In the pantheon of British horror, The Descent looms large. 20 years ago, filmmaker Neil Marshall sent six women spelunking in the Appalachian mountains, where they encountered all kinds of primal terrors – not just the claustrophobic environs of the uncharted cave system itself, but its humanoid horrors lurking in the dark. Two decades on, Empire celebrates the legendary classic by reuniting Marshall with his cast for a brand new group interview – and the filmmaker has some thoughts on the film’s alternative ending.

If you saw The Descent in the UK you’ll know it ends – SPOILER ALERT! – with Shauna Macdonald’s grieving Sarah seemingly escaping the cave system, only for it to be revealed that she’s hallucinating, still trapped in the depths, envisioning her lost daughter as the ca

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