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Movies / On DVD / The Descent
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: 18 [See Full Rating] for strong violence/gore and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:08-07-2005

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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Reviews for The Descent

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Thanks to its skilful director, well-cast actors and talented technical team, this fiercely entertaining British horror movie has blood, guts and brains.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/07/05
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A grisly and gripping horror movie.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/05/05
Andy Jacobs
Andy Jacobs
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Brutal, bloody, terrifying, astonishing.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/08/05
Dan Jolin
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Marshall has a definite eye for the memorably nasty image – several of the shots here are liable to stay with you long after you’ve forgotten the rest of the film.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
07/09/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Marshall is clearly having fun here, and he effectively assembles all of the elements to gross us out and scare us half to death.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
07/05/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Far too gory for any but the very strongest of stomachs, this is nonetheless intelligent and well constructed horror fare.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
07/10/05
Scott Andrews
Scott Andrews
FilmFocus

Incredibly, Marshall is now being talked of as the great white hope of British horror. Now that is scary.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
07/08/05
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
N/R

There are inconsistencies and frustrating ambiguities, but this is another reliable, vigorous horror experience for genre fans.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/15/08
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film draws on some of horror's most memorable scenarios.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
11/24/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the scariest horror movies of the past 20 years. Would do Wes Craven, George A. Romero and James Whale proud.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
08/02/06
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

Hugely claustrophobic and skin-crawlingly intense ... and then the flesh-eating monsters come out. Hyperbole be danged: This is the best, purest horror film in years.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
08/02/06
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

This dark labyrinth of trauma, treachery and troglodytes sets terrifying traps for the mind.

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
07/13/05
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

Let's just call it a chick flick for people who like a high body count.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment 1 Comment
12/03/06
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

Sorry, George Lucas, but CGI creatures usually look pretty fake; the crawlers, however, are quite realistic and creepy, especially as they skitter over the walls and roofs of the caves.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
08/04/06
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

[W]ill inspire boys and girls who like the genre even though it could be read as a tale about the battle between the sexes.

Full Review Source: european-films.net | comment Comment
03/27/06
Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net

A harrowing, brutal piece of work -- my hand was over my mouth for the last 30 minutes, lest I scream like a little girl on fire. Not to be missed.

Full Review Source: Freeze Dried Movies | comment Comment
07/28/06
Brian Juergens
Brian Juergens
Freeze Dried Movies

Descent is everything The Cave wasn't: edge-of-your-seat terrifying, atmospheric, and frightfully inventive.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
07/28/06
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

This is the kind of mindless comedy that works best in the summer, where you come in from the heat and just want to sit back and laugh.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
08/21/06
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Neil Marshall, who wrote and directed The Descent, is an expert at the slow build that gradually earns our trust and then rewards it by scaring the pants off us.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
08/04/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
 
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Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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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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