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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: Horror/Suspense

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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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Offered powerful enough performances to keep me engaged throughout.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
05/18/07
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

With beautiful direction, a plausible plot, effective but downplayed creature effects, and top notch acting, The Descent takes a tired concept and actually adds a sense of distinction.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/14/07
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

This is an accessible art house horror film.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/14/07
Jeremy Knox
Jeremy Knox
Film Threat

A nifty little horror item.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

The violence of "The Descent" is brutal, but the smart psychology and multilayered screenplay provide the true satisfaction.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/03/07
Uri Lessing
Uri Lessing
eFilmCritic.com

Benefiting from well-concealed reveals, shocking developments, truly unnerving antagonists, taut editing and a hair-raising score, this neverending nightmare is easily the best horror flick of 2006.

Full Review Source: Upstage Magazine | comment Comment
01/04/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Upstage Magazine

Swing on the spirals, down into the darkness. The Descent will leave you exhausted and screaming for more.

Full Review Source: Dread Central | comment Comment
12/20/06
Uncle Creepy
Uncle Creepy
Dread Central

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

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

The Descent is a gut-wrenching thrill ride and one of the spookiest times you'll ever have in the dark

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/18/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Parents would be best to protect their children from the consequent psychological trauma of letting them see this.

Full Review Source: Peterborough This Week | comment Comment
09/05/06
Mike Sage
Mike Sage
Peterborough This Week

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)

Marshall's female characters are strong and tough and they face their fears, if not always courageously, then at least tenaciously ...

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
08/24/06
Kim Voynar
Kim Voynar
Cinematical

It's an intense, jolting, gasp-inducing ride, with fleshed-out characters and creepy monsters. This is no Cave.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
08/23/06
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com

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

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

The excellent all-girl spelunking claustrophobic horror flick is arguably the first truly scary film in the genre since the greats of the 1980's.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
08/21/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

Some of the best horror work in years.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
08/19/06
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

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

Writer-director Neil Marshall has...a gift for psychological subtext that infuses the narrative with a nasty, poisonous moral venom.

Full Review Source: Metro Weekly (Washington, DC) | comment Comment
08/18/06
Randy Shulman
Randy Shulman
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; 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
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