The Descent (2006)
84%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 22 nominations
Deft direction and strong performances from its all-female cast guide The Descent, a riveting, claustrophobic horror film
The Descent is a movie that will make you want to crawl out of your skin, but in a good way. It’s like being on a rollercoaster that you’re not sure you want to be on, but once it’s over, you want to ride it again. The all-female cast is a refreshing change of pace in the horror genre, and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Just make sure you have a friend to hold onto during the scary parts.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Act III Act III Communications,
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence/gore and language
Year of Release
2006
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital EX
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 39m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 4, 2006 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 26, 2006
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring, directed by Neil Marshall, written by Neil Marshall, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Alyx Vesey, Sarah Lilleyman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, George Palathingal, Marc Savlov, Dan Fienberg, Bryan Buss, Jason Adams, Kristy Strouse, Charlotte Harrison, Jim Rohner, all-female cast, underground predators, cave paintings, emotional trauma, North Carolina, Lionsgate Films, SDDS, DTS, Dolby SRD, Scope (2.35:1), strong violence, gore, language, Christian Colson, Shauna Macdonald as Sarah, Natalie Mendoza as Juno, Alex Reid as Beth, Saskia Mulder as Rebecca, Nora Jane Noone as Holly, MyAnna Buring as Sam
Worldwide gross: $57,130,027
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $84,247,198
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,097
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,187,263
US/Canada gross: $26,024,456
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $38,377,148
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,183
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,911,330
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,141,156
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 852
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): £3,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Natalie Mendoza – Juno
Alex Reid – Beth
Saskia Mulder – Rebecca
Nora Jane Noone – Holly
MyAnna Buring – Sam
Director – Neil Marshall
Producer – Christian Colson
Writer – Neil Marshall
Director(s)
Neil Marshall
Writer(s)
Neil Marshall
Producer(s)
Christian Colson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 22 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (187) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (161) | Rotten (26)
While I think we should question the authority of the ubiquitous male writer-director to shape horror productions, I think Marshall does a good job representing his female characters.
January 7, 2021
Alyx Vesey
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
Marshall could very well be the Caravaggio of the B-movie.
October 15, 2008
Sarah Lilleyman
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
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.
September 24, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The film draws on some of horror’s most memorable scenarios.
November 24, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5
George Palathingal
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
… The Descent may not be everything you’ve heard, but man, it’s also a lot of things you haven’t.
August 6, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Can audiences weaned on the murky sadism of the Saw movies and the Hills Have Eyes remake even recognize what a truly scary movie looks and feels like?
August 5, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Dan Fienberg
Zap2it.com
TOP CRITIC
There is blood and gore and visceral terror and unrelenting, heart-stopping suspense. In short, it’s one of the best horror films of this decade.
May 25, 2022
Bryan Buss
Out Magazine
There’s a stifling sense of almost unbearable tension
January 10, 2022
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
It’s a grim tale that provides a 99 minute rush of blood to the head. Who knew claustrophobia could be fun? The Descent is horror done right.
November 12, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators. It’s terrifying and I’ll never watch it again as nerves couldn’t handle it, but it is bloody brilliant.
May 10, 2021
Charlotte Harrison
Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies
Quite simply, The Descent is one of the best horror movies of the last 20 years.
April 14, 2021
Jim Rohner
Battleship Pretension
Marshall has crafted an incredibly tense and frightening masterpiece, bolstered by six powerful lead performances.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast…
Plot
A woman goes on vacation with her friends after her husband and daughter encounter a tragic accident. One year later she goes hiking with her friends and they get trapped in the cave. With a lack of supply, they struggle to survive and they meet strange blood thirsty creatures.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The all-female cast delivers strong performances in this claustrophobic horror film.
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