This is a high mark it obviously cant be this good for the whole book, but the novel goes on to take you in directions you didnt expect, and you still want to read on. Filmmakers, consider this your cheat sheet for bringing book based movies more up to snuff. Any book is up for discussion as long as that discussion is respectful. First of all, i am a huge fan of the first descent. The descent by jeff long is one of the best novels ive ever read. Johnston tracks the dissolution of a family following the disappearance of the teenage daughter during a colorado vacation. Unlike most books that fall into the category of page turner, this one also falls in the category of writing so good you cant even believe it. A group of close female friends on a yearly adventure vacation find themselves trapped and hunted in a series of caves by an unknown force that lurks in the shadows in the descent, the second horror feature from dog soldiers writerdirector neil marshall. As you may know, the descent which opened in us theaters this weekend was released last year in great britain, where it is now available on region 2 pal dvd. Very eerie and intense, the music used throughout really sets a sort of depressing atmosphere. Filmmakers, consider this your cheat sheet for bringing bookbased movies more up to snuff. Descent trailer 2007 video detective movie trailers.
The descents multiple endings explained screen rant. The 2005 film of the same name contains similar plot elements a subterranean expedition trapped. All three movies have similar plots and are shot in a manner provoking the greatest amount of claustrophobia. The first act of descent has us watching another romantic drama from the independent scene equipped with your notsoindependent leading lady where two people, one man and one woman, engage in conversation about what it means to be either or neither. The second movie ended on a big cliffhanger but will the descent part 3 ever happen. Tim johnston delivers an extraordinary work of art, narrated by an awardwinning performance of xe sands and r. Johnston has a superhuman gift for watching and listening to the world and rendering, on the page, its beauty and savagery with such detail and power that the story feels almost more like memory than. Watch the latest descent trailer on video detective. This british horrorthriller recalls grueling, adrenalinepumping classics like deliverance, jaws, alien and dead calm.
Descent has to be made into a movie, and i want a front row seat. Most of the story takes place miles underground and jeff long, a real life cave diver, brings those environments to us through detailed prose. Yes there is lots you can pick at but for the film budget, the dvd price and the pacing it is worth it. Marshall followed up with 2005s the descent, where a group of female friends gets lost inside an unknown cave system in the appalachian. Where can more information about the movie be found.
Apr 26, 2007 the plot for descent, if it actually can be called a plot, has two noteworthy events. The descent is a one of a kind british horror film. Im in love with this author and have already started current, which i heard was even better than the last one. Review onward 2020 pixars movies tend to play as metaphors for the creative rise and fall of pixar itself. Equal parts yucky, scary, and delirious, the descent is also clever about its limits, and chilling in its effects. Jul 28, 2017 the predator 2018 movie trailer reveal breakdown, predator 4 movie trailer, toronto, canada, vlog, alien covenant, xenomorph, reaction, shane black, predator 2. In this edition of dtv descent, we take a look at bulletproof 2, a movie that you should absolutely never take the time to watch for yourself. Finally, a scary movie with teeth, not just blood and entrails a savage and gripping piece of work that jangles your nerves without leaving your brain hanging. Six women, a dark cave and some very scary monsters. It sets up a specific emotional situation for its protagonist, then turns it inside out, with the help of especially daunting monsters. The most common thriller plot may be that of the girl or young woman who vanishes and is. It describes the discovery and exploration of an extensive labyrinth of tunnels and passages stretching throughout the earths upper mantle, found to be inhabited by a malicious species. The last descent could offer the viewer and a family the opportunity to talk about being careful about choices that we make and realizing that sometimes they can lead us to a tragic ending. Not because i was scared to, but mostly because i wasnt sure if it would be as good as id heard.
Exterior scenes were filmed at ashridge park, hertfordshire and in scotland. The cabin in the woods 2011, while enjoyable, is vastly overrated, and despite my willingness to defend the purge 20 as a fun time at the movies, i dont think it is the next horror masterpiece. The characters are incredibly dynamic, and i just fell in love with ike and ally. The descent is most often compared to two other movies within 2005 aka the cavern 2005 and the cave 2005 2005. One of the best books of the year, and assured to win numerous awards. Grant and angela courtlands marriage might not be rock solid, but its working when they take their two children, 18yearold collegebound track star caitlin and shy 15yearold sean, on vacation in the colorado rockies. Together these events make up maybe 5% of the total movie time. But compared to most action adventure stories it is written with elegance and grace.
I always hear that this movie is quite scary, but im kind of in the mood for a good horror movie. Mystery, twists, economical writing, and a descent into tension and then really convincing horror. Finally, a scary movie with teeth, not just blood and entrails a savage and gripping piece of work. Ending spoiler for the descent 2005, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. The descent is one of the best horror movies to emerge from the 2000s and featured great performances and visceral gore. The descent works and plays not only with movie imagery, but with the stuff of myth and dreams as well. Previously interviewed authors in the ask an sf author series. Descent 2 is still creepy, but the creatures look more human why would they change that. Marshall followed up with 2005s the descent, where a group of female friends gets lost inside an unknown cave system in the. Shauna macdonald in the descent, a horror film by neil marshall.
The creatures in the film called crawlers aside, the descent is actually two movies in one. Thankfully, my fears were assuaged when this turned out to be an effectively creepy and claustrophobic. The movie was good enough, but had this book been made a movie it would have been outstanding you know, with the right actors and whatnot. Stupidly i read something about descent 2 before seeing this, so i knew how it would end before i started, but still on balance i like it is a reasonable score. I for one am grateful for filmmakers who do an honest job of telling difficult stories. The descent is already unusual for being a horror movie with an allfemale cast, but its even more unique for being the kind of movie that explores the damage caused by a friends betrayal.
Jan 21, 2020 the second movie ended on a big cliffhanger but will the descent part 3 ever happen. Due to this fact, the last 40 or 50 minutes leave something to be desired. Written with a precision that captures every emotion, every moment of fear, as each member of the family searches for answers, descent is a perfectly crafted thriller that races like an avalanche toward its heartpounding conclusion, and heralds the arrival of a master storyteller more. The descent is a 1999 science fictionhorror novel by american author jeff long. At first, anna thinks she will only be a liaison to the press, but she soon learns that the caver in question is an old friend. The descent 2005 plot summary 7 a caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators. Johnston has a superhuman gift for watching and listening to the world and rendering, on the page, its beauty and savagery with such detail and. Jeff longs descent and the sequel, deeper, are definitely a good place to start midnights liar by richard laymon is another trapped in a cave with freaks book cannibal within, by mark mirabello would also fit the bill others to at least look into, although they dont primarily take place in caves. The plot for descent, if it actually can be called a plot, has two noteworthy events. It describes the discovery and exploration of an extensive labyrinth of tunnels and passages stretching throughout the earths upper mantle, found to be inhabited by a malicious species of alternatelyevolved troglofauna hominids.
It evokes hellish visions, from famous paintings goyas black paintings, fuselis the nightmare to gothic gargoyles and dores engravings for dantes inferno. There are very few contemporary horror films worth watching. However, the descent keeps you at the edge of your seat throughout, struggling for breath as you feel the walls in the cinema closing in. The descent has a few moments of scares based mostly on the fast cutting camera work. The descent is a movie i let sit in my video library for a while before actually watching it. It was one of the best books ive ever readlistened to. Its on the slow side sometimes but in a good way, lots of action once they discover the creatures are amongst them.
Descent is a twisty thrillerplus tim johnstons suspenseful novel follows a family that begins to come apart after their teenage daughter is abducted during a mountain vacation. Its undeniable that a book original usually blasts its movie version out of the water. Ike crockett takes a group of mountain climbers into a cave when they get lost shortly before a snow storm. This setup has the viewer questioning how this is going to work out for them. Jan 06, 2015 descent is a twisty thrillerplus tim johnstons suspenseful novel follows a family that begins to come apart after their teenage daughter is abducted during a mountain vacation. The descent has two endings, one of which accompanied the us release, while the uk release had a different conclusion. The descent is a novel of mystery and intrigue, but also a novel that explores some of the darker aspects of history and human nature in a refreshing take on an old story. I felt the concept was a fairly new one, and the dark, claustrophobic caves combined with the awesome, original creatures resulted in a totally scary thrill ride. While marshalls film does share certain similarities with the book, and may have even been partially inspired by it on a certain level, it really is its. For other similarly named films, see descent 2005 film and descent 2007 film. The descent is a 2005 british adventure horror film written and directed by neil marshall. In blind descent, anna is sent from her home park in mesa verde, colorado, to carlsbad caverns national park where a fellow ranger has been injured.
A woman goes on vacation with her friends after her husband and daughter encounter a tragic accident. This is a film to watch in a very dark cinema with great surround sound. Watch your deepest fears surface when four teenage divers trapped in a watery hell fight to survive against the deadliest shark species on the planet. After suffering a devastating car crash one year before, sarah shauna macdonald is lured to the states with her friend beth to a special. I will be reading everything this author writes and hope that one day, they make a movie based on this book. The descent book vs movie science fiction, or speculative fiction if you prefer.
Its not just oh, we have to deal with monsters, its we have to deal with monters and we are fucking lost and it feels like there is no escape from this fucking hell hole. Below, six reasons books almost always take the cake. The descents multiple endings explained unlike many cases of movies having an alternate ending, one of the descent s two conclusions is actually an extension of the other, instead of something entirely different. I love this book so much that ive read it 3 times in the past 10 years.
The way back blends the beats of two familiar genres, the underdog sports movie and the addiction and recovery movie, in the process finding a rhythm that feels at once familiar and not quite like anything ive seen before. After that, the movie seems to get lost in the gore and blood rather than the plot or theme. This book deserves a spot high on the best seller list. Director neil marshall made his movie debut with 2002s dog soldiers, an endlessly enjoyable mix of horror and comedy where british soldiers fight off a band of werewolves. Any recommendations for other movies like the descent.
Films with great gore abound, for example jason x, with the audience just waiting for the next gruesome killing to end the tedium in between. Oct 02, 20 its undeniable that a book original usually blasts its movie version out of the water. A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators. The movie of the same name contains similar plot elements a subterranean expedition trapped underground with hominid creatures, but was.
Its popular fiction and theres no chance of the descent winning the new york book critics. The descent was a smash both stateside and in its native uk, but viewers in those two places actually experienced the film differently, at least in theaters. The predator 2018 movie trailer reveal breakdown, predator 4 movie trailer, toronto, canada, vlog, alien covenant, xenomorph, reaction, shane black, predator 2. The british release has one final scene that was snipped for american audiences, though i really dont know why. The last jedi has a jump scare vision of a dead friend before cutting to credits.
With shauna macdonald, natalie mendoza, alex reid, saskia mulder. The film follows six women who, having entered a cave system, struggle to survive against the humanoid creatures inside. With the film set almost entirely underground, the lack of light is used to wonderful effect and marshall keeps you on edge for 100 minutes. So for an evening in with a moderate horror movie i think this is a great buy. Besides character and plot points, this book scores ten for writing style.