OVERLAY REPORT

At the time of its release in 2005 (UK) and 2006 (US), **The Descent** was hailed as a landmark of modern horror. It received widespread critical acclaim and was frequently cited by critics as the best horror film in years, often compared to classics like *Alien*, *The Thing*, and *Deliverance*. ### 1. Critical Reception Critics praised the film for its "old-school" approach to tension, focusing on psychological dread and claustrophobia before introducing its monstrous creatures. * **Atmosphere & Direction:** Writing for *The New York Times*, Manohla Dargis called it "indisputably and pleasurably nerve-jangling," praising director Neil Marshall’s ability to create an atmosphere so tight that the audience felt the weight of the rocks themselves. * **The "All-Female" Cast:** Critics noted that having an entirely female cast was a refreshing subversion of horror tropes. The characters were viewed as capable, complex, and distinct, rather than typical "slasher" archetypes. * **Comparison to *The Cave*:** *The Descent* benefited from being released alongside a similarly themed big-budget American film, *The Cave* (2005). Critics overwhelmingly favored *The Descent*, with many reviewers using *The Cave* as a baseline for what a "generic" version of the story looked like (it held a 12% Rotten Tomatoes score compared to *The Descent*'s 85%). ### 2. The "London Bombing" Context (UK Release) The film's UK release on July 8, 2005, coincided almost exactly with the **July 7 London bombings**. This had a significant impact on its marketing and initial box office: * **Marketing Recall:** The distributor, Pathé, was forced to pull posters from the London Underground that featured a screaming woman in a dark tunnel with the quote "Outright terror... bold and brilliant." * **Cultural Sensitivity:** The campaign was hastily reworked to remove the word "terror" and focus more on the "defiant" nature of the women. Neil Marshall later remarked that the bombings likely hurt the film's UK box office because audiences were understandably reluctant to watch a film about people trapped underground while real-life victims were still being recovered from the Tube. ### 3. The US Release and Ending Controversy When the film was released in the United States in August 2006 by Lionsgate, a significant change was made to the ending: * **The "Happy" Edit:** The original UK ending (which reveals that Sarah's escape was a hallucination and she is still trapped) was deemed too "uber-hopeless" for American audiences. The final minute was cut, ending the film on a jump scare in the car, implying she actually escaped. * **Critic Reaction:** US critics who were aware of the original ending (such as those at *Entertainment Weekly* and *RogerEbert.com*) generally preferred the darker UK version, arguing it was more thematic and consistent with the film's title. ### 4. Awards and Box Office The film was a significant commercial and "awards season" success for a low-budget independent horror movie: * **Box Office:** It grossed roughly **$57 million worldwide** against a modest budget of approximately **£3.5 million** ($6 million). * **Major Wins:** * **British Independent Film Awards (2005):** Won "Best Director" (Neil Marshall) and was nominated for "Best Technical Achievement" for its lighting and set design (which were built at Pinewood Studios, though many viewers believed they were real caves). * **Saturn Awards (2007):** Won "Best Horror or Thriller Film." * **Empire Awards (2006):** Won "Best Horror." ### 5. Review Aggregator Scores at Release * **Rotten Tomatoes:** ~85% (Certified Fresh) * **Metacritic:** 71/100 (indicating "generally favorable reviews," a high score for the horror genre at the time). * **Roger Ebert:** His site (reviewed by editor Jim Emerson) gave it a rare **4 out of 4 stars**, calling it "the fresh, exciting summer movie I've been wanting for years."