The Descent (2005)
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Six women must fight to survive after becoming trapped in an uncharted cave system inhabited by monstrous creatures.
The story
After a tragic accident involving her family, Sarah reunites with friends Juno and Beth for a spelunking adventure in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. They join two sisters, Sam and Rebecca, and a newcomer, Holly, to explore a mountain cave. However, the group soon finds themselves in an uncharted cave system after a tunnel collapses behind them. As they struggle to find a way out, they are hunted by mysterious, predatory creatures lurking in the darkness of the subterranean labyrinth.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following a car crash that kills her husband and daughter, Sarah reunites with friends Juno and Beth for a spelunking trip in the Appalachian Mountains. They join others to enter a cave, but a collapse traps them in an uncharted system. The group discovers they are being hunted by 'Crawlers'—blind, predatory creatures. During the ordeal, Holly is killed, and the women are forced to navigate the tunnels while dealing with internal tensions, including a secret affair between Juno and Sarah's late husband. After a series of brutal encounters where several women are killed or maimed, Sarah and Juno eventually reach an exit. In the final confrontation, Sarah discovers the truth about Juno's betrayal and leaves her behind to face the encroaching horde. Sarah eventually escapes the cave and reaches her car, where she suffers a hallucination of a bloodied Juno before collapsing in exhaustion.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Neil Marshall
- Writers
- Neil Marshall · writer
- Cast and characters
- Shauna Macdonald · Sarah; Natalie Mendoza · Juno; Alex Reid · Beth; Saskia Mulder · Rebecca; MyAnna Buring · Sam; Nora-Jane Noone · Holly; Oliver Milburn · Paul; Molly Kayll · Jessica; Craig Conway · Scar
- Genres
- horror; adventure
- Themes
- survival; claustrophobia
- Tone and mood
- tense; claustrophobic
- Setting
- A remote cave system in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
- Premise and plot tags
- survival; monster; trapped
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews for its performances, cinematography, and direction, and was considered a box-office success. It has been regarded as one of the best horror films of the 2000s.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 30; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- The film's marketing was impacted by the 2005 London bombings.; The cave was constructed from self-expanding foam at Pinewood Studios.; The character designs were kept hidden from the actresses until their first appearance.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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