The Cellar

Writer-director Brendan Muldowney puts a demonic twist on the haunted house genre with spooky horror-mystery The Cellar. When the Woods family move into an old house in the country, they soon discover something strange is going on with the house’s cellar when their teenage daughter Ellie (Abby Fitz) goes missing during a blackout. Keira (Elisha Cuthbert) is determined to do whatever she can to find her daughter, but her ensuing investigation leads her to uncovering an ancient evil connected to the house – and it won’t stop until it gets the rest of her family.

With a seemingly endless staircase that materialises in the darkness, the impossible space below the family home is reminiscent of the unknowable labyrinth described in House of Leaves. It’s an intrinsically sinister concept that Muldowney builds upon with odd symbols above the doors and a mathematical formula carved at the foot of the cellar’s stairs. The trouble is, however, that the rules of how the supernatural aspects operate are frustratingly inconsistent. Just when viewers begin to understand, the flick will almost instantly contradict itself. Had the script kept the mechanics of the cellar shrouded in mystery, the inconsistencies would have kept viewers on their toes. But when Muldowney concerns himself with bringing logic into the picture, the menace of the scenario deteriorates.

The investigative part of the plot likewise begins to slip over time. The initial setup creates a compelling and spooky premise, but the effect is cheapened by characters who can conveniently solve large chunks of the puzzle in a matter of minutes while others drop massive and completely irrelevant exposition dumps about their backstories as if the filmmaker is trying too hard to justify their existence.

And the horror – in keeping with everything else – is also hit or miss. Muldowney sprinkles plenty of creepy imagery throughout, especially towards the climax, in which The Cellar embraces its otherworldly premise, but even these moments are cheapened by an incessant soundtrack that’s always at full volume. Everything is always presented as over-the-top, which is exhausting to watch. Thankfully the demon itself is kept mostly in the shadows; but even its presence is undermined when it is briefly shown. 

The Cellar is a slice of spooky, haunted-house fun. It’s unfortunate, though, that its fantastic premise is spoiled by inconsistent execution. 

Andrew Murray

The Cellar is released digitally on demand on 15^th April 2022.

Read more reviews from our Glasgow Film Festival 2022 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Glasgow Film Festival website here.