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 | Blood | Cave In

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 Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | 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 | Germany:18 (DVD rating) | Ireland:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Celador Films

Trivia:

As stated in cast commentary on the Special Edition DVD, Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, and Alex Reid did the entire white water rafting sequence on their own without any stunt doubles or special effects.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Ice climbing axes, as carried by the characters, are used exclusively for climbing frozen waterfalls and would have no use inside a cave where the temperature remains constant, and well above freezing, due to being underground.

Quotes:

Juno: Sam's gonna be Doctor Van Ney in like a year's time.
Beth: Please tell me it's longer than that.

Movie Connections:

References Carrie (1976)

Brilliantly tense from start to finish

With Dog Soldiers, Neil Marshall created a tight and claustrophobic atmosphere then added the scares to create a very good horror film. However, the tension was often released with humour and the audience were allowed to catch their breath and relax. At no point in The Descent are you allowed to relax as Marshall grabs your attention within the first few minutes and doesn't let go until the credits roll at the end.

With the film set almost entirely underground, the lack of light is used to wonderful effect and Marshall keeps you on edge for 100 minutes; if you liked Dog Soldiers, 28 Days Later and/or Haute Tension and are sick of the formulaic rubbish being pumped out of Hollywood then The Descent is likely to be right up your street.