The Descent

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The Descent

R

2006

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

191 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: Underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.

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Critics Consensus

Deft direction and strong performances from its all-female cast guide The Descent, a riveting, claustrophobic horror film.

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Alyx Vesey

Bitch Media

Jan 7, 2021

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.

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Sarah Lilleyman

TIME Magazine

Oct 15, 2008

Marshall could very well be the Caravaggio of the B-movie.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Sep 24, 2007

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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

2 days ago

3.5/4

The Descent is so expertly made that it more than holds its own as a full-throttle horror flick, yet it’s the decision to provide it with a psychological bent that puts it firmly over the top.

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André Didyme-Dôme

Rolling Stone en Español

Sep 11, 2026

A landmark film in modern horror. It understands that the most enduring fear lies not in the immediate jump scare but in the prolonged experience of feeling trapped, betrayed, and confronted by oneself in the dark. [Full review in Spanish]

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Marcelo Paredes

Cinencuentro

Feb 20, 2026

The Descent stands as a great horror film worth revisiting. It's a profoundly sensory work, the experience of which is significantly enhanced under optimal viewing conditions...[Full review in Spanish]

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REBEL

Aug 14, 2026

This was one of the best movies I’ve got to see at your theater.

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Handsomepugmom

Aug 14, 2026

This 100% needs to be seen on the big screen! I’m so happy I got to see the Fangoria Staff pick of August

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Neil H

Aug 14, 2026

First off, the score isn’t talked about enough, it’s really another character in this film. It really propels the movie from start to finish. It displays such an aire of mystery while being really grounded, the sweeping nature of the strings give off such a foreboding sense of dread with some great anticipatory keyboard stabs. They took quite a low budget and made something unsettling, closterphobic and totally original, not to mention memorable. def worth noting the performances are of a pretty high caliber, v understated acting. prob Neil Marshall’s best work.

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Taylor

Oct 12, 2025

The Descent scares from the first to last scene. Claustrophobic and nauseating in the best way.

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Brendan B

@filmzone 6 days ago

Almost as many good jumpscares as there are slimy blind cave goblins.

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Ian S

@FuggyWugginshyre Oct 13, 2026

Slow burn leading to the featuring of the creature. I think there’s about 10 minutes in the beginning they could have cut to lead us to the cave a little quicker. But once the spelunking begins the movie was great! Claustrophobic and suspenseful.

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Neil Marshall

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Sarah

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Synopsis

A year after a severe emotional trauma, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) goes to North Carolina to spend some time exploring caves with her friends; after descending underground, the women find strange cave paintings and evidence of an earlier expedition, then learn they are not alone: Underground predators inhabit the crevasses, and they have a taste for human flesh.

Director: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Screenwriter: Neil Marshall
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Celador Productions, Lionsgate Television
Rating: R (Strong Violence and Gore|Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 4, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.0M
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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