The Descent (Original Unrated Cut)

I honestly don't understand the ending in the US version versus the original. Not only does it defeat the purpose of the *ENTIRE* movie and Sarah's character (much like I Am Legend, whose film adaptation made the title insensible), it's not scary, it's not interesting, it's not profound, and it's in no way an improvement over the original. It degrades the film into nothing more than a gorefest because it leaves out the absolutely critical final shots that explain everything. One has to wonder who got the idea to leave out the final minute in the original, which was nothing more than a single shot that explained literally everything about Sarah and her motives throughout the entire film. It was the conclusion to a long series of strange happenings, and it made perfect sense. The US version doesn't make sense. At all. The last minute defines the point of the film, but when it's taken out, it makes the entire premise insensible. The loose ends aren't tied up, Sarah's motivations aren't revealed, and we get what amounts to a useless and cheap screamer ending that makes no sense whatsoever. Ending changes are very rarely this senseless, as if the director or studio must have thought it was a good idea for some reason none of us understands. Having said that, this is a truly excellent flick about the psychological aspects of real horror among normal people caught in a bad situation out of good motives. It particularly focuses around Sarah, who we see as the only survivor in a gruesome car crash that kills her husband and daughter, but she survives. The rest of the film happens a year later, when everyone just wants, basically, to get Sarah out of the house and back into life, and out of her unrelenting despair. Before they actually enter the cave, we get a feel for the characters and their own reactions to Sarah's tragedy. The awkwardness that permeates everything is always there, as it would be in real life, and Sarah is just trying to make the most of it. The rest of the film can be summed up as Sarah being placed in a situation in which there is seemingly no escape for her or any of her friends as they're killed one after another. The film is pretty keen with its use of gore. None of it is pointless. It's meant to shock, but to shock for a reason. It's well-placed and directly relates to each character in their own reactions. Without the gore, it wouldn't look as natural to see their respective sanities begin to slip. When we ultimately get down to how Sarah handles it, we see the result of everything that's happened since the accident that left her without any family, nearly all her friends dead, and a transformation in her that culminates in the excellent final couple of shots in the UK ending. Now, you won't get that in the US version, which chooses instead to be a pointless horror flick without all that awful depth that the film is designed to have about people in utter despair and desperation. Really, this is such a totally different film from the one we got in US theaters that it becomes a completely different being. Practically everything is different, especially its tone and purpose. The US version was intentionally shallow and designed for cheap thrills. The original wasn't nearly so asinine in its approach, and is definitely worth several watches. There are little details that can be noticed that make it stand out as a truly well-designed character study and horror film in one. Very highly recommended, especially if you haven't seen the original and have only seen the very severely cut US version. It's definitely up high as one of my favorite films of all time for its original portrayal of Sarah and her transformation throughout the film, as well as the interactions between the characters, which is surprisingly convincing, the way people would normally react to such events happening around them. Just excellent.

5 Stars = Masterpiece Few horror movies, if any, in the last ten years match the intensity, suspense, dread, action, acting, direction, character study, & just the up in your face horror of "The Descent!" A group of women descend in to a cave that is supposed to be already explored, at least that is what they all think, except Juno, who has actually taken them to a uncharted cave system. Juno wants them to be the first to explore it. So our story starts, after a prologue of Sarah, Juno's best friend (or should I say, biggest guilt?) loses her husband & daughter in a car wreck, & the group of friends meeting each other after a long absence, at a cabin in the woods. If you're claustrophobic, then don't watch this film, as the women crawl, climb, & dig their way in to the cave. In a terrifying scene, Sarah gets stuck in a small passage way. Her friend Beth, crawls back to talk her out of panicking, so she can get Sarah out. As this starts to work & Sarah squirms her way out, the passage starts to collapse on top of her, as Beth urges her to move fast! Hence the cave now becomes a huge looming cavernous maw that swallows them whole, & closes it's mouth. The women are stuck in a giant cave complex, filled with passages, spreading out like veins in a hand, with no idea if there is another way out. A true horror, that is completely plausible! As the women search for a way out, with many a suspenseful scene, the cave becomes more & more ominous. They find ancient drawings from cave dwellers that suggest another entrance (exit) of the cave. It is here that all hell breaks loose, as their stalked by mutant cave dwellers for food, one by one. Not since "Aliens" has there been such intense action in a horror film, as the women punch, kick, bludgeon, & stab their way through thrilling scene after scene of survival carnage with the mutants. This is literally savage, & is filmed, acted, & choreographed in such a way that it sucks you in like a giant vortex, right into the action! The mutants make up is totally credible & genuinely scary, especially the female mutant. They look like a cross of humans with bat like features on their head & faces, true subterranean looking creatures, right out of a nightmare! To say much more about the story, would be giving to much away. I will say this, the film is a experience! An experience in terrifying claustrophobic horror. One has a hard time figuring out which is more terrifying, the cave & it's hopelessness, or the mutants? Both are a potent combination, & if it were not for the terrific cinematography, make up, ensemble acting, direction, setting, & editing, this film could've of been just another forgettable horror film. Thanks to director Neil Marshall, it's not! For he has created a true masterpiece of the genre, & though there have been similar films, at least in theme of cave creatures, this film stands as a true original masterpiece! The Blu-ray looks & sounds fantastic, if you don't have it, it's time to upgrade! Essential viewing for the horror lover!

When I first watched the movie, I had the lights turned off and listened through the headphones. I didn't think much after I picked it up for a dollar at the thrift store. After watching it, it was fantastic. Few characters, in a cave, crawling with ancient humans who feed on human flesh. The women end up fighting for their lives, one by one, being killed by beings, who crawl on the walls, ceilings, while they realize the deeper they go, their doom is near. The film has a lot of jump scares. Original story. Most horror films are usually in a house, building, streets, camp, etc. The actors are mostly unknown. I didn't know who there were until after watching the movie. The picture was mostly filmed in a movie studio. I read the production team feared of injuries in a real cave and that it would be very time-consuming to film and movie around in tight areas. The film was written and directed by Neil Marshall. He had nothing to do with the abysmal sequel. He was just the executing producer. The sequel was terrible. Just watch the original. In the USA, the theater version edited out the dark ending. The DVD and Blu-ray, keeps the original ending intact. There are plenty of extras with interviews, deleted scenes, trailers, making off etc. This is still a Great British horror movie to watch.

The movie is a classic creature feature and one of the horror movies I watch every year. No complaints about the movie itself. It's a blood drenched masterpiece. Neil Marshall directed, so you know he's got it covered, and the cast is great. Lots of twists, turns, and claustrophobia. That, and of course, blood. But something went wrong in the shipping, and the cover art/insert is torn underneath the plastic. The case itself is the eco friendly kind with the "recycle" logo carved out of the plastic, and something pushed on it and ended up tearing the paper. It's cosmetic but still disappointing since I bought this "new." Probably an Amazon thing since itw as fulfilled by them, but either way it's annoying.

Great movie and transfer. If you're claustrophobic some scenes may be hard to watch

In The Descent, director Neil Marshall uses caves as symbols of hidden desires and buried resentments. He also uses tunnels as symbols of self-discovery. As the women in the story move physically from one place to another through passageways in caverns, they likewise uncover hidden depths about themselves and each other. Many of these truths are unpleasant and perhaps better left hidden. Juno and Sarah, the two lead characters, have the most to hide from each other. Their mixed relationship gives the movie its forward momentum. They are like two tectonic plates on a collision course. Juno’s secret affair with Sarah’s husband indirectly causes the death of him and Sarah’s young daughter. Sarah suspects the two of having an affair but keeps her suspicions buried. She does not want to risk threatening their friendship. In addition, she, like the other women in the group, is afraid of Juno’s domineering personality. Sarah would rather avoid Juno than confront her. The other women share similar mixed feelings for each other. They seem like a tight and friendly group, but beneath the surface, they have hidden depths in the form of conflicting loyalties. Two of the women are sisters which makes them a small group within the group. Juno and Karen seem closer to each other than to the rest of the group. Sarah and Annie have a close friendship. Annie also seems to dislike Juno’s alpha personality and appears to have no trouble standing up to her. All of these fissures widen and erupt into conflict the group begins their adventure. The descent into the cave is really a descent into their subterranean tensions and attitudes. Director Marshall further reinforces this theme of conflict with the creatures that the women encounter. These creatures come to represent the women’s inner impulses of anger and resentment. Their better natures want to stick together and help each other as a group. Their deeper and more primitive natures—their inner monsters—want to abandon the group and save themselves. These inner monsters—like the actual monsters—tear the group into smaller pieces and lead to their downfall. This theme of inner conflict comes to its climax in the final and inevitable showdown between Sarah and Juno. Before Sarah confronts Juno, she fights with a female monster. The monster clearly represents Sarah’s darker side. She has been wrestling with her distrust of Juno throughout the movie. That distrust now boils over into anger and outright fury once she learns that Juno injured Annie and left her to die. Though Sarah kills the female creature, Sarah’s own inner creature of hatred is very much alive and victorious. Sarah herself is reborn as a monster of insane and uncontrollable vengeance. Juno dies, but so does Sarah. Nobody wins. The movie ends on an unexpected sentimental note. Marshall shows the Polaroid snapshot that the women took of themselves on the morning of their expedition. It reminds us of the genuine friendship and happiness that existed between the women before their lives took a sudden turn for the worse. It also reminds all of us in the audience about how fleeting and transient all happiness is. As Sarah’s pendant says: “Live each day.”

I had seen this film back in 2006 and gave it four stars at that time because while I really admired the film, I wasn't totally into it as much as I had hoped, particularly with all the stellar reviews the film had recceived. But... About three or four months ago, my wife and I watched the film again after her interest was peaked by an IFC special about "Scariest Moments in Film" and THE DESCENT was mentioned. I was blown away when I watched it again with her. Not only was I still in awe of Neil Marshall's technical skill and the actor's performances and how they worked together to create the most claustrophobic film in existence, but while watching the film, I felt my wife almost unable to breathe or move while viewing it, and her energy enhanced my energy and my immersiveness into the film. The absolute best thing about this film is that it could have easily succeeded in a horror film even without the subterranean cannibals because of the setting of the film and the interaction between the characters in the film. It's one of those rare horror films that perfectly transcends the genre, and when a horror film can do that, it makes it an almost instant classic. I say to not watch this film alone, not just because it is damn scary, but if you do watch it alone, you don't have the energy of the other people around you. Some films you can see by yourself and it doesn't really matter, but THE DESCENT is a film that requires you being in an audience of at least one other person. And make sure that you or the other person has a hand to hold!

Good movie.