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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 critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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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

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

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]

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

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
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

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

See this movie, it’s terrific with high tension all the way through. Just don’t go spelunking.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
08/13/06
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

It's brutal, bloody and brilliantly entertaining.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
08/19/06
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

The Descent is very simply the scariest film I've seen in years.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
04/27/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Grabs at the jugular and doesn’t let go until the last gory frame.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
08/04/06
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

It's 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.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
08/03/06
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Unsettling and claustrophobic, as the lost women squirm through the damp tunnels of the virgin cave in re-enacted birth traumas punctuated by Sarah's visions of her dead daughter.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
08/07/06
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

For horror fans and those who love things that go bump in the night, this is one not to miss.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
08/01/06
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

[Writer-director Neil] Marshall makes real movies, not just schlockfests designed to sate the lusts of gore-lovers (although there is plenty of gore, too).

Full Review Source: Cinefantastique | comment Comment
07/14/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
Cinefantastique

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

A clever blend of psychological thrills and stalked-by-monster terror is what makes writer-director Neil Marshall's sophomore effort a cut above most horror films.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/06
Kelly Borgeson
Kelly Borgeson
Premiere Magazine

One of the most physically demanding and dramatically rewarding examples of the genre since Saw.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
07/18/06
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
 
 
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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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Does a new collection of webisodes hosted on MySpace and featuring tabloid teen favourites Jamie Dornan and Lois Winstone constitute a revival of the Hammer Horror film? Not so,... More...

May 06, 2008: Neil Marshall's 10 Post-Apocalyptic Picks
The Doomsday director runs RT through the movies that inspired his cyber-punk vision of a dodgy future. More...

April 03, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Clooney Suits Up For Football Fun
George Clooney, the Mayor McCheese of Hollywood, leaves behind Oscar season and returns to the big screen with lighter fare with the period sports comedy Leatherheads. More...

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