The Cellar

I had the opportunity of sitting down today, in 2021, and watch the 1989 horror movie "The Cellar". I remember having seen it back in my teenage years, after having sat through it again today. But it was a movie that I had fully and wholeheartedly forgotten all about. So as I stumbled upon the movie in 2021, of course I took the time to sit down and watch it.

It should be said that "The Cellar" is definitely everything you'd expect from a late 1980s horror movie, for better or worse. I grew up watching a heap of horror movies in the 1980s, so this was definitely right up my alley. And I must admit that I actually enjoyed "The Cellar" from writers John Woodward and Darryl Wimberley.

The storyline told in this movie, as directed by Kevin Tenney, is pretty straight forward. And it follows that very unique formula that was being used over and over back in the time when it was made. But I found it to be enjoyable and watchable. It was definitely a trip back in time for me to watch "The Cellar". Sure there were plot holes and aspects to the storyline that just made zero sense, but hey, it is a movie after all.

The acting in the movie was adequate. Nothing outstanding here actually. But don't get me wrong, because it wasn't as if people were doing poor jobs or anything. Not at all. But it was just fairly standard acting performances for a late 1980s horror movie of this caliber.

Now, I will say that the creature effects were actually quite good. And still were passable even today. So the visual effects, special effects, make-up and props departments really delivered in this movie.

"The Cellar" is a movie that is well-worth taking the time to sit down and watch. And should you be presented with the opportunity to do so, I would recommend that you do it.

My rating of "The Cellar" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

In THE CELLAR, a boy finds a monster / demon living in the cellar of his dad's new house. It seems that the local natives put a curse on the land many moons ago. Of course, no one believes junior, even when people start vanishing.

The story is clunky, the characters are rather lifeless, and the monster is only shown for about 30 seconds. Still, the creature is just cheeeze-tacular enough to make the rest endurable.

If you enjoy the schlocky horror of the 1980's, then this is a must-see...

A family moves into an old house in the desert.There is a long commentary at the beginning that talks about an evil spirit that dwells in a tunnel below this house.The Indian creature occasionally manifests itself to frighten the little boy staying in the house and to pick off a stray secondary character.I remember seeing "The Cellar" several years ago and was highly unimpressed.There is no gore and nudity in this suitably dull monster feature from usually uneven Kevin Tenney.The script is silly and the direction lacks enthusiasm.The performances are passable,but they can't save this film from fading into obscurity.A generous 5 out of 10.

This is your run of the mill monster in the basement film that has absolutely no surprises. Not that its a bad film but why do something that has been done so many times before and offer nothing that we haven't seen already? The film stars Patrick Kilpatrick (Minority Report) who is bald in real life and you'll notice that he's wearing a hair piece. His character has anger issues and by the end of the film you have to think that his wife will have second thoughts about staying with him. He gets very violent at times. His son who has seen the monster is going to try and convince everyone of what he has seen and sets out to try and kill it himself. The film is hokey and predictable but even a bad monster in the basement flick is watchable. So is this one.

You've read the plot summary, so I'll skip that part. Let's open the show with a few glaring flaws.

First off, the family moves into a house in the middle of nowhere, opens a sealed door they find hidden behind a cabinet, and discover they have a basement. None of that's so incredible, but Dad apparently has no problem with the fact that there's a gaping, monster-sized tunnel in one wall.

Secondly, monster mobility. The thing can apparently only manifest itself in three places: the house's cellar, a water-filled sinkhole that connects to its basement warren, and a dry oil well. It's allowed to come into the house by the rules of the film, but apparently only if someone opens the cellar door for it. What prevents it from crawling up out of the sinkhole or out from under the oilwell platform to wreak havoc in the open is never explained (my guess has a lot to do with the FX budget). And that cellar door? The one hidden behind a cabinet and ritually sealed by the Indians? Well, it also has a storm door leading right up into the yard, which isn't even locked.

Third, monster power. The thing's strong enough to overpower grown men with one paw and nearly pull limbs off trees, but it can't break down a flimsy cellar door to get at the goodies in the house?

All that being said, they did design a pretty nasty-looking beast, one that looks like a long-nosed version of the Terror Dogs from Ghostbusters (I call it Slime Rat). Unfortunately, they didn't have enough money to make a whole monster. Only the front half of it interacts on-screen with the actors, and it comes up looking pretty rubbery in close scenes.

It's okay for a cheap jump-at-a-body monster movie, and I didn't see the pacing problems that other reviewers have commented on. I think the key to enjoying this film is to be willing to let it scare you. Either that or ridicule it to death.