The Descent

The Descent (2005)

  • 85% of critics liked it
    (168 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,
Directed By
,
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.

  • Judy Chia Hui Hsu, Seattle Times

    Tight shots of women desperately wriggling through worm holes or teetering on a ledge overlooking an abyss create a claustrophobic effect, one that leaves the characters gasping for air and the audience breathing shallower.

Read all 24 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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.

  • Dan S


    A near-masterpiece of a horror film. One of the most terrifying and suspenseful movies I've sat through. It's a gory, messy, dirty, and bone-breaking movie that deserves to be seen. Most critics gave this a solid rating, but I feel this was an extraordinary movie. The score… More

  • Directors C


    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] I think that Neil Marshall is one of the greatest horror directors working in the business today. I clearly remember when I first saw his debut feature Dog Soldiers a few years ago that I was left feeling… More

  • Al S


    A bloody masterpiece. A bold, gory, intense and brilliant horror film that returns faith to a dying genre. Director, Neil Marshall crafts a breathtaking classic that is truly mind-blowing and unforgettable. A jaw-dropping and absolutely freightning film that stands with Aliens. It`s a… More

  • 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

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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