creepy, this movie doesn’t have a whole lot going for it. The story wasn’t much to rave about, and I found myself not really caring about the characters. A couple of them get development, but most just feel like they’re there. Overall, I still don’t think this movie is bad, but it definitely has its strengths and weaknesses. The strengths are its creepiness and ability to get under your skin. Its weaknesses are its characters and story. Still recommend watching thou

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George A

@gasimakos May 27

Definitely a slog to get through. It has an extremely long first act that does a poor job of establishing the characters. By the time the action starts, you don't really know them and you're given very few real reasons to care. The second and third act are also very underwhelming. Definitely would not recommend this one.

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Kristofer K

@kbkaizer May 13

Poses the question of what’s more horrific: being trapped in small spaces, unknown monsters, or shitty friends.

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Neil Marshall

Director

Shauna Macdonald

Sarah

Natalie Mendoza

Juno

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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)