10 More Bleakest Endings In Horror Movies
3. The Descent
It speaks volumes that the revelation that people actually go caving for fun isn't the bleakest thing about 2005's The Descent.
That unenviable honour is undoubtedly reserved for the subterranean horror's conclusion. The Descent chronicles a caving expedition gone horrifically wrong. Six friends find themselves trapped in a cave system miles below the surface where they are subsequently hunted by an array of nightmarish humanoid creatures.
The Descent's original ending is so soul-destroying that the US version of the film actually depicts an alternate conclusion over concerns that the prototypical take was too depressing. This rendition sees lead protagonist Sarah escape her hellish surroundings, with no more than a creepy hallucination of her friend Juno to close the show. Yawn.
The extended ending screened in the United Kingdom is considerably more horrifying, to say the least. As opposed to concluding on the apparition of Juno, the illusion morphs to reveal that Sarah is still trapped in the cave system, having completely fabricated the escape in her own mind.
However, director Neil Marshall isn't quite done sucking the life out of anybody watching. Sarah continues to hallucinate, imagining her deceased daughter sitting across from her, holding a birthday cake with her face illuminated by the light of the candles. In actuality, the glow is emanating from her flickering torch - slowly dying out as the monstrous creatures close in around her.