The Descent (2005)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Neil Marshall

Writer:

Neil Marshall (writer)

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Scream your last breath.

Plot:

A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.

Plot Keywords:

Cave | Expedition | Friendship | Cave In | Blood

Awards:

7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Shauna Macdonald	...	Sarah
Natalie Jackson Mendoza	...	Juno (as Natalie Mendoza)
Alex Reid	...	Beth
Saskia Mulder	...	Rebecca
MyAnna Buring	...	Sam
Nora-Jane Noone	...	Holly
Oliver Milburn	...	Paul
Molly Kayll	...	Jessica
Craig Conway	...	Crawler - Scar
Leslie Simpson	...	Crawler
Mark Cronfield	...	Crawler
Stephen Lamb	...	Crawler (as Steve Lamb)
Catherine Dyson	...	Crawler
Julie Ellis	...	Crawler
Sophie Trott	...	Crawler

Also Known As:

Crawlspace (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

99 min | 100 min (original unrated cut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (US prints) | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:R21 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Taiwan:R-18 | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:16 (cut) | Iceland:16 | France:-16 | Argentina:16 | Germany:16 (cut version) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #41746) | Brazil:16 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Japan:R-18 | Italy:VM14 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18SG | Ireland:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Celador Films

Trivia:

Among the bones that Sarah falls into is a wolf's head which came from one of the werewolves from Neil Marshall's previous film Dog Soldiers (2002).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When one of the girls is looking for climbing equipment, but doesn't have any with her, she says, "Oh, fuck," but her mouth doesn't move.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Jessica: Mummy?

Movie Connections:

References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Good Scary Movie

When I read that "The Descent" featured an all women cast I expected a T+A extravaganza with spelunkers in too tight T-shirts and panties cavorting beneath the earth. I was disappointed. What I saw was a scary movie. I am not by nature claustrophobic but a few scenes of the close quarters they were climbing through left me squirming in my seat. I can't continue the review without issuing a SPOILER alert since I will be discussing critical movie facts. The movie was very spookily lit with looming shadows and false colors and was expertly designed. The creatures living below ground were creepy and scary since often they were only glimpsed in the shadows. I hadn't expected the death count to be so high nor the movie to be so bloody. I flinched often during the movie due to the sudden appearance of the creatures or from the wounds suffered by the cast. The pace of the movie once they began the cave exploration was very fast and of course with this type of movie a deeper examination of the facts reveals some plot holes but events move too fast for reflection. I can't say I liked or agreed with some events in the end of the movie. I think Juno, maybe not the best person in the group, was unfairly judged and condemned. None the less the movie was very effective in scaring me and holding my attention. The fact that it had, primarily, an all women cast was hardly noticeable. This is not a chick flic. Worth seeing.