Every day for the month of October, Coming Soon is making a new horror movie recommendation for those eager to find a new frightening flick for Halloween. From the creepy goodness of a classy ghost story to a blood-spattered gorefest and everything in between, we’ll have something for every taste of horror. And today’s pick is…
The Descent
What’s The Descent about: Written and directed by Neil Marshall (Doomsday, Game of Thrones, 2019’s Hellboy), The Descent follows Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) as she joins her girlfriends on a spelunking adventure a year after the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter. Sarah and the others find themselves trapped after a narrow passage collapses, turning the adventure into a desperate search for an exit as they continue traveling deeper into the unknown. Sarah’s estranged friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza) admits that she led the group into an unknown cave system, thinking the trip would allow her and Sarah to reconnect. The disorientation and fear build as the women quickly discover they are not alone in the massive cave and are picked off one by one by creatures, known as crawlers, who thrive in the dark, relying on sound to hunt.
Why The Descent rules: This bloody, female-led film is genuinely scary and will have you questioning ever stepping foot in a cave (or any tight, dark space again). But besides the freaky crawlers and nearly unbearable claustrophobic atmosphere, the story remains character-driven as we witness the descent of basic humanity into ruthless savagery driven by trauma, survival instincts and grief, along with a touch of betrayal and revenge.
How scary is The Descent: As someone who doesn’t scare easy, The Descent has haunted me (in the best way) for over a decade. The use of tight spaces and panic-filled tension set in a nearly pitch-black environment quickly puts you on edge before the first crawler even appears.
Be on the lookout for: *Minor Spoilers* The movie first premiered in the UK in 2005, a year before its release in the US. The endings of both movies slightly differ, with the US version having cut the last 30 seconds or so to give audiences what is arguably a less hopeless experience than the UK ending offered. Though, to be fair, neither one is truly a happy ending.
Where to watch The Descent: The film is available for free with a Cinemax subscription and is available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video. You can also pick up your own copy of the Blu-ray by clicking here.
CS October Horror Movie Recommendations:
October 1 – Session 9
October 2 – Bubba Ho-Tep
October 3 – City of the Dead
October 4 – Drag Me to Hell
October 5 – Opera
October 6 – It Follows
October 7 – Chopping Mall
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