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

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]

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

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

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

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

You will feel like you have descended to the pits of hell.

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
08/21/06
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

a gripping journey into madness

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
08/06/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

The Descent pulls you down into a dark nightmare and doesn't let you come up for air until the end-credits roll.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
07/12/06
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
About.com

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

The movie's thrill-and-chill sequences are nasty and suspenseful, though once the creatures start to attack, the scenes get repetitive.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
08/03/06
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press

Marshall understands that sometimes there's nothing quite as oddly exhilarating as the bleakest, no-way-out kind of horror.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
08/03/06
Steve Murray
Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Descent is the genuine article, a bloody good creep fest . . .

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
08/14/06
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

... The Descent may not be everything you've heard, but man, it's also a lot of things you haven't.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/06/06
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

The Descent sustains a level of intensity that most horror films can barely muster for five minutes.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
08/05/06
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

A number of narrative twists keep you guessing and, while the pace stays strong and steady, building the gory mayhem to a bloody crescendo.

Full Review Source: Baltimore City Paper | comment Comment
08/03/06
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Baltimore City Paper

In "The Descent," look beyond the stalagmites. Leaping amid them and eager for fresh meat are an amphibious race of blood-sucking beasts who appear to have been poached beyond the boiling point.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
08/30/06
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

The Descent may not be a classic, but it's likely to remain with you for a while.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment 1 Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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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