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The Descent

The Descent

2005
Suspense/Thriller, Adventure
1h 39m
On a daredevil caving holiday six girls are trapped underground when an unexpected rock fall blocks their exit. Searching the maze of tunnels for a way out, they find themselves hunted by a race of fearless, hungry predators, once humanoid but now monstrously adapted to live in the dark and with murder and mayhem on their minds. (20th Century Fox)
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The Descent

2005
Suspense/Thriller, Adventure
1h 39m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 52.36% from 5267 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(5267)
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Compact view
Rated 17 Jan 2007
62
20th
I thought this would have been scarier if it was just about the women getting lost in the cave. The creatures seemed more silly than frightening. The hints of their existence were unnerving, but once they were onscreen it got kinda dumb.
Rated 29 Jan 2008
65
57th
Did we all see the same movie? Relies too heavily on 'BOO!' scares, which is something I've really come to abhor. It's cheap and lazy. A couple is forgivable, this movie overdoes it. Though, it isn't totally without merit. I can compliment iton great use of lighting techniques and decent cinematography that actually made me feel a little claustrophobic at times. And I have no qualms putting it above most of the samey bullshit that's being labeled as "horror" these days.
Rated 10 Jul 2007
3
61st
First half of the film was excellent: the horror was atmospheric and it played on a lot of different fears (the dark, heights, claustrophobia, etc.) But once it became an evil Gollum look-alike ass-kicking contest I got bored and irritated. One of the better horror films lately, but still a disappointment.
Rated 05 Oct 2008
74
51st
The Decent.
Rated 04 Feb 2008
58
26th
I would have been happy to rave about this movie if I had stopped watching about 2/3s of the way through, but holy crap did it go down hill fast. The last 1/3 is just terrible.
Rated 09 Feb 2007
90
83rd
One of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen. Freaked me right the hell out.
Rated 09 Mar 2007
67
48th
What on earth was with all the completely worthless jump out scares? By about 30minutes in I had seen about eight or nine. Thankfully after it starts up it gets pretty good with some great claustrophobic cinematography and lighting. To be fair I did find it ending up being a bit of a gore fest (lake a blood for no apparent reason anyone?). Still the biggest complaint is the crappy jump out scares at the beginning for no reason. Yeesh.
Rated 22 Feb 2008
60
33rd
Once things start to go wrong during the cave exploration, this becomes an extremely tense film. The tension is maintained up through the first attack from the cave creatures, but eventually it becomes less frightful and more of an excessive blood 'n' guts thrill ride. It's not bad, and it's better than most modern horror films, but I felt a little let down after it was over.
Rated 20 Apr 2008
70
50th
Could've been a knockout if there had been more focus on the claustrophobic conditions, but by the end it was content to be just another monster movie.
Rated 01 Feb 2009
55
40th
Those girls must have exterminated the most of that endemic morlock population! Seriously, how many human sized mammal predators could possibly survive in that extremely inhospitable cave environment, relying solely on some random prey? Someone should inform the conservationists!
Rated 14 Feb 2014
53
25th
Have you ever heard "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon? It starts out with a slow beautiful melody and then builds up to the chorus where it begins first grade level rhyming of irrelevant names. So in this instance, the beautiful melody represents six fairly developed characters being dropped into a fairly believable situation, and the chorus represents cave monsters. Now go listen to "Carol Brown" by Flight of the Conchords.
Rated 14 Apr 2015
3
38th
Loses the thread for me once it becomes a splatterfest featuring two Betty Badasses hack-n-slashing their way to safety. Still, pretty damn tense up to that point and is more thematically and conceptually mature than most similar films, with interesting throughlines of trust, responsibility, and group dynamics.
Rated 02 Jan 2020
20
8th
I vaguely remember watching this when it first came out and remembering I wasn't much impressed But I decided to give it another try .......Well to sum it up I'm still not impressed
Rated 29 Dec 2006
76
73rd
This is the best "monsters attacking group of people in a dark cave" movie ever made. It is realistic and terribly frightening throughout the running length. It does not go for lame stupid horror; this movie takes you in because it feels like you are actually trapped with the characters, and revels in what 95% of horror movies do not revel in: atmosphere.
Rated 03 Jan 2007
83
70th
good horror movie
Rated 01 Aug 2007
51
49th
The Descent isn't bad, but the first half relies so heavily on jump-based scares that it quickly becomes predictable and more than a little dull. Luckily things pick up as soon as the creepy cave-monsters start appearing with some decidedly gory action scenes and some proper scares. The reliance of the monsters on sound rather than vision adds an interesting aspect, but clostrophobic filming sometimes prevents the viewer from seeing all that is going on, even if done for effect.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
78th
Completely unsettling and a nice re-definition of horror in modern years. This movie gets underneath your skin, without necessarily trying to get you to sympathize for the characters. The psychological undertone lays the framework for an eerie and unsettling venture into the dark unknown.
Rated 20 Mar 2008
53
6th
Somehow, the film went from a decent atmospheric horror flick to a stupid cliche-fest monster movie after exactly one hour. Here's why the second part is terrible: the monsters looking like leftover orcs from Lord of the Rings, the fight sequences make Rambo look like a documentary, the heaps of horror cliches, the terrible ending... actually no The Descent as a whole is just shamelessly bad. The first half does not excuse the steaming pile of cliches and eye-rolling that ensues in the 2nd half
Rated 28 Oct 2008
72
80th
Hmm, very scary. What an idea to crawl into a cave, good suspense ! The end of the movie I didn't understand.
Rated 12 Feb 2009
66
48th
I find myself agreeing with the minority here. It's a well-made film, but it falls apart at the end, especially in the version released in America. A lot of the character development is somewhat rushed, and there is an overabundance of suspense scares rather than relying on the good horror that is inherent in this type of setting. However, I enjoyed it purely on a horror level...it just doesn't transcend to be an awesome film.
Rated 18 Apr 2009
6
34th
(2nd viewing) An intriguing premise and enjoyable first half gets ruined by a campy and loud 2nd part. An adequate horror film but not one for the books.
Rated 13 Sep 2009
50
34th
A horror flick with an all-female cast seems like a good idea, until you realize that many of the suspense gags rely on the characters' lack of upper body strength. It gets points because it at least looks interesting and novel, but otherwise, meh.
Rated 21 Feb 2010
13
4th
awful practical lighting shakycam cinematography, basically indistinguishable characters, and a heavy reliance on bland gore and jump scares. the ending was just embarrassing. it is sort of scary, so points for that, but really, don't waste your time.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
67
57th
I hate horror movies in general and it takes a pretty good one to get even marginal rankings from me. I am ranking this higher than I should because it should have stayed away from horror altogether. The sheer sense of dread from simply being lost in the caves had me hooked.
Rated 03 Feb 2011
85
92nd
A fantastically claustrophobic jumpfest. It becomes less scary after the monsters appear (apart from that one night-vision scene) but the first half of the film does a great job of building tension and introducing the chars. Refreshing to see a horror with women as real people, rather than hapless screaming tits-on-legs. The second half isn't so great but the ambiguous ending makes up for it (and is probably ruined in the sequel).
Rated 26 Mar 2011
75
62nd
The "set up" is a great scene, but the development of the charcters and their motivations is rushed to the point of not making much sense ... why was the husband in a mood? Why did Juno leave her friend? ... this lack of clarity makes for a rather contrived feel to the movie, exacerbated by ridiculously over the top "female" insensitivity and crassness .... it makes it hard to "Like" the characters and care whether they survive or not. That aside, it is a hell of a ride and really well made.
Rated 11 Jun 2011
64
19th
Well, the film tries to do some interesting things but it doesn't quite - COPPER PIPE OUT OF NOWHERE!
Rated 11 Jul 2012
66
41st
It's a half-decent monster movie, and that's about it. There are a handful of interesting elements, like the all-female cast, and the fact that they actually do some fighting back... But it does fall into a lot of predictable logic-defying cliches. Like, these monsters navigate by sound, so they make a loud noise when they notice a person, then they inexplicably go silent while stalking them, until it's time to pop out and make a screaming noise to startle the audience.
Rated 09 Jul 2013
70
45th
The Descent manages to effectively hold a tense and claustrophobic mood for the first half, but ends up relying on cheap pop-out scares. Second half falls flat once the creatures are visible and they are getting annihilated by these Rambo chicks.
Rated 03 Nov 2013
65
16th
This movie has potential but the script is weak. There are no characters that you really route for and the ending is unsatisfying. The actors also don't have much chemistry with each other. Overall this movie disappoints.
Rated 26 Apr 2015
75
65th
Did I just see that is much more spookier than HOLY MOLY look at that in the long run. I love the idea of these cave people though, nothing to do in a cave! "ITS MY TURN LOOKING AT THAT LOOKIN' PUDDLE"
Rated 13 Mar 2020
65
47th
Weirdly, I really liked the first half and wasn't impressed with the second half. The sense of isolation and dread you get in the caves is fascinating and far more interesting than the poorly made up monsters that populate the second half. There are some cool sequences so I won't rip it to shreds, but it's definitely not as strong of a film as I was led to believe.
Rated 08 Oct 2021
70
58th
This was tense and well-composed, eliciting a nice sense of claustrophobia and dread. I thought it perhaps unraveled a bit as it went on, but it was nonetheless a pretty slick modern horror. The cast didn't feature any well-known names, but they were very watchable. I've still to see Dog Soldiers, but I feel I need to now as this demonstrated some talent behind the camera.
Rated 14 Oct 2022
86
51st
Really solid as a whole. I thought the first act was pretty rough, riddled with some quick/poor line delivery and too much editing. Once the cave stuff starts, the rest of the movie is awesome. Marshall is a very talented director, building up really good tension and scares, and making effective use of the lighting. Excellent practical effects and production. The acting was good, but I loved Shauna Macdonald, who is also the best character in the movie. I think it’s well worth visiting.
Rated 13 Dec 2006
88
77th
Pretty fuckin spooky.
Rated 28 Dec 2006
89
81st
Original and very frightening movie that will leave you never wanting to go caving. Contains a blend of seat jumping scenes with many creepy and gross scenes. Worth a watch for the horror fan.
Rated 31 Dec 2006
82
79th
Wow. Not bad. Not bad at all. It's not dumbed down, and the thrills and chills are smartly placed. The horror was good old fashioned bloody stuff, and the monsters were original and realistic. Definitely worth the price of admission, especially considering most horror flicks nowadays are pretty duh-duh.
Rated 25 Jan 2007
95
92nd
Oh. My. God. I haven't been so satisfied with a story arc in a horror movie since...I don't know that I ever have. Just the look in the eyes of the main character for the last quarter of the film...chilling. The viciousness of the fight scenes also made me squeal with glee. I'm not afraid to admit that.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
78
56th
A very intense horror movie that has one of the slowest first halfs ever put on film. Either way, The Descent is very enjoyable and highly recommendable as it's probably the best horror movie since 28 Days Later.
Rated 02 Apr 2007
81
77th
If you can get past some of the early cheap scares, you'll find that this is a pretty rewarding horror flick. Imagine something like Pitch Black, but without the campiness and terrible lines. The story is really nothing to write home about, but the atmosphere is what this movie is about. And it delivers that in spades.
Rated 04 Jun 2007
98
99th
One of the best horror movies in recent years. Sets a mood, throws out believable baddies, and spices everything up with the psychological battle amongst the main characters. Goodness.
Rated 15 Jun 2007
3
57th
I have to be honest I really enjoyed this movie. A different plot, loved the camera wok, and it was suspenseful and semi horrific. The alternate ending with the dream sequence, better than the other ending.
Rated 15 Jul 2007
71
68th
Surprisingly good and genuinely scary in parts... though I'm claustrophobic, so it scared the shit outta me. Treats women very well, which is somewhat shocking for the genre and movies in general.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
64th
Another British horror movie by Neil Marshall after DOG SOLDIERS - and Marshall keeps the promise given with his first film. There is enough blood and gore to keep the hardcore horror fans happy, there are the bad omens you'd expect from a horror movie (a deer with dubious cause of death near the cave, bats, bloody clawmarks) and the traditional storyline - a group of friends goes to a remote place, nobody knows where they are, and suddenly there is no way out.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
47
20th
Overrated. Very unrealistic and quite a few plot holes. If you want a movie that requires your thinking cap, please try to avoid this one.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
90th
One of the best and scariest horror films I've ever seen. Absolutely terrific - chilling, funny and gobs of gore.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
38th
I can't understand how this movie scares some people.. It's basically just a bunch of annoying but hot lesbians going into a cave and encountering some in my opinion nothing but cute monsters. It's a good laugh, but.. scary? Come on. Watch Alien or some real stuff if this scares you.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
5
57th
It's pretty entertaining and I loved the sense of claustrophobia, but I certainly can't be alone in thinking that the little Gollum fuckers actually ruined the tension more than anything else. It turned a lesson in cinematic suspense into a monster movie. Oh well.
Rated 02 Nov 2007
90
94th
Pure, straight horror, without complications. The director has a vigorous style and does not spare the viewer at any time.
Rated 11 Feb 2008
50
33rd
Decent enough premise, game cast, writer/director who just doesn't know how to do this kind of film
Rated 27 Mar 2008
83
81st
Just a bizzar creepy creepy movie.
Rated 22 Apr 2008
23
5th
Yes, that's just what women are like. Ugh, stick to what you know, Neil Marshall.
Rated 14 Jun 2008
75
86th
very good movie
Rated 12 Jul 2008
83
79th
Probably the best actual creature movie in a while. Maybe since Critters... HA! It took a while to get into but it was suspenseful as hell. Although after hearing all this talk that the original ending was better, I watched the original ending and i did not like it as much.
Rated 06 Aug 2008
96
98th
This is in my top5 horror films of all time.Neil Marshall has created one of those rare films where women are not portrayed as gibbering wrecks who get their tits out at the first sign of danger. It also allows for an interesting interpretation-though i don't necessarily agree-where the Crawlers don't exist and Sarah's responsible for the fate of her friends. You must see the original release though, cutting the final scene ultimately changes the feel of the entire film and does it a disservice
Rated 21 Aug 2008
83
77th
The problem with this movie is how it's slasher movie premise deters people from giving it a try. Behind the stigma of such a genre the film displays beautiful cinemetography, rounded characters, and scary moments that include, but are not limited to jump-out spooks. It's the way this type of movie SHOULD be done. I only wish there were more of the situational horror that enamoured me to the film and less "gore-porn", which at times feels like something of a crutch.
Rated 19 Sep 2008
60
14th
crap movie...oh except for the bad girl;)
Rated 14 Oct 2008
67
19th
There are some really good "oh crap" moments in the beginning and the movie is actually damn good up until the moment the horror element is introduced, at which point it just becomes just like every other horror movie out there, bringing nothing new to the table. Not to mention the ending is pretty bad and leaves everything off on a sour note.
Rated 11 Dec 2008
65
40th
pretty tense and awesome up until the overkill with the cave zombies.
Rated 25 Jun 2009
67
48th
Had some thrilling elements and better than much else in this genre these days, but in my mind it's a bit overhyped.
Rated 16 Jul 2009
30
18th
despite everyone's protestations to the contrary, not intelligent
Rated 29 Jul 2009
15
18th
What a bad movie. I usually can't watch horror movie's cause they're too scary. After a while I was able to watch without my eyes closed and not feeling scared at all. I even had to laugh sometimes..
Rated 18 Oct 2009
97
79th
no distracting "stars" in the film; all good actors. makes you claustrophobic. just terrifying wondering what you are going to see down in the dark.
Rated 11 Dec 2009
40
33rd
Now imagine the same thing happened, but the protagonists weren't hyperactive high school girls... Wouldn't be as exciting. Positives here include the beginning, the hot cast, the ending, and the gore which all go a long way for me but don't quite patch all the holes, both literal and less so, in the story. And then there's the rabid albino monkeys.
Rated 24 Jun 2010
90
54th
Solid on every level. You'd thing it's crud till you actually start to feel the claustrophobic feeling of the film and it's setting. And to make things worst, mutated mofo's get in on it and try to chomp everyone up. Solid Thriller. Heck of an adventure. Don't miss out!
Rated 30 Jun 2010
95
96th
i screamed!!!! loved it!!! i was almost always at the edge of my seat!!
Rated 26 Jul 2010
65
42nd
The first hour lives up to the hype as you are kept guessing at what exactly is going on. There is a creeping sense of dread throughout and the cave atmosphere amplifies this. The film also does an excellent job of maintaining and elevating tension which unfortunately falls apart in the hokey last act which cops out with unlikely action heroics and obligatory gore. The added emotional back story between the characters was a well done touch and added depth to this competent horror flick.
Rated 18 Sep 2010
60
62nd
Does The Descent work as a horror film? Not after about half way. Does it continue to be entertaining? It most certainly does. The characters are relatable and well developed, the film never dawdles, and some scenes, especially ones near the beginning, are genuinely terrifying. Most of the film thrives on cheap, forgettable jump scenes, which do not actually scare. It was entertaining enough while watching it, but afterwards, and even at parts throughout, it makes you wonder why you should care.
Rated 21 Jun 2011
20
24th
I wish that this were a monster movie instead of a movie about a group of people whose emotional baggage totally overshadows the fact that there are FUCKING MONSTERS HUNTING YOU! The scariest parts were when people were just trapped underground. That's scary. Twitchy, pale humanoid things who crawl around and snarl haven't been scary in years.
Rated 24 Aug 2011
4
38th
I'm not a fan of horror, and the creature subgenre is one of the least interesting, so in that respect this is pretty decent. Any other way of looking at it and I find it mediocre at best.
Rated 16 Jun 2012
44
15th
Unpleasant
Rated 12 Aug 2012
57
36th
This is so infuriatingly overrated, I genuinely have no idea why it's come to be regarded as the best horror of the last decade. Aside from some nice cinematography and lighting, I can't really see any redeeming qualities. It isn't scary, the crawlers are just silly, the acting is passable at best and when the film was trying to scare me with something other than jump scares, I just kept remembering the hilarious CGI bats scene. Is it a coincidence this came out the same time as The Cave?
Rated 09 Dec 2012
71
47th
This is a documentary about a British person's first trip into Scotland and encountering the native peoples, right?
Rated 16 Jan 2013
65
14th
Overrated horror.
Rated 13 Feb 2013
35
16th
Some parts of it weren't that bad, but making tons of "BOO!!!" scenes is the worst possible approach to make a horror film.
Rated 20 Oct 2013
45
22nd
You're scared of tight places, aren't you? Aren't you? And, getting caught in a hole? Come on! You know you are! --- Let's make a whole movie about that.
Rated 02 Aug 2014
54
51st
The first two-thirds convinced me I was a potential horror masterpiece; the film is emotionally suspenseful before any real horror occurs, and that only intensifies once they enter the claustrophobic world of the cave and its creatures. Unfortunately, the creatures are less frightening once they're being shown in the open and being killed left and right. To top it off, the ending feels like a composite of two alternate ideas, and neither works alongside the other one.
Rated 12 Nov 2014
79
77th
Fantastically crafted low budget no-nonsense horror fun (actually some nonsense but not in the actual horror parts). Brilliantly used sets & expertly presented creepy crawlies make for a real sense of claustrophobia and escalating maddening terror. Doesn't really know how to deal with all the character stuff which is a damn shame but mechanically it's quite masterful and extremely effective (at least for a claustrophobe such as myself) on a basic primal level.
Rated 14 Feb 2016
39
31st
The set-up is actually fairly enjoyable, with some nice camera work especially. Then the monsters show up and it plays out pretty much by the numbers. WAY better than the sequel, that's for damn sure.
Rated 04 May 2017
46
29th
Could we please take a break from making movies in which the female lead's best friend turns out to have been sleeping with their husband? Especially in this movie it does nothing to further the plot, I saw it coming a mile away and I suppose it's there to show that Juno is a horrible person, but we managed to pick up on this on our own.
Rated 16 Aug 2022
6
61st
The Descent is a pretty interesting little monster movie. To it’s credit, the monster design & sequences are actually kinda creepy, and in some instances, uses the environment pretty well. However, these characters are not interesting whatsoever, even for horror standards. It’s sad that it makes the first third of this movie really drag. Still, the environment and monsters themselves set the stage for an effective time, and it’s ending captures this atmosphere almost perfectly.
Rated 20 Oct 2022
62
32nd
Spelunker horror is an underutilized horror subgenre (anyone remember Ted the Caver?). There's about 40 minutes or so of some great claustrophobic unease in here, spiced up with some more visceral injury horror. But then the last 40 minutes dedicates itself to just ruining that atmosphere in a series of baffling decisions that brings everything down. Ultimately The Descent is defined by its own inconsistency more than anything it does right.
Rated 02 Dec 2006
75
58th
Holds up, generally. Uses claustrophobia and jump scares with relative effectiveness. Definitely need to watch part 2 if you want a conclusion.
Rated 21 Dec 2006
82
54th
Relies on a fair amount of jump scares, but is effective in keeping a creepy, brooding atmosphere throughout.
Rated 04 Jan 2007
70
54th
I have mixed feelings on both of the "AHA THINK AGAIN" endings, but the suspense was genuine enough to put this far, far above the trash Hollywood has been milking as "horror" for the past few years. I'll have to revisit it in a week to see if I actually remembered it, though.
Rated 07 Jan 2007
82
89th
Korkunç, ürpertici, dehşet verici...
Rated 07 Jan 2007
96
96th
My favorite serious horror film. A wonderful journey of betrayal and nightmares. The monster story only compliments the story of human relationships here. Brilliant.
Rated 01 Feb 2007
60
39th
I was disappointed at how the movie progressed after the initial monster appearance. They could have done it better, but it looks like they just wanted to explain everything about the monsters.
Rated 20 Feb 2007
65
40th
Trashy, atmospheric and ridiculously claustrophobic and exciting.
Rated 26 Feb 2007
75
71st
Probably not as good as I'm rating it, but I'm giving it a lot of points because it legitimately scared me shitless.
Rated 25 Mar 2007
75
67th
While not saying much for it, this is 2006's best horror feature, but could still be even better.
Rated 05 Apr 2007
77
47th
The movie is actually a lot scarier before the monsters show up, when its just people getting trapped in horrible, claustrophobic places.
Rated 15 Apr 2007
82
84th
I have never been more scared while seeing a movie
Rated 18 May 2007
90
66th
Holy shit. How come it's only about 50% of people that get scared out of their minds by this?
Rated 21 May 2007
60
38th
Takes a while to get going. A little cliched near the end, but overall a decent monster movie.
Rated 26 May 2007
60
55th
I don't know how the chick turned out to be such a badass... but what a creepy film.
Rated 09 Jun 2007
75
36th
It had some good scary parts, but the claustrophobia got to me more.
Rated 11 Jun 2007
85
73rd
Surprisingly good thriller/horror with a strong female focus.
Rated 25 Jul 2007
95
85th
The Scariest Movie of '05/'06, with a human drama on par with Carpenter's The Thing
Rated 07 Aug 2007
93
92nd
Intense as fuck.

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