The Descent 2
Encyclopedia
The Descent Part 2 is a 2009 British horror film
and a sequel to the 2005 horror film The Descent
. Shot in London, the film was released in cinemas in the UK on 2 December 2009 and straight to DVD on 27 April 2010 in the US. The film was produced by Christian Colson and co-produced by Paul Ritchie with Neil Marshall
, the producer and director of the original, as executive producer.
) escapes the cave with no memory of the events that occurred within it. She is taken to a hospital, where it is revealed some of the blood on her matches that of Juno Kaplan (Natalie Mendoza
). Sheriff Vaines (Gavan O'Herlihy
) demands that along with his deputy Elen Rios (Krysten Cummings), Sarah and three specialists - Dan (Douglas Hodge
), Greg (Joshua Dallas
) and Cath (Anna Skellern
), must go back into the cave to find the missing women. A new entrance is found with the help of a sniffer dog. The team members are sent down via an old mine shaft operated by the old, mysterious Ed Oswald (Michael J. Reynolds).
Upon passing through the abandoned mine and into the caves, the group discovers the mutilated body of Rebecca (Saskia Mulder
), causing Sarah to have short flashbacks of the crawlers. Further on, whilst crawling through a narrow tunnel in the caves, Sarah has a longer flashback of the previous events, and in a nervous panic, attacks Vaines, Greg and Elen and runs off deeper into the caves. Vaines pursues Sarah but eventually runs into a crawler and fires a shot that causes part of the cave to collapse, separating Cath from the rest of the group and trapping her within a rock choke. Elen, Dan and Greg arrive in a room full of bones where they find the video camera used by Holly in the first film. They watch the playback, which reveals the women were attacked by the cave dwelling 'crawlers'. Then, the three are attacked by a group of crawlers and separated.
The trio split, and Elen starts calling for help, alerting the crawlers to her location, but is stopped by Sarah, who warns Elen that the crawlers are blind and hunt via sound. The two then watch as a crawler attacks and kills Dan, ripping his throat open and dragging him away. Later, Cath escapes from the rock choke and kills a crawler in the process, before running into a frightened Greg. The two climb away from a crawler and use their radio to divert the pursuing crawler away from them. They travel deeper into the cave and find Sam (MyAnna Buring
) hanging lifelessly above the chasm she was killed. They decide to try to use her to swing across the chasm, but are both attacked by crawlers. Greg falls into the chasm, whilst tackling a female crawler, and although Cath makes it to the other side, she is attacked and killed once she gets there.
Elen and Sarah wander deeper into the cave, and kill another crawler. Elen reveals she has a daughter by recording a video message in case she dies. Thinking of her own daughter, Elen's words to hers make Sarah even more determined to escape. Vaines is wandering around the cave and is about to be killed by a crawler before he is saved by Juno, who is revealed to be alive, though somewhat disturbed, and adept at hunting the crawlers. Elen and Sarah crawl through a tunnel and, escaping a crawler, fall into a communal defecation grounds pool. A fight insues between Elen, Sarah, and a crawler with the two teaming up in order to kill it. Later, all four meet up again. Juno, furious that Sarah left her behind, immediately engages in a fight with her. After the short scrap, they all decide it's best they work together to survive and escape. Juno leads them off into the feeding pit, which she claims has a passage to the surface that the crawlers use to gather food from above the ground. Vaines handcuffs Sarah to him so she can't leave them to die like she did to Juno. As they progress, Vaines falls over a ledge, almost taking Sarah with him, however she begs Juno to help her, which ends up in Juno ordering Elen to cut off Vaines' hand to save Sarah from falling as well.
At the film's climax, Elen, Sarah and Juno reach the exit, but are blocked by a small group of crawlers. As they try to tip-toe around the crawlers, Juno is grabbed by a dying Greg, causing her to scream in surprise, gaining the attention of four crawlers. Greg promptly dies and the women are left to fight off the crawlers. The battle is tough, but Elen, Sarah and Juno kill a crawler each. After that, Sarah sees that Juno is losing the battle to a crawler much larger than the others so attempts to strangle it from behind. Tensing up, the crawler rips into Juno's stomach, mortally wounding her. She and Sarah finish it off before Juno dies in Sarah's arms. Full of guilt and despair, Sarah tearfully closes Juno's eyes and places her necklace in her hand with the words "Love Each Day" engraved on the metal. As Sarah mourns for Juno's loss, Elen turns around to leave, but finds them surrounded by a large group of crawlers. With nothing left to lose, Sarah, in a noble act of self-sacrifice, screams, drawing the attention of every crawler, allowing Elen a chance to escape.
Elen bursts through the exit of the cave, exactly how Sarah did when she originally escaped, and is about to call for help before she is attacked by Ed, who hits her with a shovel and drags her back to the entrance to be food for the crawlers. As Elen recovers quietly from the hit, a bloodied crawler jumps out of the entrance as the movie ends.
Marshall received the first draft of the film in late July 2006, with no directors or cast in mind. He made it clear that intended to incorporate more of the feeling of claustrophobia
like that of a particular scene in the previous film. Marshall tells Bloody-Disgusting.com about new ideas for the film, "The monsters they can deal with, and a bit of the claustrophobia, they can deal with, but the combination is definitely something we want to incorporate that into the sequel, by putting the monster and the girls in a really tight spot."
When The Descent was released in 2006 in the United States, Lionsgate picked up the film as distributor and edited the last few minutes of the film, changing the ending. When Dreadcentral.com asked Marshall which of the film's two endings the sequel would be picking up after, he said that it would not be known until he approved a script.
Filming began in May 2008 at Ealing Studios
in London. Ealing Studios was featured on BBC London in June 2008 going behind the scenes of the filming of 'Part 2'. In that broadcast it was confirmed that Shauna MacDonald would be returning to play her character Sarah. Most of the other original cast members are now also returning although most of them only in flashbacks and possible hallucinations. The film was shot on all three of the main stages at Ealing Studios and some scenes were filmed on location at the Bourne Wood
s near Farnham
in southwest Surrey
, England.
The film was filmed using elaborate sets, miniatures, and blue screen digital images. This was revealed on BBC London's behind the scenes look.
The production was designed by Simon Bowles
who designed the original film, art directed by Mark Scruton. The sets were built by DRS Construction and Armordillo.
The digital set extensions and all VFX were created by Swedish VFX company Filmgate.
The US release date for The Descent: Part 2 was announced by the Weinstein Company on February 12, 2010 and was permanently set for 27 April 2010, as a straight to DVD release over Lionsgate Home Entertainment
. During its first week of release, it sold 46,000 units, with a gross of $982,000. By the end of 2010, it had sold 330,000 units, with over $6 million in sales. In total, the film earned roughly 25% that of The Descent
s final gross.
On Rotten Tomatoes
, the film has received a 55% "rotten" rating based on 31 reviews. Digital Spy
gave the film a negative review and awarded it with 2/5 stars.
In France the film has proven successful reaching #5 and grossing $1,097,535 in its opening weekend. Total gross in France now stands at $2,438,834.
Despite poor box office figures, the film fared much better with DVD sales, making over $6.8 million in the US alone.
and James Watkins
and will be directed by The Descent Part 2 director, Jon Harris. The film is scheduled to be released straight-to-DVD in early 2012. The only actor to reprise their role in the film is Krysten Cummings as Elen Rios, who signed a two-film deal with Pathé
.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and a sequel to the 2005 horror film The Descent
The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
. Shot in London, the film was released in cinemas in the UK on 2 December 2009 and straight to DVD on 27 April 2010 in the US. The film was produced by Christian Colson and co-produced by Paul Ritchie with Neil Marshall
Neil Marshall
Neil Marshall is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. Marshall began his career in editing and in 2002 directed his first feature film Dog Soldiers, which became a cult film. He followed up with the critically acclaimed horror film The Descent in 2005...
, the producer and director of the original, as executive producer.
Plot
Two days after the events of the first film, a traumatized Sarah (Shauna MacdonaldShauna Macdonald
Shauna Macdonald is a Scottish television and film actress.-Biography:Shauna Macdonald was born in Malaysia and shortly after moved back to her family's native Edinburgh, Scotland, before moving to Glasgow to train at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.She and her husband, the actor Cal...
) escapes the cave with no memory of the events that occurred within it. She is taken to a hospital, where it is revealed some of the blood on her matches that of Juno Kaplan (Natalie Mendoza
Natalie Mendoza
Natalie Jackson Mendoza is a Hong Kong-born Australian-British-Filipina classical theatre-trained actress and musician. She is best known for her role as one of the main characters, Jackie Clunes in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon and as tough girl Juno in the acclaimed horror thriller The...
). Sheriff Vaines (Gavan O'Herlihy
Gavan O'Herlihy
Gavan O'Herlihy is an Irish actor.O'Herlihy was born in Dublin, the son of Elsa Bennett and Irish actor Dan O'Herlihy. In his youth, he was an avid tennis player, and even became Irish National Tennis Champion...
) demands that along with his deputy Elen Rios (Krysten Cummings), Sarah and three specialists - Dan (Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
), Greg (Joshua Dallas
Joshua Dallas
Joshua Dallas is an American actor who played Fandral in Thor, a film adaptation based on the Marvel Comics character. He is currently starring in the ABC television series Once Upon a Time.-Early life:...
) and Cath (Anna Skellern
Anna Skellern
Anna Skellern is an actress best known as the first female member of The Chaser's television programme CNNNN.- Early years :...
), must go back into the cave to find the missing women. A new entrance is found with the help of a sniffer dog. The team members are sent down via an old mine shaft operated by the old, mysterious Ed Oswald (Michael J. Reynolds).
Upon passing through the abandoned mine and into the caves, the group discovers the mutilated body of Rebecca (Saskia Mulder
Saskia Mulder
Saskia Mulder is a Dutch film and television actress. She is the younger sister of supermodel Karen Mulder.-Career:...
), causing Sarah to have short flashbacks of the crawlers. Further on, whilst crawling through a narrow tunnel in the caves, Sarah has a longer flashback of the previous events, and in a nervous panic, attacks Vaines, Greg and Elen and runs off deeper into the caves. Vaines pursues Sarah but eventually runs into a crawler and fires a shot that causes part of the cave to collapse, separating Cath from the rest of the group and trapping her within a rock choke. Elen, Dan and Greg arrive in a room full of bones where they find the video camera used by Holly in the first film. They watch the playback, which reveals the women were attacked by the cave dwelling 'crawlers'. Then, the three are attacked by a group of crawlers and separated.
The trio split, and Elen starts calling for help, alerting the crawlers to her location, but is stopped by Sarah, who warns Elen that the crawlers are blind and hunt via sound. The two then watch as a crawler attacks and kills Dan, ripping his throat open and dragging him away. Later, Cath escapes from the rock choke and kills a crawler in the process, before running into a frightened Greg. The two climb away from a crawler and use their radio to divert the pursuing crawler away from them. They travel deeper into the cave and find Sam (MyAnna Buring
MyAnna Buring
MyAnna Buring is a Swedish actress best known for appearing in the 2005 horror film The Descent.- Early life :Buring was born in Sweden but grew up in the Middle East...
) hanging lifelessly above the chasm she was killed. They decide to try to use her to swing across the chasm, but are both attacked by crawlers. Greg falls into the chasm, whilst tackling a female crawler, and although Cath makes it to the other side, she is attacked and killed once she gets there.
Elen and Sarah wander deeper into the cave, and kill another crawler. Elen reveals she has a daughter by recording a video message in case she dies. Thinking of her own daughter, Elen's words to hers make Sarah even more determined to escape. Vaines is wandering around the cave and is about to be killed by a crawler before he is saved by Juno, who is revealed to be alive, though somewhat disturbed, and adept at hunting the crawlers. Elen and Sarah crawl through a tunnel and, escaping a crawler, fall into a communal defecation grounds pool. A fight insues between Elen, Sarah, and a crawler with the two teaming up in order to kill it. Later, all four meet up again. Juno, furious that Sarah left her behind, immediately engages in a fight with her. After the short scrap, they all decide it's best they work together to survive and escape. Juno leads them off into the feeding pit, which she claims has a passage to the surface that the crawlers use to gather food from above the ground. Vaines handcuffs Sarah to him so she can't leave them to die like she did to Juno. As they progress, Vaines falls over a ledge, almost taking Sarah with him, however she begs Juno to help her, which ends up in Juno ordering Elen to cut off Vaines' hand to save Sarah from falling as well.
At the film's climax, Elen, Sarah and Juno reach the exit, but are blocked by a small group of crawlers. As they try to tip-toe around the crawlers, Juno is grabbed by a dying Greg, causing her to scream in surprise, gaining the attention of four crawlers. Greg promptly dies and the women are left to fight off the crawlers. The battle is tough, but Elen, Sarah and Juno kill a crawler each. After that, Sarah sees that Juno is losing the battle to a crawler much larger than the others so attempts to strangle it from behind. Tensing up, the crawler rips into Juno's stomach, mortally wounding her. She and Sarah finish it off before Juno dies in Sarah's arms. Full of guilt and despair, Sarah tearfully closes Juno's eyes and places her necklace in her hand with the words "Love Each Day" engraved on the metal. As Sarah mourns for Juno's loss, Elen turns around to leave, but finds them surrounded by a large group of crawlers. With nothing left to lose, Sarah, in a noble act of self-sacrifice, screams, drawing the attention of every crawler, allowing Elen a chance to escape.
Elen bursts through the exit of the cave, exactly how Sarah did when she originally escaped, and is about to call for help before she is attacked by Ed, who hits her with a shovel and drags her back to the entrance to be food for the crawlers. As Elen recovers quietly from the hit, a bloodied crawler jumps out of the entrance as the movie ends.
Production
Due to the first film being a commercial and critical success, it was decided that a sequel would be produced. While Marshall would not direct the film, he was assigned to oversee its production.Marshall received the first draft of the film in late July 2006, with no directors or cast in mind. He made it clear that intended to incorporate more of the feeling of claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
like that of a particular scene in the previous film. Marshall tells Bloody-Disgusting.com about new ideas for the film, "The monsters they can deal with, and a bit of the claustrophobia, they can deal with, but the combination is definitely something we want to incorporate that into the sequel, by putting the monster and the girls in a really tight spot."
When The Descent was released in 2006 in the United States, Lionsgate picked up the film as distributor and edited the last few minutes of the film, changing the ending. When Dreadcentral.com asked Marshall which of the film's two endings the sequel would be picking up after, he said that it would not be known until he approved a script.
Filming began in May 2008 at Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
in London. Ealing Studios was featured on BBC London in June 2008 going behind the scenes of the filming of 'Part 2'. In that broadcast it was confirmed that Shauna MacDonald would be returning to play her character Sarah. Most of the other original cast members are now also returning although most of them only in flashbacks and possible hallucinations. The film was shot on all three of the main stages at Ealing Studios and some scenes were filmed on location at the Bourne Wood
Bourne Wood
Bourne Wood is an area of predominantly coniferous woodland just south of Farnham, Surrey, England. It is named after The Bourne, a ward of Farnham. A promontory above a large heathland clearing provides views over the surrounding woodland...
s near Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
in southwest Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England.
The film was filmed using elaborate sets, miniatures, and blue screen digital images. This was revealed on BBC London's behind the scenes look.
The production was designed by Simon Bowles
Simon Bowles
Simon Bowles is a British production designer, who got his start in the film industry in 1993, working as an art department runner and then standby art director...
who designed the original film, art directed by Mark Scruton. The sets were built by DRS Construction and Armordillo.
The digital set extensions and all VFX were created by Swedish VFX company Filmgate.
Release
The film was originally set to be released in May 2009, but was delayed. It was released in France on October 14, Japan on November 7, and Argentina on November 19. It was released in UK cinemas on December 4, 2009.The US release date for The Descent: Part 2 was announced by the Weinstein Company on February 12, 2010 and was permanently set for 27 April 2010, as a straight to DVD release over Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD distribution arm of Lions Gate Entertainment and most former Artisan Entertainment releases. Its library of more than 8000 films owes some of its size to output deals with other studios...
. During its first week of release, it sold 46,000 units, with a gross of $982,000. By the end of 2010, it had sold 330,000 units, with over $6 million in sales. In total, the film earned roughly 25% that of The Descent
The Descent
The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who, having entered an unmapped cave system, become trapped, and are hunted by subterranean flesh-eating humanoids....
s final gross.
Reception
The Descent Part 2 garnered mixed reviews. Tim Robey of The Telegraph gave the film three stars out of five stating, "though it stretches credulity...The last half-hour is a tense team scramble to get out, and stay out, but the best move in this above-par shocker is digging right back into the claustrophobic emotional traumas which made Part 1 so thrilling." Variety gave the film a mixed review stating "Treading closely in the steps of its predecessor in every sense, the sequel has less emotional nuance, shows more of the monsters and opts this time for a less interesting coed cast instead of the all-femme crew used so effectively in the original. Nevertheless, as popcorn entertainment, it delivers, and should satisfy fans on all platforms."On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film has received a 55% "rotten" rating based on 31 reviews. Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave the film a negative review and awarded it with 2/5 stars.
Box office
The film did not reach its expectation in the UK debuting at #9 making the first week domestic gross £313,739. Total gross in the UK stands at £674,550.In France the film has proven successful reaching #5 and grossing $1,097,535 in its opening weekend. Total gross in France now stands at $2,438,834.
Despite poor box office figures, the film fared much better with DVD sales, making over $6.8 million in the US alone.
Sequel
According to 'Bloody Disgusting.com' a sequel has been confirmed, currently under the working title of De3cent. The screenplay was written by Neil MarshallNeil Marshall
Neil Marshall is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. Marshall began his career in editing and in 2002 directed his first feature film Dog Soldiers, which became a cult film. He followed up with the critically acclaimed horror film The Descent in 2005...
and James Watkins
James Watkins
Professor James Watkins is Director, Sport and Exercise Science Research Centre at the University of Wales Swansea. He is an advisory board member of the Journal of Sports Sciences and an editorial board member of the European Journal of Physical Education.He was chairman of the biomechanics...
and will be directed by The Descent Part 2 director, Jon Harris. The film is scheduled to be released straight-to-DVD in early 2012. The only actor to reprise their role in the film is Krysten Cummings as Elen Rios, who signed a two-film deal with Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
.