Spooky season has arrived, delivering the perfect time for a horror movie marathon. Plenty of scary movies feature deep, dark woods, or desolate locales, but one of my favorites takes place deep within the ground.
When a group of friends decides to go spelunking in a local cave system, they're prepared for the inherent claustrophobia of tons of rock pressing down around them... but not for what's been hiding in those caves.
The Descent is a 2006 horror flick that you can watch for free with a Prime Video subscription. This movie has struck fear into the hearts of audiences for nearly 20 years, delivering devilish monsters hiding within dark tunnels. It's a cult classic infused with hints of terror in every frame.
I've been a fan of horror movies for as long as I can remember, starting with 1980s classics like Pumpkinhead. Over time, I've found some horror movies that I keep coming back to, even when I know how they're going to end. The Descent is absolutely one of them.
The Descent delivers a claustrophobic, dread-filled experience -- if you don't like tight spaces (I don't!), it's even worse. Every time I watch, the deadly disaster has me covering my eyes, and screaming at the TV as events spiral out of control.
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The movie starts at the conclusion of a whitewater rafting trip where six women have been bonding and having a great time, but on the drive home, lead character Sarah loses her husband and their daughter in a car accident that shatters her world. That tragedy sets the tone for the entire movie, warning viewers that things are only going to get worse.
What starts as a fun friends' adventure quickly dissolves into madness and terror. Celador Films / Pathé Distribution
A year after the deadly car crash, the six friends reunite for another adventure. Their plan is to spend a day spelunking in a North Carolina cave system in the Appalachian Mountains. Things start off fine, but then Sarah becomes stuck in a particularly narrow passage. She manages to squirm through, but a rock fall behind her leaves all of the women trapped deep underground with no idea how to get out.
One of the friends, Juno, then admits that they're not in the exact cave system she'd reported to local authorities but instead in a never-before explored section. They're entirely on their own, with no hope of help.
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