Descendent

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Descendent

2025

1h 32m

Sci-Fi

Horror

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

A troubled man experiences strange visions after a mysterious light appears in the sky. With a baby on the way, he races to face his demons before his growing obsession consumes him.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Aug 8

3/4

Among its other virtues, 'Descendent' is a classic example of how a low-budget movie can do more with less.

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

03/16/2025

Cilella keeps the plates spinning enough to make one curious about his follow-up.

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

03/14/2025

[Descendent] limns its protagonist’s unraveling with suspenseful skill. But those expecting straightforward sci-fi horror may resent the writer-director’s insistence on sticking to an ambiguity.

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Kat Hughes

THN

Oct 28

4/5

A slow burn atmospheric psychological thriller with a compelling lead character expertly performed by Ross Marquand, Descendent is proof that, in the right hands, the alien abduction story can be handled well.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Aug 19

“Descendent” proves that Ross Marquand is such a good actor that even viewers who get angry if the story has no clear resolution may overlook ambiguity because of the sincerity and emotion in his performance.

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Aug 17

75/100

It’s always fun to see material where a solid actor/actress is given a platform to lose their grip on reality, and its even more refreshing when that opportunity is given to someone like Ross Marquand, who has been waiting for a meaty role like this.

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Kristal P

@RT60589595 1h

I really enjoyed this movie—it kept me on edge the entire time and held my attention from start to finish. The suspense was strong and made the experience very engaging. However, I do wish the ending had included a bit more explanation, as it felt slightly incomplete. Overall, though, I liked it and found it to be a compelling watch.

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Jeffrey P

@vanillavoodoo1 1d

Revealed too much too soon given the ending... but it was otherwise solid and well performed.

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R S

@greyfoot Feb 7

This film has excellent editing & suspense. Marquand's performance is great, too. But the decision to keep the script COMPLETELY cryptic even to the end was a mistake. Taking us through all that for no pay off is extremely frustrating. Too bad, because this could have been very good.

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Gelsey G

@qelseyy Jan 16

Terrible movie with no meaning.

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Kim P.

@Juliet134 Jan 11

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this movie, its pace, and the uniformly excellent acting. It is cleverly and suspensefully constructed.Is the terror from another world, or from the world within? This intelligent”psy-fi”is well worth viewing!

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Ryan P

@rpurcell1010 Dec 23

I enjoyed it. If you're into lower budget scifi movies with a good cast.

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Peter Cilella

Director

Ross Marquand

Sean

Sarah Bolger

Andrea

Susan Wilder

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Synopsis

A troubled man experiences strange visions after a mysterious light appears in the sky. With a baby on the way, he races to face his demons before his growing obsession consumes him.

Director: Peter Cilella
Producer: David Lawson Jr., Caleb Ward, Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Screenwriter: Peter Cilella
Distributor: RLJE Films
Production Co: Rustic Films
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2025
Runtime: 1h 32m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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