"Six women go spelunking" doesn't necessarily read as a great logline for a horror movie, but Neil Marshall's "The Descent" takes that premise and crafts an unforgettable exercise in terror. As the saying goes, it's a B-movie with A+ filmmaking.
Being trapped underground combines two common fears, confinement and darkness, and in "The Descent," the heavy shadows only reinforce the claustrophobia. Marshall and his cinematographer Sam McCurdy chose to light the film's sets (a facsimile of a real cave system built and shot at Pinewood Studios) primarily with the characters' flashlights. Even color choices — some frames are filtered entirely red or green — are used diegetically from those lights or flares.
As the characters get deeper and deeper into the cave, darkness subsumes each and every frame. It needs to, for the whole reason a cave is a scary setting is because of what you can't see. And yet, Marshall...
Being trapped underground combines two common fears, confinement and darkness, and in "The Descent," the heavy shadows only reinforce the claustrophobia. Marshall and his cinematographer Sam McCurdy chose to light the film's sets (a facsimile of a real cave system built and shot at Pinewood Studios) primarily with the characters' flashlights. Even color choices — some frames are filtered entirely red or green — are used diegetically from those lights or flares.
As the characters get deeper and deeper into the cave, darkness subsumes each and every frame. It needs to, for the whole reason a cave is a scary setting is because of what you can't see. And yet, Marshall...
- 12/4/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Updated: The Night Shift star Eoin Macken has been tapped as the male lead opposite Natalie Zea in NBC’s drama pilot La Brea. Another NBC series star, Chicago P.D.‘s Jon Seda, is one of three actors, originally cast in the project a year ago and released in June, who have been brought back to reprise their roles, along with Veronica St. Clair and Chiké Okonkwo.
Jack Martin and Lily Santiago also have been newly cast in the pilot, joining Zyra Gorecki.
In La Brea, written by David Appelbaum, when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother (Zea) and son (Martin) from father (Macken) and daughter (Gorecki). When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and...
Jack Martin and Lily Santiago also have been newly cast in the pilot, joining Zyra Gorecki.
In La Brea, written by David Appelbaum, when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother (Zea) and son (Martin) from father (Macken) and daughter (Gorecki). When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and...
- 3/4/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: WME has signed Industry actress Marisa Abela and will represent the actress in all areas.
Abela stars as Yasmin in the HBO Max banking drama from Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, executive produced by Lena Dunham. The actress appears alongside Myha’la Herrold, Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson, Nabhaan Rizwam, Freya Mavor, Will Tudor, Conor Macneil and Ken Leung. The series, which follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited number of permanent positions at a leading international bank in London, was recently renewed for a second season.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Abela also starred in Cobra alongside Robert Carlyle, Richard Dormer and Victoria Hamilton.
Abela continues to be represented by Saskia Mulder of The Artists Partnership.
Abela stars as Yasmin in the HBO Max banking drama from Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, executive produced by Lena Dunham. The actress appears alongside Myha’la Herrold, Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson, Nabhaan Rizwam, Freya Mavor, Will Tudor, Conor Macneil and Ken Leung. The series, which follows a group of young graduates competing for a limited number of permanent positions at a leading international bank in London, was recently renewed for a second season.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Abela also starred in Cobra alongside Robert Carlyle, Richard Dormer and Victoria Hamilton.
Abela continues to be represented by Saskia Mulder of The Artists Partnership.
- 12/17/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: CAA has signed Helena Zengel, who will next be seen in Paul Greengrass’ News of the World starring opposite Tom Hanks.
She garnered critical acclaim for her performance in System Crasher and won Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the German Film Awards, becoming the youngest actress in history to do so. The film received the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and received numerous other awards.
Zengel made her debut at the age of 5 in the made-for-television movie Spreedwaldkrimi: Morderishce Hitze. Additional credits include Looping, Die Tochter and Baby Bitchka.
She continues to be represented in the UK by Saskia Mulder and Rachel Briscoe at the Artists Partnership.
She garnered critical acclaim for her performance in System Crasher and won Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the German Film Awards, becoming the youngest actress in history to do so. The film received the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and received numerous other awards.
Zengel made her debut at the age of 5 in the made-for-television movie Spreedwaldkrimi: Morderishce Hitze. Additional credits include Looping, Die Tochter and Baby Bitchka.
She continues to be represented in the UK by Saskia Mulder and Rachel Briscoe at the Artists Partnership.
- 12/4/2020
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: 24 and Happy Endings star Elisha Cuthbert is set to star with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and The Night Shift star Eoin Macken in Ireland-set horror movie The Cellar, which Epic Pictures will launch at the upcoming AFM.
Pic tells the story of Keira Woods (Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family’s souls forever.
The Cellar heralds from Irish writer-director Brendan Muldowney, whose previous film, Pilgrimage, starring Tom Holland, John Bernthal and Richard Armitage, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Muldowney reunites with Pilgrimage DoP Tom Comerford (The Hole in the Ground), composer Stephen McKeown (The Hole in the Ground) and production designer Owen Power (Maudie).
Principal photography on the horror film is set to begin in Roscommon,...
Pic tells the story of Keira Woods (Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family’s souls forever.
The Cellar heralds from Irish writer-director Brendan Muldowney, whose previous film, Pilgrimage, starring Tom Holland, John Bernthal and Richard Armitage, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Muldowney reunites with Pilgrimage DoP Tom Comerford (The Hole in the Ground), composer Stephen McKeown (The Hole in the Ground) and production designer Owen Power (Maudie).
Principal photography on the horror film is set to begin in Roscommon,...
- 10/29/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
[Welcome back, readers! With the 2017 Sundance Film Festival beginning this week, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the great midnight movies that have come out of the fest over the years. Be sure to check back here each day this week for more Midnight Memories from Daily Dead!]
Last January marked ten years since Neil Marshall’s The Descent was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Over a decade after it was featured in the Park City at Midnight lineup, The Descent is almost universally considered a modern horror classic, which is unfortunate for yours truly because until recently, I’d never actually seen it. But after finally venturing into this cave, I am happy to say that this is one of those rare movies that completely lives up to the hype.
For those unfamiliar with the basics, The Descent follows six women as they go on a spelunking trip in the North Carolina stretch of the Appalachian Mountains. A year before, one of the group members, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), lost both her husband and her daughter in a car accident, and her friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) sees this as an opportunity to bond in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Last January marked ten years since Neil Marshall’s The Descent was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Over a decade after it was featured in the Park City at Midnight lineup, The Descent is almost universally considered a modern horror classic, which is unfortunate for yours truly because until recently, I’d never actually seen it. But after finally venturing into this cave, I am happy to say that this is one of those rare movies that completely lives up to the hype.
For those unfamiliar with the basics, The Descent follows six women as they go on a spelunking trip in the North Carolina stretch of the Appalachian Mountains. A year before, one of the group members, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), lost both her husband and her daughter in a car accident, and her friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) sees this as an opportunity to bond in the aftermath of the tragedy.
- 1/19/2017
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Feature Andrew Blair 2 Apr 2013 - 08:30
Andrew offers up ten screenwriting names on our wishlist for appearing on the front of future Doctor Who scripts...
Gone are the days where you could send a letter to Peter Darvill-Evans and write a New Adventure. Big Finish will occasionally hold a writing competition, but for most of the time your examination of what it truly means to be an Ogri will be returned unopened. Fan-fiction will never surpass the heights of Ben Chatham's adventures (apart from all the many times it will), and so it came to pass that Doctor Who writing became something of a closed world. The positives of this outweigh the negatives.
To get a job writing for televisual Doctor Who, you have to be an experienced pro with television experience who can turn in a script on time, not minding that their work might be tampered with by...
Andrew offers up ten screenwriting names on our wishlist for appearing on the front of future Doctor Who scripts...
Gone are the days where you could send a letter to Peter Darvill-Evans and write a New Adventure. Big Finish will occasionally hold a writing competition, but for most of the time your examination of what it truly means to be an Ogri will be returned unopened. Fan-fiction will never surpass the heights of Ben Chatham's adventures (apart from all the many times it will), and so it came to pass that Doctor Who writing became something of a closed world. The positives of this outweigh the negatives.
To get a job writing for televisual Doctor Who, you have to be an experienced pro with television experience who can turn in a script on time, not minding that their work might be tampered with by...
- 4/2/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Filed under: Horror, Cinematical
At its best (or worst, depending on your perspective), horror taps into our most basic, most elemental, and most primal of fears. No fear is more basic, more elemental, or more primal than fear of the dark. As our ancient ancestors learned, what you don't see can most certainly, definitively cause you grievous bodily harm, up to and including dismemberment and/or a painful, excruciating death. Add to that primal fear of the dark a labyrinthine cave system, lost spelunkers, and cannibalistic mutants and you get something like Neil Marshall's ('Centurion,' 'Doomsday,' 'Dog Soldiers') second (and, so far, best) film, 'The Descent.' Released in the UK and Europe in 2005, but not released stateside until the following summer (with an alternate ending no less), 'The Descent' is survival horror at its most compelling (and terrifying, of course...
At its best (or worst, depending on your perspective), horror taps into our most basic, most elemental, and most primal of fears. No fear is more basic, more elemental, or more primal than fear of the dark. As our ancient ancestors learned, what you don't see can most certainly, definitively cause you grievous bodily harm, up to and including dismemberment and/or a painful, excruciating death. Add to that primal fear of the dark a labyrinthine cave system, lost spelunkers, and cannibalistic mutants and you get something like Neil Marshall's ('Centurion,' 'Doomsday,' 'Dog Soldiers') second (and, so far, best) film, 'The Descent.' Released in the UK and Europe in 2005, but not released stateside until the following summer (with an alternate ending no less), 'The Descent' is survival horror at its most compelling (and terrifying, of course...
- 2/1/2011
- by Mel Valentin
- Moviefone
Filed under: Horror, Cinematical
At its best (or worst, depending on your perspective), horror taps into our most basic, most elemental, and most primal of fears. No fear is more basic, more elemental, or more primal than fear of the dark. As our ancient ancestors learned, what you don't see can most certainly, definitively cause you grievous bodily harm, up to and including dismemberment and/or a painful, excruciating death. Add to that primal fear of the dark a labyrinthine cave system, lost spelunkers, and cannibalistic mutants and you get something like Neil Marshall's ('Centurion,' 'Doomsday,' 'Dog Soldiers') second (and, so far, best) film, 'The Descent.' Released in the UK and Europe in 2005, but not released stateside until the following summer (with an alternate ending no less), 'The Descent' is survival horror at its most compelling (and terrifying, of course...
At its best (or worst, depending on your perspective), horror taps into our most basic, most elemental, and most primal of fears. No fear is more basic, more elemental, or more primal than fear of the dark. As our ancient ancestors learned, what you don't see can most certainly, definitively cause you grievous bodily harm, up to and including dismemberment and/or a painful, excruciating death. Add to that primal fear of the dark a labyrinthine cave system, lost spelunkers, and cannibalistic mutants and you get something like Neil Marshall's ('Centurion,' 'Doomsday,' 'Dog Soldiers') second (and, so far, best) film, 'The Descent.' Released in the UK and Europe in 2005, but not released stateside until the following summer (with an alternate ending no less), 'The Descent' is survival horror at its most compelling (and terrifying, of course...
- 2/1/2011
- by Mel Valentin
- Cinematical
As human beings we all begin life in the same way. We are conceived and gestated within the womb of a woman for approximately nine months before being traumatically thrust into, what seems to us, a cold and harsh world. If we were sentient throughout those nine months, I'm sure we would be at absolute peace. Tightly swaddled within the warm, muffled and self-sufficient environment, it would seem like the ideal way to spend a very small portion of one's life. Indeed many parenting experts recommend tightly wrapping an inconsolable infant in a blanket to mimic the gestational environment to calm them. Given that most humans begin life in this manner it's amazing that many of us experience abject terror when put in the same situation as adults. The thought of being in a small, smothering and constricting space sends us into an immediate panic. That's what The Descent does.
- 10/26/2010
- by Robert Scott
The first TV spot for “The Descent: Part 2,” starring Shauna MacDonald, Myanna Burning, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O’Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge and Krysten Cummings, has appeared online.
Sarah (Macdonald), emerges alone from a cave system following an expedition with her five friends in the Appalachian mountains. Distraught, injured and covered in the blood of her missing companions, Sarah is incoherent and half-wild with fear. Skeptical about her account of events and convinced Sarah’s psychosis hides far darker secrets, Sheriff Vaines forces her back into the caves to help locate the rest of the group. Trapped by falling rocks, the rescue party are driven deep into the caverns, and as one by one the fate of the missing girls is revealed, Sarah is forced to confront her deepest fears.
“The Descent: Part 2″ is directed by Jon Harris, who is making his helming debut.
Sarah (Macdonald), emerges alone from a cave system following an expedition with her five friends in the Appalachian mountains. Distraught, injured and covered in the blood of her missing companions, Sarah is incoherent and half-wild with fear. Skeptical about her account of events and convinced Sarah’s psychosis hides far darker secrets, Sheriff Vaines forces her back into the caves to help locate the rest of the group. Trapped by falling rocks, the rescue party are driven deep into the caverns, and as one by one the fate of the missing girls is revealed, Sarah is forced to confront her deepest fears.
“The Descent: Part 2″ is directed by Jon Harris, who is making his helming debut.
- 11/23/2009
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
The Descent: Part 2 will continue the story of Sarah, who as the only survivor of an all-female caving expedition gone horrifically wrong, suffers severe psychological trauma. Unable to speak, she accompanies a rescue team back to the cave, but events once again take a sinister turn. While the film arrives in the UK next year, beyond the break you'll find four clips from the Jon Harris directed sequel that stars Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder and Nora-Jane Noone. Check out the film's official website for more.
- 11/10/2009
- bloody-disgusting.com
Over at the film's official website you'll find the first official clip from Jon Harris' The Descent: Part 2, which arrives in UK cinemas in April. The sequel will continue the story of Sarah, who as the only survivor of an all-female caving expedition gone horrifically wrong, suffers severe psychological trauma. Unable to speak, she accompanies a rescue team back to the cave, but events once again take a sinister turn. Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone all star in the sequel to Neil Marshall's smash hit.
- 10/21/2009
- bloody-disgusting.com
In the spirit of Halloween '09, we're breaking out reviews (some new, some old) of some Fall Frights you may want to work into your monthly viewing.
Originally published, 08/04/2006
The Descent is proof positive that there’s nothing wrong with a timeworn horror premise that an application of good cinematic smarts can’t fix. Writer/director Neil Marshall’s follow-up to Dog Soldiers is far from the first film about a small group of people entering a confined environment and being picked off one by one by the local critters, but it stands so far above the likes of The Cave that it seems unfair to even mention them in the same context. The Descent goes back to horror basics in the best way possible, preying on primal fears of the dark as six female friends, who gather every year to take part in some sort of group adventure, decide...
Originally published, 08/04/2006
The Descent is proof positive that there’s nothing wrong with a timeworn horror premise that an application of good cinematic smarts can’t fix. Writer/director Neil Marshall’s follow-up to Dog Soldiers is far from the first film about a small group of people entering a confined environment and being picked off one by one by the local critters, but it stands so far above the likes of The Cave that it seems unfair to even mention them in the same context. The Descent goes back to horror basics in the best way possible, preying on primal fears of the dark as six female friends, who gather every year to take part in some sort of group adventure, decide...
- 10/20/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Celador Films released movie poster for the upcoming horror film “The Descent: Part 2″ which stars Shauna MacDonald, Myanna Burning, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O’Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge and Krysten Cummings.
Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), emerges alone from a cave system following an expedition with her five friends in the Appalachian mountains. Distraught, injured and covered in the blood of her missing companions, Sarah is incoherent and half-wild with fear. Skeptical about her account of events and convinced Sarah’s psychosis hides far darker secrets, Sheriff Vaines forces her back into the caves to help locate the rest of the group. Trapped by falling rocks, the rescue party are driven deep into the caverns, and as one by one the fate of the missing girls is revealed, Sarah is forced to confront her deepest fears.
“The Descent: Part 2″ opens in the UK December 4th,...
Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), emerges alone from a cave system following an expedition with her five friends in the Appalachian mountains. Distraught, injured and covered in the blood of her missing companions, Sarah is incoherent and half-wild with fear. Skeptical about her account of events and convinced Sarah’s psychosis hides far darker secrets, Sheriff Vaines forces her back into the caves to help locate the rest of the group. Trapped by falling rocks, the rescue party are driven deep into the caverns, and as one by one the fate of the missing girls is revealed, Sarah is forced to confront her deepest fears.
“The Descent: Part 2″ opens in the UK December 4th,...
- 10/15/2009
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
To go along with the official UK quad poster we shared with you yesterday, we've now got our hands on a new image from The Descent: Part 2 that features an intense moment in the Jon Harris directed sequel that will continue the story of Sarah, who as the only survivor of an all-female caving expedition gone horrifically wrong, suffers severe psychological trauma. Unable to speak, she accompanies a rescue team back to the cave, but events once again take a sinister turn. Watch for a review and the new trailer soon. Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone all star.
- 8/14/2009
- bloody-disgusting.com
Jon Harris' hotly anticipated sequel to Neil Marshall's The Descent premieres this month at the Frightfest Film Festival in London before arriving in UK cinemas on December 4th. Today we got our hands on a hi-res look at the official UK Quad poster for The Descent Part 2, which will continue the story of Sarah, who as the only survivor of an all-female caving expedition gone horrifically wrong, suffers severe psychological trauma. Unable to speak, she accompanies a rescue team back to the cave, but events once again take a sinister turn. The sequel stars Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder and Nora-Jane Noone.
- 8/13/2009
- bloody-disgusting.com
Playing at the UK Frightfest on August 31 is the hotly anticipated The Descent Part II, which was directed by Jon Harris from a screenplay James Watkins. Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder and Nora-Jane Noone all star in the sequel. The sequel will continue the story of Sarah, who as the only survivor of an all-female caving expedition gone horrifically wrong, suffers severe psychological trauma. Unable to speak, she accompanies a rescue team back to the cave, but events once again take a sinister turn.
- 7/6/2009
- bloody-disgusting.com
Today a really cool video was discovered over on YouTube, which features a TV station's visit behind-the-scenes of Pathe's The Descent 2, which is currently shooting at Ealing Studios. Being directed by Jon Harris, the film will continue the story of Sarah, who as the only survivor of an all-female caving expedition gone horrifically wrong, suffers severe psychological trauma. Unable to speak, she accompanies a rescue team back to the cave, but events once again take a sinister turn. Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas, Anna Skellern, Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder and Nora-Jane Noone all star.
- 6/19/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
Today the first official still was posted from Pathe's The Descent 2, which stars Douglas Hodge, Krysten Cummings, MyAnna Buring, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder and Nora-Jane Noone. Directed by Jon Harris, The Descent 2 picks up immediately after the events depicted in The Descent Sarah (MacDonald), emerges alone from a cave system following an expedition with her five friends in the Appalachian mountains. Distraught, injured and covered in the blood of her missing companions, Sarah is incoherent and half-wild with fear. Skeptical about her account of events and convinced Sarah's psychosis hides far darker secrets, Sheriff Vaines forces her back into the caves to help locate the rest of the group. Trapped by falling rocks, the rescue party are driven deep into the caverns, and as one by one the fate of the missing girls is revealed, Sarah is forced to confront her deepest fears.
- 6/17/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
- Quick Links > Neil Marshall > The Descent > Doomsday > Lionsgate Films > Official Trailer In 2002 a film by the title of Dog Soldiers made its debut on the festival circuit and went on to see a limited theatrical release and worldwide video/DVD distribution. It was the debut feature from writer/director Neil Marshall, about a group of hard-drinking, soccer-loving Scottish soldiers who, while on a seemingly routine training exercise in northern Scotland mountains, cross paths with a pack of lycanthropes (werewolves to the lay person), and must battle the beasts with everything from guns, knives, and grenades, to broadswords, makeshift flamethrowers, everyday household items, and when all else fails, hand to hand combat. Filled with audacious violence, a dark sense of humor, and loads of movie references (Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, Jaws and Predator to name a few), Dog Soldiers garnered a substantial cult following among horror fans that flocked
- 8/8/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
There may not be any dueling banjos on the soundtrack, but Neil Marshall's horrifically terrific "The Descent" cannily recasts 1972's "Deliverance" as a female-bonding thriller with some "Hills Have Eyes"-style mutant terror tossed in for truly harrowing effect.
Definitely one of the year's most satisfying genre pieces, the British import should have jumpy audiences squealing like a pig, just like they did when "The Descent" was released overseas -- it opened in the U.K. 13 months ago -- to considerable critical and financial success.
The picture, which hits North American shores with a slightly different ending, should pull in some decent coin for Lionsgate, building nicely on the horror cred established by the likes of the "Hostel" and "Saw" franchises.
Both versions waste little time in bringing on the shock value when a rafting trip undertaken by a group of girlfriends ends with a terrible car accident.
Still recovering a year later from the deaths of her husband and daughter, a shaky Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) nevertheless agrees to join her friends on another extreme expedition -- spelunking in a decidedly remote portion of the Appalachian Mountains.
Unbeknownst to the others, the trek's fearless leader and Sarah Best's friend, Juno (Natalie Mendoza), has deliberately chosen a cave system that's not in the guide books, ostensibly so that they can claim it as their own.
But after falling rocks block their only known way out, they also discover that not only are they not alone in the complete darkness, but they're being stalked as prey by a clan of subterranean humanoid creatures with healthy appetites.
In short order, the initial descent undertaken by Sarah, Juno, Beth (Alex Reid), Rebecca (Saskia Mulder), punky Holly (Nora-Jane Noone) and Sam (MyAnna Buring) spirals into one of madness as the body count begins.
Writer-director Marshall, who earned a cult following with his 2002 first feature, "Dog Soldiers", expertly maps out those raw nerve endings while creating credible characters who speak and act like real people rather than the usual horror archetypes.
With the feverish claustrophobia well established, he then lets special makeup and effects designer Paul Hyett loose with those savage, slimy, blind, translucent "crawlers" that somehow bring to mind the late Klaus Kinski in a particularly unpleasant mood.
Further boosting that nightmarish feeling of dread are production designer Simon Bowles' dank, spray resin caves erected at Pinewood Studios and director of photography Sam McCurdy, who industriously works his way around those limited light sources.
The Descent
Lionsgate Films
Celador Films
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Executive producer: Paul Smith
Director of photography: Sam McCurdy
Production designer: Simon Bowles
Editor: Jon Harris
Costume designer: Nancy Thompson
Special make-up and effects designer: Paul Hyett
Music: David Julyan
Cast:
Sarah: Shauna Macdonald
Juno: Natalie Mendoza
Beth: Alex Reid
Rebecca: Saskia Mulder
Sam: MyAnna Buring
Holly: Nora-Jane Noone
Paul: Oliver Milburn
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 99 minutes...
Definitely one of the year's most satisfying genre pieces, the British import should have jumpy audiences squealing like a pig, just like they did when "The Descent" was released overseas -- it opened in the U.K. 13 months ago -- to considerable critical and financial success.
The picture, which hits North American shores with a slightly different ending, should pull in some decent coin for Lionsgate, building nicely on the horror cred established by the likes of the "Hostel" and "Saw" franchises.
Both versions waste little time in bringing on the shock value when a rafting trip undertaken by a group of girlfriends ends with a terrible car accident.
Still recovering a year later from the deaths of her husband and daughter, a shaky Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) nevertheless agrees to join her friends on another extreme expedition -- spelunking in a decidedly remote portion of the Appalachian Mountains.
Unbeknownst to the others, the trek's fearless leader and Sarah Best's friend, Juno (Natalie Mendoza), has deliberately chosen a cave system that's not in the guide books, ostensibly so that they can claim it as their own.
But after falling rocks block their only known way out, they also discover that not only are they not alone in the complete darkness, but they're being stalked as prey by a clan of subterranean humanoid creatures with healthy appetites.
In short order, the initial descent undertaken by Sarah, Juno, Beth (Alex Reid), Rebecca (Saskia Mulder), punky Holly (Nora-Jane Noone) and Sam (MyAnna Buring) spirals into one of madness as the body count begins.
Writer-director Marshall, who earned a cult following with his 2002 first feature, "Dog Soldiers", expertly maps out those raw nerve endings while creating credible characters who speak and act like real people rather than the usual horror archetypes.
With the feverish claustrophobia well established, he then lets special makeup and effects designer Paul Hyett loose with those savage, slimy, blind, translucent "crawlers" that somehow bring to mind the late Klaus Kinski in a particularly unpleasant mood.
Further boosting that nightmarish feeling of dread are production designer Simon Bowles' dank, spray resin caves erected at Pinewood Studios and director of photography Sam McCurdy, who industriously works his way around those limited light sources.
The Descent
Lionsgate Films
Celador Films
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Executive producer: Paul Smith
Director of photography: Sam McCurdy
Production designer: Simon Bowles
Editor: Jon Harris
Costume designer: Nancy Thompson
Special make-up and effects designer: Paul Hyett
Music: David Julyan
Cast:
Sarah: Shauna Macdonald
Juno: Natalie Mendoza
Beth: Alex Reid
Rebecca: Saskia Mulder
Sam: MyAnna Buring
Holly: Nora-Jane Noone
Paul: Oliver Milburn
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 99 minutes...
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