The Descent (2005)

Director:

Neil Marshall

Writer:

Neil Marshall (writer)

Release Date:

4 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | 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:

Logging Truck | Beaten To Death | Nikon Camera | Expedition | Cult Favorite

Awards:

7 wins & 10 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Sept. 3	11:05 PM	TMC
Wed. Sept. 10	12:00 AM	TMC

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)
Descenso, El (Argentina) (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Abismo do Medo (Brazil) [pt]
Cehenneme bir adim (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Descente, La (Canada: French title) [fr]
Instängd (Sweden) [sv]
Kathodos, I (Greece) [el]
Loukussa (Finland) [fi]
The Descent - Abgrund des Grauens (Germany) [de]
The descent - Discesa nelle tenebre (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (US prints) | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Celador Films

Trivia:

The jokey production name given during filming was "Chicks with Picks".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When one of the girls falls and tries to get up to a tunnel, she grabs a large rock to help herself up. You can see the rock bend and wiggle under her weight.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Jessica: Mummy?

Movie Connections:

References Alone in the Dark (2005)

If you go in there...

After watching "The Descent", my bud Robert and I decided that spelunking would now come off both our "To Do" lists—for good. Writer and Director Neil Marshall's "The Descent" crafts and sustains an unrelenting tension throughout, once you get past the suspended disbelief. As I watched the women one by one crawl through the tiny water filled crevice to enter the caverns somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, I thought, "How are they going to get back? They've got to be nuts!" Well, you just have to go with it. Well, kind of. Fortunately, director Marshall effectively pretexts the story. The prior thrill-seeking jaunt for the group was a white water rafting trip. Following that trip, Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) suffers a life altering tragedy. A year later, Sarah and her close friend Beth (Alex Reid) join up with the gang at a cabin in the Appalachians. The 6 women are gearing up for a cave exploration trip headed by Juno (Natalie Mendoza). Apparently, Juno regrets not being there for Sarah following her personal tragedy and recovery. Juno sees this trip as an opportunity to empower Sarah. Those along for the ride include Becca (Saskia Mulder), Sam (MyAnna Buring), and Holly (Nora-Jane No one).

The trip starts out curious enough when Juno (Mendoza) discards her map of the caves. The women proceed, and are undeterred by the telltale signs of mysterious animal carcasses. Not surprisingly, the cave exploration goes horribly wrong. They are lost without a clue how to get out, and they are being hunted by terrifying fleshing eating creatures. So the women are literally in the fight for their lives. Marshall masterfully orchestrates the mood and tension. My bud Robert keenly pointed out that what really works in "The Descent" is that it never evolves into a trite action movie. No one screams, "Take that you, Mother F-----!" Granted Marshall may have intended his story as an empowerment allegory. The women are authentically terrified, and fight with all their courage and heart amidst their overwhelming fear. Somehow while they are thrashing and being thrashed by the fierce creatures, it is all strangely believable—strangely. Rather it gets you thinking: "Would I do the same?" Sarah (Macdonald) and Juno (Mendoza) in particular emerge as forces to be reckoned with. Mendoza's Juno warrior spirit is consistent and engaging—she is the brash leader. MacDonald is powerful and believable in Sarah's emergence as a heroic presence. All the performances are strong throughout.

Marshall maintains a claustrophobic feel and keeps us on edge. The unveiled details involving the cave creatures regarding their possible evolution is a nice touch. "The Descent" has to be one of the most gory horror movies with realistic violence—and I am not a big horror fan. However, I am a big hero fan. "The Descent" has great women heroes. Shauna Macdonald and Natalie Mendoza are awesome. "The Descent" is a wild tension filled ride. At the very end one wonders, "What next?"