The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British creature feature directed by Neil Marshall.
Six women, an uncharted cave, and a group dynamic already poisoned before anything goes wrong.
goreledger editorial rating: 8/10 · Read the review
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Six women, an uncharted cave system in the Appalachians, and a group dynamic already poisoned before anything goes wrong.
The first hour has no monster and does not need one. Sarah's husband and daughter died in the opening minutes, Juno slept with the husband, everybody knows, nobody says it, and Juno has lied about which cave they are entering. By the time the crawlers appear the group is finished.
Neil Marshall built the caves as sets at Pinewood rather than shooting underground, which is why the geography reads clearly and why it is unbearable if you dislike enclosed spaces. The crawlers are actors in makeup, lit by flares and a camcorder screen.
The British and American cuts end differently. The US distributor removed the final ninety seconds, which turns a film about grief and guilt into a film about a woman escaping a cave.
Watch the UK version. It is not a matter of preference.
Goreledger editorial rating
8 / 10
The first hour has no monster and needs none: the group is poisoned by grief and a lie before the crawlers arrive. The caves read clearly and are unbearable if you dislike enclosure. Watch the UK ending; the US one is a different film.
Our opinion, not an average. How we rate
Goreledger editorial profile
Describes the film, not its quality: high gore means very gory.
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Trailer
The sleeves
The same film, sold as a different film in each territory. Click any of them.
Where to watch
Germany
UK
USA
Legal sources only. Availability data from JustWatch via TMDB.
Checked 9 Aug 2026
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