Dundead Halloween: The Descent (20th Anniversary 4K Restoration)

Part of Dundead Halloween 2025.

This screening will be introduced by Dr Lucy Fife Donaldson, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at University of St Andrews. 

Writer/director Neil Marshall’s tale of a caving expedition gone horribly wrong is surely one of the most claustrophobic horror films ever made, even before the ‘real’ horror begins. 

As always, a simple premise keeps the film’s sense of horror sharp. One year after a tragic accident, six girlfriends meet in a remote location for their annual extreme outdoor adventure - in this case, the exploration of a cave system hidden deep in the woods. Being a horror film, it perhaps goes without saying that things go from bad to worse, and soon our characters are fighting for their lives.

With a cast of unknown actors playing characters out of their depth and at the mercy of the natural world, The Descent is following in the footsteps of films like The Blair Witch Project. But while The Descent ditches the found footage, the cramped, creeping feeling of dread is very much present. 

Now celebrated as one of the best horror films of the 2000s, The Descent has found its place in the horror canon, and there’s no better way to experience it than this new 4k restoration in honour of its 20th anniversary.