Categories: Things To Do

Inside the Descent, a cave plunge near Calgary that will make you shake with fear

Photo via Friends of Kananaskis Country

The Descent (2005) is one of the better horror movies of the early 2000s. If the terrifying humanoids that terrorized this group of cave spelunkers on the big screen caught your attention back then, you’ll want to check out this nearby tour inspired by the film.

Who could forget the image of the lead character, Sarah, emerging from a soupy mud pit in a scene that looks like it came straight from Carrie? Or the claustrophobic fights where she beats back “crawlers” in an attempt to make her way back to the surface?

Do you think you have the spine to survive a cave tour inspired by the iconic horror film? Let us take you through it.

What to expect

While you won’t be attacked by blind, pale-faced creatures during the cave tour, there will be a cinema screening of the 2005 horror film to kick off your journey through Canmore’s Rat’s Nest Cave.

Cave spelunking is scary enough, but throw in carnivorous cave monsters, and you’ve got the recipe for a Halloween night you’ll never forget.

The tour will begin when you meet your guides at the Canmore Cave Tours Office at 129 Bow Meadows Cres. in Canmore. You’ll sign a waiver, hear a brief overview of the evening, and watch the first segment of the movie at the office to prepare you for the horror that’s to come.

You’ll collect your caving equipment, then drive to the cave parking lot seven minutes away. The hike to the cave is moderately steep and will take approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Canmore Cave Tours are pretty tight-lipped about what happens next. Once you reach the cave, you can don your equipment and head underground — if you dare.

What you’ll encounter down there is anyone’s guess, but drawing inspiration from the film, it’s bound to be a bladder-emptying, terrifying experience.

The entire experience will last three to four hours underground.

Whether you emerge intact is up to you.