The Descent is a 2004 British horror film directed by Neil Marshall. It tells the story of six female friends who go on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains but become trapped after a tragic accident. As they explore the cave system to find an exit, they discover a new species of carnivorous humans that hunt them one by one. The film effectively uses sound, visuals, pace, and gore to create an intense sense of fear and mystery for the audience. It attracted many female viewers through its cast of strong female leads and became a commercial success in the horror genre through its creative use of practical effects and ability to surprise viewers with plot twists.

1. The Descent Review - Adam Green
The Descent is a horror movie, released in the year 2004 and was released by Celador in the
UK. The film is based around the story of a group of girl best friends, who regularly do social
activities together. One of the friends go through a traumatic experience, so to try and take the
event off Sarah’s mind, they go on a caving trip. However the things that happen during this trip
destroy the friendships bit by bit.
The purpose of the movie is to frighten the audience, and it does this very successfully. The use
of audio, visuals, and dialogue really add up to create a real sense of fear when watching the
movie. Sound is used to reflect how each character is feeling, but also to help intensify the scary
scenes for the viewer. Use of pace is also quite interesting also. Up until we see the monsters,
the movie is quite slow paced, we learn about the characters, and some basic backstory too.
However when the monsters are discovered, the pace goes fast all of a sudden, which makes
the turn of events seem more real and frightening than if the pace gradually increased. Through
the use of dark visuals, the viewer creates a sense of mystery in their mind. They are uncertain
as to what is going to happen at any given time, which makes the viewing experience more
suspenseful. However the movie is still somewhat entertaining and includes some humorous
scenes. However this doesn’t badly impact the horror aspect of the movie.
The main characters in the movie are all females, which helps to attract more girl viewers to
watch the movie. It also contains a lot of blood and gore, which could attract a lot of existing
horror fans to the movie. The use of intense gore sends the viewers imagination crazy, making
them more prone to being scared by jump-shocks and whatnot. They are all represented as
strong individuals, this is shown by their use of dialect and body language.
The Descent is a linear movie, meaning it is easy for the viewer to follow on. MEaning it is easy
viewing, but not un-scary either. Through the use of Computer Generated Imagery and practical
effects, the visuals really are scary. Use of costume is also a fantastic way to tell the viewer a
little more about the cast.
The Descent is an excellent movie, that really shows the theme of horror very well. The
successful use of imagery, audio, costume and good actors make this a successful horror movie
that manages to play with the audiences emotions and surprise all with plot twists.