The Descent (2005): Full list of cast

British horror film The Descent was released in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2005. In the United States, the film was released on August 4, 2006, after premiering at the esteemed Sundance Film Festival in 2006. The Descent is written and directed by Neil Marshall and produced by Christian Colson. The film was made under the banner of Celador Films and Northmen Productions.

The film starred several well-known artists, including Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, and MyAnna Buring in the lead roles. They were also supported by an ensemble cast that included Oliver Milburn as Paul, Molly Kayll, and others.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Please read at your discretion.

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Full cast list of The Descent

Shauna Macdonald as Sarah

Shauna Macdonald as Sarah(Image via Getty)

Shauna Macdonald plays Sarah in The Descent. She is the main protagonist of the film and one of the six women who are forced to face the terrible monsters in the caves of the Appalachian Mountains called the crawlers. Before the main events of The Descent take place, Sarah is shown to have lost her husband and kid in a car accident.

A Best Actress nominee at the 2007 Saturn Awards, Shauna Macdonald is best known for Mutant Chronicles (2008), White Chamber (2018), and The Cry (2018).

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Natalie Mendoza as Juno

Natalie Mendoza as Juno(Image via Getty)

Natalie Mendoza plays Juno, one of the main characters in the film. Juno is neither a protagonist nor an antagonist. As seen in the film, despite being one of Sarah's closest friends, Juno has an affair with her husband. Additionally, when Juno and the others are trapped in the cave, she does not care much for Sarah or the others. Instead, she focuses solely on her survival.

Natalie Mendoza is best known for projects such as BeastMaster (1999–2000), Hotel Babylon (2006–2008), and Annette (2021).

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Alex Reid as Beth

(Extreme left) Alex Reid as Beth(Image via Getty)

Alex Reid plays Beth in the film. She is one of Sarah's closest friends and possibly the only one who respects their friendship. Throughout their stay inside the deadly cave, Beth makes sure that Sarah knows that she has her back no matter what happens. She continues to do so until her final breath when she discloses Juno's malice and her secret relationship with her deceased husband.

Alex Reid is most popularly known for her work in projects such as Arachnid (2001), Ultimate Force (2002-2003), and Misfits (2009–2011).

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MyAnna Buring as Sam

MyAnna Buring as Sam(Image via Getty)

MyAnna Buring plays Sam in The Descent. She is one of the people who joins Sarah, Juno, and Beth in their cave expedition alongside her sister Rebecca and another newcomer named Holly. When the crawlers wreak havoc on the group, Sam emerges as one of the strongest among the lot. However, she unfortunately meets her end towards the end of the movie.

MyAnna Buring is renowned for her roles in projects such as Kill List (2011), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and 2(2011 and 2012), and The Witcher (2019–2023).

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Additional cast of The Descent

Also included in the cast of the film were:

• Saskia Mulder as Rebecca (Sam's sister and fellow cave explorer)
• Nora-Jane Noone as Holly (a fellow cave explorer)
• Oliver Milburn as Paul (Sarah's husband who dies at the beginning of the film)
• Molly Kayll as Jessica (Sarah and Paul's child who also dies at the start of the film)
• Craig Conway, Leslie Simpson, Mark Cronfield, Julie Ellis, Stephen Lamb, Catherine Dyson, Sophie Trott, Stuart Luis, Justin Hackney, and Tristan Matthiae as Crawler.

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The Descent is available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Fandango at Home, Google Play Movies, and YouTube TV.