The Descent

The Descent (2005)

  • 84% of critics liked it
    (165 reviews)

  • 71% of users liked it
    (183,706 ratings)

A group of close female friends on a yearly adventure vacation find themselves trapped and hunted in a series of caves by an unknown force that lurks in the shadows in The Descent, the second horror feature from Dog Soldiers writer/director Neil Marshall. After suffering a devastating car crash one… More

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R, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By
Neil Marshall, Alex Reid
Written By
Neil Marshall
Genres
Horror
In Theaters
Aug 4, 2006 Wide
On DVD
Dec 26, 2006
Lionsgate

Critic Reviews

  • , TIME Magazine

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

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    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.

  • Claudia Puig, USA Today

    For my money, [the] first 20 or so minutes are the best in the film. Once the real adventure gets underway in the cave, things get less interesting.

  • Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

    While the movie has wonderful moments of unmotivated tension that make sure we're quite ill at ease from the beginning, it's also got a few too many of the kind of cheap boo-scares that indicate a director not fully trusting his grip on you.

  • Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

    Do we even need men in horror films any more? They're bound to do something stupid, they almost always get killed in the end and don't look as good covered in sweat and blood.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    Well done horror flick. Ive noticed a lot of the better thrillers are being made in other countries. Im so glad that these movies are getting shots to shine here in the US.

  • Jeff "


    The Descent is director Neil Marshall follow-up film to his memorable debut, Dog Soldiers. The Descent is yet another monster film and it's a genre that Marshall knows how to handle well. The result is a terrifyingly bold original film that is not your typical Hollywood trash… More

  • Albert K


    Claustrophobic, chilling, and brutal... this movie is one of the few that truly stands out as a great horror movie. Really well done. Cannot recommend it enough. Watch it!

  • Eric A


    WOW, I couldn't ask for a more engaging and suspenseful horror film. I was actually skeptical as to whether this film would even be worthy enough to watch, but once I was 10 minutes in, I was sold. I have many positive things to say about the film but i'll keep the review… More

  • Jens S


    Six women climbing into a cave system for a bonding adventure a year after a tragic accident soon find out what real horror is. What this British film makes of this situation is no less than a highlight of the genre: terrifying, nerve-wracking, gory, mean, intense and claustrophobic.… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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