On this day, 20 years ago, The Descent had its world premiere at the Vue Leicester Square courtesy of the amazing @frightfestuk . Hard to believe it’s been so long!! Little did we know at the time, it was the beginning of three days I will never forget, an emotional rollercoaster from the highest highs to the lowest lows. The last thing I want is to sound in a way flippant about fictional horror and real horror colliding, but that’s what happened and this was my personal experience of it.

The morning after our premier and party, when some of us were still winding our way home after a long and celebratory night, was the morning of the 7/7 terror attack on London. The same morning that the bus bearing the poster for our film exploded on the busy London street. And the day after these catastrophic events was the Friday the Descent opened in cinemas across the UK. Even now it’s difficult to fully recall what we were all thinking and feeling on those days. Particularly @shaunamacdonaldofficial whose face adorned the side of the bus, and @jamiegrahammovies whose quote “Outright Terror” was one of the only parts of the poster that remained intact. I felt awful for them. ……And yet, time passed, and while the memories remain, the bus is long gone and the film has endured. It found its feet and its audience.

An audience that seems to have grown and grown over the years, until here we are, still talking about it 20 years on. This year will not only mark the release of a 4k restoration - a premiere of which will once again be hosted by @frightfestuk - but also a coffee-table book about the making of the film, written by @janinepipe28 and published by Telos. There’s also a novelization coming out from Titan adapted by @christianjaimefrancis . So, it seems there’s life in the old dog yet! I just want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have loved and supported and recommended this movie over the years. None of this would be possible without you. So here’s to the next 20 and long life British independent film!