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![The cast of the Descent.](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-cast-of-The-Descent.jpeg?fit=720%2C480&p=1)
Are you looking forward to summer, and possibly to some time spent outdoors? Are you the kind of person who loves a good hike? Well, then we’ve got just the horror movie to keep you from ever doing those things ever again. The Descent tells the story of a group of friends who travel to the middle of nowhere to do some spelunking.
As they make their way through the caves, though, they discover evidence that they aren’t the first people to make this trip, and that they are not alone inside these caves. A terrifying, brilliant, often funny movie that has aged beautifully, The Descent is the ideal movie to watch before it leaves Amazon Prime Video next week. Here are three reasons why you should check it out before the end of June.
It features a great ensemble cast
Although none of the women at the center of The Descent went on to become major stars, part of the movie’s brilliance is in the way each of its central characters bounce off one another. The movie is at least as much about what it’s like to have female friends as it is about trying to survive an attack of mole people, and the infighting and petty grievances inside of the group seem incredibly real.
The Descent isn’t afraid to make each of its central characters distinctly human, which also means that each of them is both charming and frustrating in specific ways.
It’s not afraid to get gnarly (and gory)
![The Descent](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/the-descent-hulu-thrillers-1.jpg?fit=720%2C404&p=1)
While some horror movies really pull their punches, The Descent plays by an entirely different set of rules. It takes a while for the real horror of the movie to kick in, but when it does, you should be ready for some really terrifying, gory kills.
Not many horror movies are set in caves, but The Descent finds inventive ways to stage its key sequences so that they feel both thrilling and distinct from one another. If you’re not into the gorier side of horror, The Descent may not be for you, but the gore is certainly a huge part of the fun.
It’s smartly directed
![Alex Reid in The Descent](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Descent.jpg?fit=720%2C720&p=1)
This kind of horror film, which has a relatively simple premise and no major stars, could have been pretty schlocky in less capable hands.
Thankfully, though, it was directed by Neil Marshall, who really has a sense for how to stage the increasing horror of the film without making things feel overly repetitive or redundant. Marshall may be best known now for his work directing Game of Thrones episodes like Blackwater, and those episodes just affirm how smart he can be about the staging of major, complicated sequences.
You can watch The Descent on Amazon Prime Video.
Editors’ Recommendations
- 3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (June 21-23)
- 3 great free movies you should stream this weekend (June 21-23)
- 5 great Netflix movies to watch on Juneteenth
- 5 best Amazon Prime Video shows to watch on Father’s Day
- 10 best Amazon Prime Video movies to watch on Father’s Day
Joe Allen is a freelance writer based in upstate New York focused on movies and TV.
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (June 14-16)
Navigating the new releases coming to streaming services alongside the archival titles the streamers have had for years can be an overwhelming challenge. Prime Video, for example, has plenty of great movies that are often buried on the service unless the algorithm by some miracle decides that they might be right for you.
The best thing to do is probably to avoid the algorithm altogether. Instead, we’ve pulled together three underrated movies available on the streaming service that you should check out this weekend. You may not have heard of any of these movies, but trust us, you won’t regret checking them out.
You Were Never Really Here (2018)
You Were Never Really Here Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Trailers
If you have to watch one Peacock movie this June, stream this one
The arrival of June brings with it a full feeling of summer, and it’s precisely that feeling that might occasionally call for some time spent in the air conditioning perusing streaming services like Peacock. In addition to a solid slate of originals, Peacock is also home to some genuinely great movies, and we’ve got one picked out that is perfect for the heat of June.
If Beale Street Could Talk tells the story of a young couple living in New Orleans who fall in love in the 1960s and come face to face with harsh discrimination. It’s an underseen, beautiful movie well worth your time. Here are three reasons you should check it out on Peacock this month.
It features the indomitable Regina King
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK | Final Trailer
Best new movies coming to theaters in 2024
It seems that Hollywood was too quick to crown Bad Boys: Ride or Die as the savior of the summer box office. Because Pixar’s Inside Out 2 blew away all box office projections with a $154 million opening last weekend. That’s not too far behind Barbie’s $162 million opening from last year. Inside Out 2 probably won’t have the legs that Barbie did at the box office, but it’s well on its way to being one of the biggest hits of the year. A $500 million domestic finish for Inside Out 2 is not an unreasonable estimate when the film finally leaves theaters.
In the short run, this week’s new addition, The Bikeriders, has no shot at overtaking Inside Out 2. None. This battle was over before the first motorcycle started. Unfortunately for The Bikeriders, it’s unlikely to take No. 2 either, since Bad Boys: Ride or Die proved to be good counterprograming for Inside Out 2 last weekend. That’s likely going to mean a third place finish for The Bikeriders at best.