'The Descent's Original Ending Is Much Bleaker (original) (raw)
Published Feb 8, 2024, 3:15 PM EST
Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.
In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.
Summary
- The Descent redefined the horror genre, showcasing originality and brutality that was essential within the genre.
- The film is known for its graphic and violent content, making it one of the most violent mainstream horror movies ever made.
- The original ending of the film, which was darker and more hopeless, was cut to appease audiences who wanted a more hopeful finale.
The emergence of “the Splat Pack” directors in the early 21st century redefined the horror genre as we knew it, indicating that grimy, low-budget filmmaking was the future. While this was an era where Hollywood was producing many reboots and remakes of older horror classics, this innovative group of filmmakers epitomized the originality and brutality that were essential within the genre. Neil Marshallwas chief among these incredible storytellers, as his 2005 British horror film The Descent established itself as an instant cult classic, and still ranks as one of the scariest movies ever made. While the film may have disturbed audiences with its shockingly graphic content, Marshall had an even darker ending for The Descent in mind that was cut for being too devastating.
Release Date
August 4, 2006
Runtime
99 minutes
Director
Neil Marshall
Writers
Neil Marshall
Sequel(s)
The Descent Part 2
A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
What Is ‘The Descent’ About?
The Descent follows the young daredevil Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), who is recovering from the death of her husband Paul (Oliver Milburn) and their daughter Jessica (Molly Kayll) in a shocking car accident that takes place during the opening moments of the film. While Sarah’s grief has made it challenging for her to engage in the activities that she used to enjoy, she agrees to join her friends Juno (Natalie Mendoza), Beth (Alex Reid), and their colleagues Sam (MyAnna Buring), Rebecca (Saskia Mulder), and Holly (Nora-Jane Noone) as they take a spelunking trip in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The Descent takes a supernatural turn when the characters discover that the caves are inhabited by malevolent humanoid creatures. The film invokes terror by creating a perpetual sense of hopelessness. Sarah has to prove her strength of will as she begins to doubt that she will survive; she ultimately realizes that her life is worth fighting for.
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While much of the horror in the film is psychological, The Descent is one of the most violent mainstream horror movies ever made. The members of Sarah’s crew are violently dismembered as they attempt to survive in the perils of the cave. Although Sarah had initially taken the trip as a way of coping with her ever-present feelings of grief, she is faced with the horrors of her past when her friends are ruthlessly killed one at a time. These enigmatic creatures are seemingly representative of death itself, as they kill indiscriminately and are not prone to any feelings of empathy. In addition to the literal threat of these terrifying creatures, Sarah learns shocking things that change her perception of the past; the revelation that Paul was having an affair with Juno makes the situation feel even more hopeless.
In an ending compared to the iconic conclusion of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sarah escapes from the cave and drives away from the woods. While she escapes with her life, the film makes it clear that she is forever traumatized — a terrifying vision of a dead Juno in the car emphasizes this. Even if she is not trapped in the cave anymore, the experiences she went through will never be erased from her mind. While this is the version of the ending that U.S. audiences saw, Marshall shot a much darker ending to The Descent that made Sarah’s fate far more horrifying.
‘The Descent’s Original Ending Is Way More Brutal and Hopeless
In the U.K. version of the film, the final shot of The Descent confirms that Sarah did not actually escape from the cave. The original ending features a subsequent minute of footage that cuts back to the cave itself, confirming that Sarah’s “escape” was a dream sequence. After seeing a vision of Jessica, Sarah begins to realize that she is still trapped underground, and will soon be faced with death. The horrific shrieks of the creatures that can be heard in the background make for one of the most disturbing finales in the history of horror cinema. Despite being only one minute longer than the US version, Lionsgate’s marketing chief Tim Palenrevealed that audiences did not appreciate “the überhopeless finale” of the UK version.
The American release was thus trimmed in order to appease audiences that wanted a more hopeful finale. Although the edited sequence is still somewhat ambiguous, The Descent does not have a happy ending in either version. Palen revealed that “Marshall had a number of endings in mind when he shot the film,” and was open to removing the final shots because the intent was still the same. Marshall stated that "just because she gets away,” it does not “make it a happy ending," as Sarah is still traumatized by the experiences of the cave. She is met with a gloomy reality regardless of her survival.
While the two endings point to different ways to interpret the film, Sarah's survival is confirmed given her appearance in The Descent Part 2, a sequel released in 2009. The Descent Part 2 picks up with Sarah two days after the events of the first film, revealing that she has no memory of what happened. She then joins a new group of cave specialists who travel back into the cave to search for a woman who went missing. Despite another strong performance from Macdonald as Sarah, The Descent Part 2 was considered to be a major disappointment in comparison to its predecessor.
‘The Descent’ Is a Horror Masterpiece
What’s most impressive about the film is that The Descent is an effective horror film regardless of its conclusion. Marshall showed the true terror of being trapped underground by placing his characters in a dangerous, hostile environment where they unlock an ancient force of evil. The film’s relatively small budget meant that much of the film had to be shot on location, which only makes the scares more authentic. While the ending may offer a brief gap within the claustrophobia, The Descent still maintains a sense of dread that lingers long after the credits roll.
Although audiences may have reacted unfavorably to the original ending he had in mind, The Descent announced Marshall as the next great horror filmmaker. The film has been acclaimed as one of the 21st century’s best British horror films and gave Marshall the freedom to direct his science fiction thriller Doomsday and the historical epic Centurion. Notably, Marshall did not return to direct the sequel The Descent Part 2, and his absence is very much felt in the inferior installment.
The Descent is streaming on Prime Video.