The Cellar Door (2007) User Reviews

I don't get the stickycam film grade. Do you?

[trnjamesbond · 5/10 · 5 July 2011]

Now I understand this film was made some time ago but I just got around to watching it and reading IMDb for some insight, I loved all of your opinions and critiquing, it was very helpful, without people like you I would watch films and waste my money (most of the time).

But I finally watched this film after finding it on NETFlIX and my review goes as follows. Enjoy!

I really don't think this is a bad film, If your in the mood for a no brains, relaxing evening snuggled up ready to sink your teeth into a new cheesy slasher film.

But just one question. What is with the stickycam video quality? Are they just trying to imitate the shaky cam like in big budget action movies? I really don't understand. This film would of looked and been so much better if they would of just filmed it normal. Maybe with a little bit of floating atmospheric camera work still in it.

But with the sticky cam film quality I find this a little bit too much. Just make the damn movie without shaking the camera like your having a seizure, or don't make a film like this, like your watching a webcam through a 14.4bps dial up modem! When the hell did this kind of camera work become cool? It's not! It's so nauseating, I want to puke when I see it!

These stupid DP's these days, think that shaking the camera in an action scene like your having a sudden earthquake or seizure is so cool! They also think by doing this it adds intensity, fear,or excitement!

Well it don't all it does is make everyone think that they been drinking beer in the desert for 12 hrs!

Please no more shakycam or in this case it's younger brother sticky cam! Now I understand that the writers, and mainly the director wants us to feel what the characters in this film are feeling, but doing it through shakycam syndrome, or sticky digicam, well I've only seen one film where that works, and that was Saving Private Ryan, when this kind of camera work was first played with. They only used this in scenes with gun fire making impact, or a lot of explosions going off. This is the only time this style of filming works.

Don't use it for fight scenes, because you can't see who's hitting who, and don't use this style in your film, just because you think the director of photography is funny because he's been having a seizure for the last three months while filming.

There are many other ways to show emotions in a film. Whatever emotion that may be! Just ask David Lynch. He seems to create emotion through colour and just the score of the film. Do you ever see him shooting a film while he's in full on seizure mode! No you don't!

Thanks for reading.

Interesting but not great and certainly nothing new.

[videozombi · 4/10 · 26 January 2008]

I think this movie had a lot of potential but it lacks something, I can't really put my finger on what but there is just something that keeps the movie from being worthwhile. I think the problems lay mostly with the lead actress, she is simply not believable in her performance and I found myself feeling no sympathy for her character because of that.

The killer in this film is your typical American serial killer, a loner cut off from the world who appears very affable and non-threatening. Very much like a John Wayne Gacy, he seems pleasant enough at first but he hides a dark and sinister side. This is portrayed very well by James Dumont. His acting is good, his appearance suits the role perfectly and he is very capable of presenting the cold, emotionless side of his character. Unfortunately I can't say the same positive things for Michelle Tomlinson.

Her portrayal of the victim is very stiff. She doesn't convey the emotions of a person trapped and facing her impending death well at all. She never comes across as a sympathetic character nor did she ever give me the feeling that she was really afraid of what might happen to her. As an actress I think she simply lacks the depth for the role she was given.

The movie overall is not a bad one. The camera work is what you would expect from a low budget horror movie, looking like one of those softcore adult films on HBO. As I said though, I expected that and it really doesn't hurt the movie itself. The script is fairly good and the locations are well chosen. The best scene I think is one where the killer is shopping at the grocery store and a female clerk gets rude with him. He seems to brush it off but then a few moment later, we see the clerk getting off of work and heading out to her car. The killer steps up behind her with a baseball bat and proceeds to beat her to death, showing no remorse, sympathy or hesitation. For her one comment, the victim is murdered. I think that, if anything in the movie, really displays the psychopath in his truest form.

The special effects are not great but I found them forgivable since the movie itself managed to hold my interest right up until the end. The ending is what really blew it for me. There was a lot of potential to break from the serial killer movie mold and have a film where a cold heartless killer doesn't see justice. That unfortunately is not what happens. Rather than have an ending in which the killer succeeds in his deed and we are left to wonder "will he kill again? Will he get caught?" we are given a typical serial killer wrap up that comes across more like "I am women hear me roar".

Is the movie worth watching? Yes, if you can tolerate a typical, and at this point in my movie watching career I would say bad, ending. If you can tolerate the lead actresses stiff performance, there is a movie worth seeing buried beneath it. It is sad though to have to look at yet another movie with a load of potential pass away into the abyss. Kudos to James Dumont however, he carried this entire movie on his shoulders and did it well.

nothing special

[shimyyuh · 3/10 · 1 February 2008]

This movie was an all around regular film with your typical scenes that anger you for victims stupidity. It was a non-moving story that definitely does not get you thinking anything other then where is all the psychological drama the other critics say about the victim turning the tables on the predator. The actor who plays the predator does a good job at portraying a disturbed person but overall the script lacks any deep disturbing content. I watched this movie last night and wished that we hadn't wasted our precious time (while baby is sleeping) on this film. The 1st 10 minutes of the movie is the best, it's nothing special after that....

I plan not to recommend this to my family and friends, as well as obviously anyone looking to rent it. I was pretty much non-impressed with everything about this film.

A new level in total stupidity *spoilers*

[phantasmda · 1/10 · 27 January 2008]

I really, really wanted to like this movie and for the first hour it wasn't that bad. Kind of a cheapo version of Captivity with some half decent acting. Then came the last 20 minutes, OH MY GOD!!! Who wrote this dross?? Christopher Nelson needs to be locked up and never allowed to pen another movie script ever again.

I lost track of the amount of times the two captured women had the Psycho down on the floor and then left him to get back up again to attack them, eventually killing one of them.

The two women have knives, bats and other weapons at their disposal each time they knock him to the ground but each time seem oblivious to the fact that if they don't finish him off, he'll get back up and come back after them. At one point, the main female has a huge rack of knives in her hands and knowing that the killer is still inside the house, she discards them and proceeds to wonder through the house with nothing to protect herself with, it's pathetic. Then her friend attacks him with another weapon, and leaves him helpless but still moving on the kitchen floor whilst she then discards the weapon and runs into the bathroom, where he races in and stabs her to death WHAT?????? I'm sorry but the woman deserves to die if she is going to be that stupid. All this film insinuates is that women are helpless and extremely thick whenever they are in a life and death situation such as the one they are in in this film.

How this movie has won awards is beyond me, it's absurd!

Depressing, Dire, Fare

[gary-444 · 2/10 · 25 July 2010]

This is the Directorial debut for Matt Zettell, and Christopher Nelson's first screenplay- and it shows. There is a rich and honourable tradition of " captured women at the mercy of depraved men", but this does nothing to add to it. The premise is fine, and familiar. A loner pervert abducts young women for lewd purposes. But crucially, beyond that, Zettell loses his way.

It isn't a sexploitation movie. There is no overt sexual violence and hardly any nudity, so voyeurs will be disappointed. This isn't a standard "slash & splash" movie, the body count is too low. Nor is it a psychological thriller, the Direction and writing isn't good enough. The shame is that the two lead actors, abductor Herman, (James Dumont(, and abductee , Rudy, (Michelle Tomlinson), do a decent job with what they have, which isn't very much.

There are some decent scenes, the pre opening credits chase across a deserted storm drain is solid, the supermarket scenes where Herman buys self consciously for his captive well observed if under exploited, and the dispatch of some pesky Jehovas witnesses quite amusing. But overall it is a long 85 minutes.

The film's flaw is that Zettell does not know what to do with the story. The characterisation is weak, so we don't really bond with any of the characters. Herman's creepy and perverted desires are not played on enough, and the violence requires a level of suspension of disbelief in the final act which is laughable. This film really is not very good.

next time ill be careful before i rent the first movie i see

[jakelovesdmartel · 21 November 2011]

well this is my first review on here and i'm sad to say its going to be a warning. Do not see this movie. It tries quite hard to be smart and play with your mind, but it does not do it very well. Gore fans will be disappointed, and so will anyone else who is in the mood for a memorable flick. okay i lied, it is memorable, just not in a god way. Paying taxes is less painful then sitting through the duration of this film. The characters are extremely stupid. At one point they have an entire arsenal of weapons at their disposal, and still one of them manages to die. Avoid at all costs. Anything else is better worth your time then this.

Weak

[dschmeding · 2/10 · 3 March 2008]

I admit I kind of liked Broken for its atmosphere and cold feeling although it was going pretty much nowhere. I don't know why this movie is called Broken 2... except for the crazy guy kidnaps woman they don't have so much in common. This time the crazy guy is a pathetic loser who puts women in his cellar and cages them to have smalltalk with them and collect their feces. Obviously the movie tries to be smart and psychological with the caged woman and crazy guy interacting but at no point its getting any clear whats behind crazy guy Herman's acting. The script is once again a mess and covers stupidity on all levels... stupid victims running around with weapons just to get captured again after leaving them behind, 60 Minutes of pseudo-psychological boredom and then when the going gets tough the doorbell rings, the captive is kept in a cage for weeks and still got shiny bright white teeth... and the ending, oh my god.. crap ending, even crappier music. Its like the fourth movie in a row I saw that doesn't have a proper ending. The acting was OK but thats about it. This movie has no atmosphere, no suspense, no gore and a script like one big hole. Avoid.

Worst direction this century

[artpf · 2/10 · 3 November 2013]

he girl next door, having coffee, lunch with a friend, shopping, unaware she is becoming an obsession. She has been chosen. A young woman awakes to find herself imprisoned in a serial killer's basement. She is not the first to be entrapped in this diabolical torture chamber. She is not the first to captivate his perverse affection, Herman has been searching for the perfect girl, but all he's collected are pieces - a chunk of hair; a severed finger; a jar of blood - and now, the alluring and beautiful Rudy. Imprisoned in a wooden cage and yet refusing to play along in his twisted game, she has only her wits to use against his savage and murderous insanity. Will she win the desperate, hallucinatory game of cat and mouse and escape through the Cellar Door, or die trying?

Whatever. The film actually opens with a bloody chick who escapes and runs through the streets but no one sees her. She gets recaptured and croaks.

There's one huge problem with this movie which could have easily been solved -- the director is incompetent. It appears as if the entire movie is films with an over shaky jumpy hand held camera. After about 30 seconds of watching the frames jump around, you want to throw up.

Did he think he was being creative? I think he didn't know what he was doing.

It's could have been a fun diversion in the hands of another filmmaker. Instead, 6 full stars are removed for sheer incompetence. Next time buy a $20 tri-pod. The chopping belongs in the story, not on the film, sherlock. Better yet. Give up. You suck.

worst movie ever

[ryanmandy · 1/10 · 1 February 2008]

i had high hopes before i watched this but when i did i thought it was one of the worst films ever made poor acting rubbish plot badly directed it was a plain shambles from the start,the guy who plays the weirdo serial killer is just not the right guy for the part whatsoever and it was seriously boring could not wait for it to end. there is a serious lack of quality releases these days and when rubbish like this is being put out then there is no hope for the film industry,these kinda films have all been done we need fresh ideas not low budget poor acted rubbish i think i have given this film egnough of a review now trust me don't watch it!!!

A Rip-off of a Well-Known Storyline, but with Top-Notch Performances and Solid Screenplay

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 5 September 2008]

In California, the psychopath Herman (James DuMont) stalks the young Rudy (Michelle Tomlinson) and her mate Christa (Heather Sconyers) along a day and a night and finally he chooses Rudy to be his next victim. He breaks in their house and uses ether to kidnap Rudy, bringing her to the basement of his house. When she awakes, she discovers that she is imprisoned in a wooden cage in a cellar and subjected to sick games of the deranged Herman. Rudy decides to play the game looking for a chance to escape from Herman's claw.

I do not know how many times I have seen the storyline of "The Cellar Door"; maybe the original version of this theme (a man that abducts a woman for his own pleasure) is William Wyler's masterpiece "The Collector", which has become extremely violent and sadistic as years go by. I recall recently watching at least the franchise "Saw", "Captivity", "Broken" and "Sportkill" that are rip-off of the classic storyline. However, I liked "The Cellar Door" because the writer Christopher Nelson and the director Matt Zettell were able to make an extremely low-budget theatrical movie supported by a solid screenplay and mostly by top-notch performances of the unknown James DuMont and Michelle Tomlinson. Their mouse-and-cat game is great and in the end it was worthwhile watching this simple but effective film that works perfectly on DVD. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Porão" ("The Cellar")

My Review

[joemamaohio · 5/10 · 17 July 2008]

In "The Cellar Door," a young woman is held hostage in middle-America by a 'typical, white-collar unsuspecting middle-aged man.' He's seeking love and acceptance because he's totally alone in the world, and in his warped mind the only way to find that is to kidnap women and hold them hostage.

This isn't the typical gory "Saw"-style movie. You feel bad for the man who's doing this to the women, because he's so pitiful and alone, but still you want him to get his comeuppance regardless. Also, the female who's being held captive is given strength in her ability to taunt her kidnapper, and there's a funny scene that will make you NEVER want to be a Jehovah's Witness.

Sure, some people will think this is just a low-budget version of "Captivity," but I felt that it was done better than the bigger-budget version.

A wonderful game of cat and mouse...

[jazzbox2 · 9/10 · 15 November 2007]

"The Cellar Door" is a great film with amazingly nuanced performances and Matt Zettell's accomplished direction.

A beautiful woman is kidnapped by a insane stalker and locked away in his cellar. What happens next is the surprising part: A relationship develops between the two. Actors Michelle Tomlinson and James DuMont command the screen with their subtle characterizations. The film is aided by a great screenplay, solid supporting performances, and a good score.

Believe me when I say this is not the usual "woman in a cage" flick. Do your best to seek it out - you won't be disappointed!

Offers nothing new but its very well done.

[jhpstrydom · 7/10 · 14 January 2009]

Hermen is lonely but strange guy who goes out one night and abducts Rudy, an attractive young woman and locks her in a big wooden cage in his basement.

Generally, The Cellar Door does not offer anything in the terms of originality, and you can obviously tell its a low budget movie from the opening scene, but surprisingly enough, it had my attention, the acting by the two leads Michelle Tomlinson and James Dumont (who also serves as co producer) were actually very good, it was very interesting to see how Rudy tried to lore Hermen into a trap by playing some clever head games, and using her seductive quality to try and gain the advantage, one thing I can say is that Tomlinson certainly does have a really seductive look, the type of look that would make any man turn into putty in her hands, James Dumont does not have a seductive quality and neither is he attractive, but does play his role of sexual deviant very convincingly, and his character reactions towards Rudy's head games are spot on, if you consider Tomlinson's very good looks.

The script by Christopher Nelson and the direction of Matt Zittal together with the performances by the two leads, is what makes this film worth the 90 minutes, although I'll ad that this film does not have the prim and proper look of a Hollywood blockbuster, so for those that prefer that look might want to avoid, but for those that can notice talent when you see it, definitely give it a shot.

To the makers of this film..... Your movie sucks

[wroutson · 1/10 · 25 July 2008]

As I stated in the subject line of this post "your movie sucks", while I have no Idea how anyone could sit through it once let alone a second time I myself turned it off after ten minutes or so wondering how anyone could spend not only money making this garbage but the time to actually film it and then edit it and further I can't believe the distributors actually paid you for this. The only positive thing I take away from this movie is that I didn't waste anymore time watching it so my ten minute investment was at least kept to a minimal, you might have a future in how to videos as long as their is a market for this type of movie. I can only hope you never make another movie or at the very least are forced to watch this film till you claw out your own eyes. This is the exact type of movie that gives horror movies a bad reputation I'm just surprised that Lions Gate didn't snatch this turd up and add it to it's collective pile of crappy films. In the future where ever you may land if I ever have the pleasure of meeting you just remember this "Yes I want fries with that order" And "Don't spit on the bun"

Better Than Others Of Its Kind

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 27 June 2009]

A potential serial killer and his kidnap victim... can they develop a relationship, a rapport? This is what viewers will be left wondering after the socially inept kidnapper is forced to take care of his victim, including buying her feminine hygiene products.

The film starts out with some of the most awful shaky cam I've ever seen. If the viewer is prone to motion sickness, this may be a bit unbearable for them... I'm not overly susceptible, but another five minutes and this film would have been ejected. Luckily, it stops after the introduction.

And once the shaky cam goes away, we realize something that makes or breaks an independent film. In this case, it makes it: a good story. Thanks, Christopher Nelson. Sure, I've read multiple reviews saying this film covers familiar ground. And they're right. There's nothing particularly unique about a kidnapper and his victim. We could use a twist -- like a female kidnapper and a male victim. But as far as this archetype is concerned, I think they executed it well.

About the acting... the lead actor (James DuMont) is a bit silly, but fit the quirkiness of the role. The lead actress (Michelle Tomlinson) is solid. I don't think she stands out, I don't think this will launch her career... but she did well.

The quotations on the box are a bit weak --do you really need multiple quotes from my friends at Pretty Scary? -- but the movie was good. If you're a supporter of independent film, this certainly is worth your time. Not the most polished, not the greatest film of the year... but it held my attention and the attention of my friend Seth, which is more than we can say for most films when we're drunk off our butts.

Don't watch it

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 18 February 2016]

THE CELLAR DOOR is another rubbishy independent horror flick that's content to copy films that have come previously instead of offering anything new. Once again the main character is a poorly-acting psychopath (amusingly, this time around he's a chubby guy called Herman) who keeps a couple of women captive in his house. That's all there is to it.

The film is saddled with awful camera-work, which shakes all over the place to little effect, and attempts to bring it into the 'torture porn' category, which I didn't care for. The acting of the female characters is all screechy and irritating, and the scripting is so goofy that I often laughed instead of being moved or frightened. The ending, when it eventually comes, is particularly disappointing.

I didn't think it was too bad.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 24 October 2009]

The Cellar Door starts as kidnapped woman Jennifer (Christina Reynolds) manages to escape the small wooden cage that deranged psychopath Herman (co-producer James DuMont) has imprisoned her in, however Jennifer doesn't make it too far as Herman catches her & suffocates her. Herman now needs another victim to lock up & sees close friends Rudy (Michelle Tomlinson) & Christa (Heather Sconyers) enjoying a night out, Herman decides he likes the look of Rudy & later that night breaks into their apartment & kidnaps her. Rudy wakes up in Herman's basement locked in a small wooden cage, Herman is a fat loner who just wants some company & a girl whose bodily wastes he can keep in jars but Rudy is a less than willing participant. Meanwhile Christa calls the police but they can't do anything for at least seventy two hours, the question is can Rudy survive that long...

Executive produced & directed by Matt Zettell the general consensus is that The Cellar Door is a Saw style rip-off but I'd say it's more akin to Captivity (2007) as there are no traps, puzzles, any real torture scenes & no twists either. The script for The Cellar Door is rather simplistic, the first twenty odd minutes doesn't feature a single conversation & only a couple of random words while the rest of it is nothing more than a battles of wills & wits between the prisoner & the inmate. I did actually quite like The Cellar Door, it has it's moments & I thought the lead actress in particular was very good. It's not that gory & the body count is low with little on screen violence but the story is reasonably gripping & the interchange between Rudy & Herman is alright & there's that degree of interest in finding out how it's all going to end which will probably keep most viewers watching through to the end. The subplot about Christa trying to find Rudy feels like an afterthought & I am not sure what the whole thing about the store assistant was & don't they have CCTV in car parks these days? Also the final showdown between Rudy & Herman is alright, there's a memorable final scene but there are too many times where either Rudy or Christa could have killed Herman & made sure he was dead rather than just sort of injure him & run off letting him go after them again & Herman isn't really given any great motivation behind his crimes & his actions feel a little random at times especially the murder of the store clerk. All in all I quite liked it but it's by no means any sort of masterpiece.

The title The cellar Door seems a little random as sure there's a cellar door in it but it has no relevance to the story or any real significance at all. There's actually very little gore here, there's a couple of stabbings, a bit of blood splatter & a few dead bodies but nothing else of note. Rudy looks really hot here actually & I can see why Herman chose her.

With a supposed budget of about $250,000 this was low budget but it looks OK if it wasn't for the shaky hand-held camera vibe which just looks awful & becomes very irritating. The acting varies, Michelle Tomlinson is great actually & thought she nailed down the part well although James DuMont is poor & just isn't intense enough to be thought of as a threat while the extras don't fare much better.

The Cellar Door is a film I liked overall but there are things that let it down including a lack of gore & some poor acting although the story is alright & there is also some very good acting as well. You could do a lot worse.

Terrible, Plot-less, Chauvinistic Towards Women

[ross-m-15 · 2/10 · 8 April 2008]

The entire movie consists of a young woman kidnapped and forced to live in a box. This is the basis to the struggling plot and a storyline never forms. When the movie begins it does tend to grab attention because the events are so unusual. The movie seems to be decent in the beginning and looks to carry hidden meanings; although, the movie falls apart through the second half and ends up not containing anything "deep." I was even in more shocked when the ending occurred because it was so bad. The woman seemed to have pride and joy at the end and did not act in a realistic way under the given circumstances. Additionally, the closing scene was horrible the way it was portrayed and the background music was out of place.

Not only was the movie terrible in general, it also took underlying themes of demeaning women. Simply put, the woman is kept and treated as a pet in a cage. Later more chauvinism is shown when two women try to fight off the attacker and twice manage to knock him down on the floor. The two women do not consider the killer may still be alive and just walk away without any weapons both times. This suggests an inaccurate and realistic level of intelligence.

DuMont: The Next Anthony Perkins?

[AlanMichaelElliott · 4/10 · 3 February 2008]

I found The Cellar Door to be rather interesting and I will admit it captured my attention to almost the very end. I sensed the storyline was well played out and with all of the scenes appearing believable other than the contrived unbreakability of the movie's most viewed prop. The cage was constructed of a weak ceiling of very thin wood and without a wire mesh that in reality could have easily been kicked out. Toward the story's end is where the timing and the series of events destroys whatever greatness the movie could ever attain. That timing and procedure goes from good to ridiculous. The most notably poor scene being when the girlfriend strikes the perpetrator over the head with a bat. At that point, in light of the severity of what had already happened, it would only stand to reason the girlfriend should have struck him more than once in that particular region. But, that would have ended the movie too abruptly, right? So, I would think the scene should have never been shot in the first place. As well, I would assume some other totally different finale could have been concocted instead.

I must say James DuMont plays an excellent psycho "perp". So much so the movie just may stereo-cast him as such.

James Dumont Scores Big in this film!

[Gomez-10 · 12 January 2008]

I have to admit that I'm generally not a fan of this genre so I was not looking forward to the screening I had to attend. James DuMont's superb performance made the experience well worth my time.

Every once in a while you get to see a performance that reminds you why you go to the movies and James DuMont's performance it subtle, deep and compelling.

I was also glad to see the film had some substance beyond what I originally thought. It has a lot to say about isolation and need the for love. Both of which DuMont captures vividly. Making an otherwise awful character sympathetic. No small feat with a role like this and one that could have very easily been overplayed.

Please don't let my going on about DuMont detract anything at all from Michelle Tomlinson's wonderful performance. The two actors are equally matched in this clever cat and mouse game of love and survival.

Now I think it would be great to see them together in a romantic comedy.

I was glad I saw this movie and I think you will be as well.

Pajama Breakfast Cereal Killer

[saint_brett · 7/10 · 3 June 2022]

Didn't Shakin' Stevens once sing, "Green cellar door, what's that secret you're keeping?" Let's see what old Shakin' Stevens is hiding behind that green door, shall we?

Movie starts off with what sounds like Catherine Martin making those exact same wailing noises while being locked up in Pinhead's personal cubby house down in what's-his-name's basement.

She then lets off a Corey Taylor-like yodel. You know the one? Right before the People = Manure song kicks off? Do I have to spell it out? Track 1 on the Iowa album near the end.

Whoever's filming this needs to keep the camera still. Unless they were inspired by an episode of N. Y. P. D. then this cameraman is all over the shop and giving me a seizure.

Catherine Martin seems distressed that there's implements from the movie 'Seven' surrounding her and comes to realize that a mouth gag is censoring her pleas for help so she's motivated to break free like Queen as The Pajama Breakfast Cereal Killer is upstairs eating his Wheaties in his jarmies.

She escapes hell this time and surfaces to the light and transitions into Jessica Biel for a moment like a 'Star Wars' shape shifter. Feeling all nostalgic she runs down to where they filmed 'Grease' and is run over and recaptured by The Pajama Breakfast Cereal Killer who then kills in broad daylight. Man, this was no time for sightseeing, lady!

This guy made burying a body look easy - he done it in world record time in under 5 seconds and even broke a personal PB in the process.

So, the movie covers B. T. K.'s favorite part about serial killing - the coveting part. The hunt. Supposedly they got more thrills out of hunting, stalking, and selecting their next victim than actually killing them I've read somewhere.

The Pajama Cereal Killer picks up his next victim by spying her on sale in Ralph's, or Dollar Store? Is that Fallon Bowman from the band Kittie? After 3 days of being abducted Fallon is still sporting fresh foundation and glossy lipstick. She's kept in a crate chamber fortified with mattress wire and nails. It's a DYI project. Must have been paying attention to all those free-to-air TV shows? He sure as hell didn't build this from products purchased at Lowe's either. Must had got second rate equipment from flea markets, or something?

There's no explanation for why the Pajama Killer keeps complete strangers as pets. Guess he's just a regular Mr. Rogers with an identity crisis? One minute he's Gomer Pyle, then next he's Barney Fife, and then he can be Leonard from 'Full Metal Jacket?' I dunno. It's all a complicated process like Dahmer said. One doesn't just become a nut bag overnight.

In my professional analysis The Breakfast Cereal Killer is probably just a stay-at-home-mom sort and has no hobbies other than keeping people against their will?

Two Mormons show up preaching Scientology and it's almost a comedy with their demise as is the end when Fallon Bowman is finally freed and dons a wedding dress and the movie loses both its bowels and credibility.

I originally gave this indie movie 5 out of 10.

5/10 is my "I don't like it; I don't hate it" rating system. But I'll give it an extra point for being better than Disney's current 'Kenobi' crap. Also an additional bonus point for being better than the worst movie in history - 'After Last Season.' (I'm in a giving mood today.)

So, 7/10 overall.

P. S. Why'd they use the 'Halloween 4' score in the trailer for?

Not an outstanding movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 13 August 2017]

There is just something interesting about the deviant stalker in a horror movie, which is actually why I decided to sit down to watch "The Cellar Door". I had no knowledge about the movie or its existence prior to finding it by sheer luck in the horror section.

The story told in "The Cellar Door" was adequate for what it turned out to be. It was actually, just another stalker who captures prey and keeps it in the basement type of movie. You know the type, once you've seen one you have essentially seen them all. And the storyline told in this movie was rather predictable as well.

The cast ensemble in the movie was rather small, and sadly the cast wasn't putting on particularly memorable performances. And the fact that the characters portrayed in the movie were generic and non-distinct wasn't really helping either.

"The Cellar Door" is adequately paced which was a definite plus. However, the movie was struggling with the fact that it was just another generic torture flick.

This is clearly not a multi million dollar and the production level clearly shows that. But despite that, then I will say that they actually managed to do well enough with their endeavor.

This movie might be worth your time and effort for a single viewing if you have nothing better to watch at hand, but it is hardly a movie that you will go out of your way to get your hands on.

Excellent Flick

[joshbenton · 10/10 · 15 November 2007]

I saw this movie at the Shriekfest horror film festival. This was in my opinion the best movie I saw. The story was strong and well put together. The characters were very rich and well written without any of the usual trappings found in snatcher films. The Herman character is played very unlike most bad guys you see in movies today. And the gal who plays Rudy has definitely got spunk! I hope to see more of her in the future. Although this film was made on an Indie budget, it definitely carries it's weight with its studio counterparts. Go see this movie. Go rent this movie. Go Buy this movie. You wont be disappointed.

I GOT AN "A" IN SHOP CLASS

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 11 June 2019]

In our opening scene we have a bloody fully clothed woman being hunted down by a man in his pajamas. Herman (James DuMont) is a connoisseur who collects only the finest in female parts. He quickly moves unto the next female, Rudy (Michelle Tomlinson) who must psychologically battle her captor in order to get released, all the while attempting to stay on Herman's good side and battling nightmares.

Okay. That's it for 85 minutes.

Herman is a balding middle aged man, who is socially inept. Rudy is a party animal lesbian The film is more of a thriller than horror. Once the woman is in the box, it seems like it takes forever for something to happen. Hey! Those clothes are wet!

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex. Near nudity.

nothing to do with Broken but stated as Broken 2

[trashgang · 4/10 · 27 August 2009]

As noted in my Broken review this one was in the Broken box too stated as Broken 2. In fact the storyline is a bit of the same, girl get kidnapped, locked up in a , euh, cellar, tries to get befriended with the killer, tries to escape. So far so good but it never works. It never is creepy or really bloody let even say gory. It started of really well with the begin credits. What we see is okay, that part is bloody and gory and you are immediately into the movie but when that girl is killed the movie change into a blah blah kind of movie, never convincing. Both the killer and the victim are doing their best but something is missing. She just stays in her cage and he just talks, never doing her really harm and she's never afraid, that annoyed me too, if you are locked up with a psycho you should be afraid or you are sick minded too. Only the last 15 minutes are bloody but it's too late, the movie failed to deliver horror. It's a pity but again it proofs that you have to be careful with franchises. Would have given it a 3 out of 10, it's the last 15 minutes that gave it 4 out of 10.