Love creepy house movies, could have been super spooky. It was let down by the parents "what were they thinking" or not in this case. Who leaves their children in a huge old house the day after they move in, to pitch an idea at work???? The acting by the "mother" Elisha Cuthbert was great. The father was sleepwalking through the whole movie, literally no point having him. Good concept, unfortunately, lack of budget and character development let it down.
87 Reviews
Good third act, but what a chore to get there
vasiln14 April 2022
An "evil house" film that is occasionally Lovecraft-adjacent, Cellar's story has good bones but little meat, and I was more than once reminded of Mitchell & Webb's "Lazy Writers."
Add to that constant attempts at suspense that fall short because there aren't any stakes. The overbearing score, always letting you know to Be Really Scared Now Okay! Doesn't help. The first two thirds of the film felt like padding, like B-roll repurposed into something usable after the budget ran out.
But when we finally get there, it's actually a pretty good ending! And the acting is adequate, and the production values are good. They just should have left half of this on the cutting room floor.
Okay for a movie you watch with friends, fully intending to talk over half of it.
Add to that constant attempts at suspense that fall short because there aren't any stakes. The overbearing score, always letting you know to Be Really Scared Now Okay! Doesn't help. The first two thirds of the film felt like padding, like B-roll repurposed into something usable after the budget ran out.
But when we finally get there, it's actually a pretty good ending! And the acting is adequate, and the production values are good. They just should have left half of this on the cutting room floor.
Okay for a movie you watch with friends, fully intending to talk over half of it.
This is an average addition to the genre that is only worth watching if you're a horror genre enthusiast
kevin_robbins30 April 2022
The Cellar (2022) is an Irish horror movie recently added to Shudder. The storyline focuses on a family that moves into a unique house in the suburbs with their little girl and boy. Shortly after moving in the little girl disappears. As they coupe with the loss the mother finds strange marking all over the house and as she researches them she discovers her house may be a vessel to something much bigger and discovering what that is may be her only hope of finding the missing little girl.
This movie is directed by Brendan Muldowney (Love Eternal) and stars Elisha Cuthbert (House of Wax), Eoin Macken (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter), Abby Fitz (Redemption), Tara Lee (Moon Dogs) and Dylan Fitzmaurice Brady (Tides).
This movie does have some unique elements within the storyline that are well done. There is really good use of sound to create jump scares and intense circumstances. The horror elements were lacking and I was disappointed so many scenes were shot so dark. The acting is really good and the family dynamic is well established so better horror elements could have made this very good.
Overall this is an average addition to the genre that is only worth watching if you're a horror genre enthusiast. I would score this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.
This movie is directed by Brendan Muldowney (Love Eternal) and stars Elisha Cuthbert (House of Wax), Eoin Macken (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter), Abby Fitz (Redemption), Tara Lee (Moon Dogs) and Dylan Fitzmaurice Brady (Tides).
This movie does have some unique elements within the storyline that are well done. There is really good use of sound to create jump scares and intense circumstances. The horror elements were lacking and I was disappointed so many scenes were shot so dark. The acting is really good and the family dynamic is well established so better horror elements could have made this very good.
Overall this is an average addition to the genre that is only worth watching if you're a horror genre enthusiast. I would score this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.
Worth watching
domialenic16 April 2022
I found this movie quite entertaining. There is not a lot left in this type of movie that hasn't been done or hasn't been seen before. Especially the old, big and lonely houses that harbor some dark secret. That's why I probably gave it a better rating (6) then it actually deserves. So, although the whole thing was rather generic. I found especially the first half of the movie quite entertaining, the ending though rather confusing.
Watchable, give it a chance.
sergeboudin11 May 2022
Nice plot, I let myself be tempted. Sincerely, I had a great time in front of my screen.
The film is intriguing and we want to know what's going on, it's well done. It could have been better because certain ideas could have been better exploited. Some scenes of the films, or visions are still very distressing and disturbing. Conclusion : not bad, could have been better, but it's watchable, yes.
The film is intriguing and we want to know what's going on, it's well done. It could have been better because certain ideas could have been better exploited. Some scenes of the films, or visions are still very distressing and disturbing. Conclusion : not bad, could have been better, but it's watchable, yes.
I really wanted to like it...
Larsii9025 May 2022
First I wanna say that I rented this without hesitation because I'm a big Elisha Cuthbert fan. She is definitely the best part of the movie and about the only lead even though she has kids and is married. She does a good job with what she has to work with, but the problem is what she has to work with.
The plot itself is interesting enough for a decent horror flick, but it ends up as just squandered potential. We've seen all this before, but at the very least they could go all the way with their ideas. Nothing shocking, no twists, very few actually scary moments, and the actor playing her son was so bad it was honestly distracting.
It's an OK watch, but nothing I would say is worth spending money on.
The plot itself is interesting enough for a decent horror flick, but it ends up as just squandered potential. We've seen all this before, but at the very least they could go all the way with their ideas. Nothing shocking, no twists, very few actually scary moments, and the actor playing her son was so bad it was honestly distracting.
It's an OK watch, but nothing I would say is worth spending money on.
This film should've remained in.....the cellar.
LordCommandar14 April 2022
A gazillion close up shots of Cuthbert a little boy with a nice haircut, a rebellious daughter who had five minutes in the entire film and a clueless dad, did nothing for this super meh long and drawn out story. This film was dreary, lackluster and melodramatic. Watch with the volume down, with subtitles on and turn on some music and you will still be able to follow the story. And all of those nonsensical close up shots on Cuthbert's face only proved that she is old.
Generic Formulaic Occultism Fail
Tweetienator11 June 2022
Watching The Cellar won't kill you, I'm relatively sure about that, but it also won't scare you the least bit (but maybe in the case that you are haunted with something like a cellarphobia it may be a different matter). The movie got a few okay dark atmospheric moments, acting and production are also okay, but really, there is no real reason for the movie's existence or why you should watch this one - but The Cellar may be useful if you need some background noise while writing your next novel masterpiece or surfing thru the sales of some online shop of your choice. The "occult" in this movie is also rather just a melting pot of very superficial cliches. Verdict: meanders somewhere lost between below average and average. Exact rate: 3.5 points.
Clever enough.....with some shortcomings
This-Sleeping-Giant17 April 2022
I'm a sucker for creepy houses steeped in unique lore. Let's talk about what it got right.
1. The atmosphere - Not many horror movies create it properly. Anyone can take an old dilapidated house and make it spooky. With very few shots, they make the house an oppressive force, with a life of its own. It only helps they create unique lore infusing an added punch to the thing.
2. Cinematography - We have some Kubrick influence. The shots with the stairs. The shots moving through the house. I've always enjoyed when they turn the camera into an invisible enemy. You can tell the director has an eye for setting up shots. They absolutely nail all the visuals.
3. The audio - The audio couples together with the visuals nicely. Ratcheting up the tension slowly. It's actually one of the few movies, where the chanting seems to work well. Maybe it's because it's very soft and in the background. When the sound rushes in, you really can feel it. One thing that gets overused is the counting. I get why it's there, but by the end you are like ok ok, get it. Besides that small detail the audio is top notch.
4. The Lore - Notice how I didn't say story. The idea of a building as a gateway, whether by modified means, or built from the ground up, has been underutilized in horror for the most part. We have some examples, but not many. They inject enough originality to keep you interested. The best kinds of horror lore, is the kind that gives you just enough to fill in your own blanks. They do a good job with that....
5. The Horror - If you have been a fan of the genre for a while, you will pick up all the nods to other movies and/or styles of movies. The crew that made this are fans, and you can tell. Is anything completely new? No. But, they nail just about everything when it comes to the horror. It's creepy and unsettling. It's gothic. Its lovecraftian? In everything but the lore, it's very much a kind of story you would expect from the man. I guess maybe with a nod to hammer horror as well.
And now for what they got wrong
1. The pacing - Things happen over and over again. It all seems to drag out for no apparent reason. I mean, what they do is done well. You can only take so many of the same scenes until you say, " get on with it". The characters and their actions at times make no sense. The initial thing happens, and there is a big effort in fixing it, then all of sudden, it's like the characters kinda just move on. I mean they still show they care, but they don't do a hell of a lot in the meantime. Things pick up towards the end, but the common viewer would have already turned off by this point anyway.
2. The characters and the story - Cuthbert really shines. She has the most character development and screentime. She is believable and pulls it off here. That being said, all the other characters either are there as plot devices, or are just bare bones as can be. The daughter hating her mom and having bully issues.... It was just filler, it had no relation to the story other than to make the character seem real after the fact. The husband was just a cookie cutter guy who played the disbeliever role. The little kid was a typical gets caught up in everything kid. They filled the characters like they would fill horror movie tropes. Mother trying to solve a mystery? Check. Disbelieving husband? Check. Weird little kid? Check. And the next one really got me. They had the one role that could have made the movie better, the mathematician. This is the character that added and could have added more, but they just decided to forgot about him towards the end of the movie. I mean, they even made it seem like he was in the process of solving this weird mathematical riddle, and then nothing, you never here from him again.
3. The ending - Maybe it makes more sense to say the third act. Now I think this where it all comes together in a good way, but it also becomes completely predictable here all the way until the end. With a movie that moves slow......the payoff has to be great....and while some visuals are done well, it ultimately becomes formulaic at the wrong time.
Final Thoughts
Ok I loved it too much to hate. I'll admit it. As a horror fan, it will pick off many boxes. I loved how there was zero CGI, and even at the end when you finally go to that place...it's practical. The scene in the depths of the cellar, that scene reminds me of The Beyond. Another world that looks all too similar to your own, that can be scarier than any alien world. Another thing to mention, this originally was a short horror. The director tried really hard to add lore and flesh this out into a feature. It works and it doesn't. I think if you are a longtime horror fan what works will outshine what doesn't. If not, the shortcomings will have the opposite effect, especially with the pacing....
1. The atmosphere - Not many horror movies create it properly. Anyone can take an old dilapidated house and make it spooky. With very few shots, they make the house an oppressive force, with a life of its own. It only helps they create unique lore infusing an added punch to the thing.
2. Cinematography - We have some Kubrick influence. The shots with the stairs. The shots moving through the house. I've always enjoyed when they turn the camera into an invisible enemy. You can tell the director has an eye for setting up shots. They absolutely nail all the visuals.
3. The audio - The audio couples together with the visuals nicely. Ratcheting up the tension slowly. It's actually one of the few movies, where the chanting seems to work well. Maybe it's because it's very soft and in the background. When the sound rushes in, you really can feel it. One thing that gets overused is the counting. I get why it's there, but by the end you are like ok ok, get it. Besides that small detail the audio is top notch.
4. The Lore - Notice how I didn't say story. The idea of a building as a gateway, whether by modified means, or built from the ground up, has been underutilized in horror for the most part. We have some examples, but not many. They inject enough originality to keep you interested. The best kinds of horror lore, is the kind that gives you just enough to fill in your own blanks. They do a good job with that....
5. The Horror - If you have been a fan of the genre for a while, you will pick up all the nods to other movies and/or styles of movies. The crew that made this are fans, and you can tell. Is anything completely new? No. But, they nail just about everything when it comes to the horror. It's creepy and unsettling. It's gothic. Its lovecraftian? In everything but the lore, it's very much a kind of story you would expect from the man. I guess maybe with a nod to hammer horror as well.
And now for what they got wrong
1. The pacing - Things happen over and over again. It all seems to drag out for no apparent reason. I mean, what they do is done well. You can only take so many of the same scenes until you say, " get on with it". The characters and their actions at times make no sense. The initial thing happens, and there is a big effort in fixing it, then all of sudden, it's like the characters kinda just move on. I mean they still show they care, but they don't do a hell of a lot in the meantime. Things pick up towards the end, but the common viewer would have already turned off by this point anyway.
2. The characters and the story - Cuthbert really shines. She has the most character development and screentime. She is believable and pulls it off here. That being said, all the other characters either are there as plot devices, or are just bare bones as can be. The daughter hating her mom and having bully issues.... It was just filler, it had no relation to the story other than to make the character seem real after the fact. The husband was just a cookie cutter guy who played the disbeliever role. The little kid was a typical gets caught up in everything kid. They filled the characters like they would fill horror movie tropes. Mother trying to solve a mystery? Check. Disbelieving husband? Check. Weird little kid? Check. And the next one really got me. They had the one role that could have made the movie better, the mathematician. This is the character that added and could have added more, but they just decided to forgot about him towards the end of the movie. I mean, they even made it seem like he was in the process of solving this weird mathematical riddle, and then nothing, you never here from him again.
3. The ending - Maybe it makes more sense to say the third act. Now I think this where it all comes together in a good way, but it also becomes completely predictable here all the way until the end. With a movie that moves slow......the payoff has to be great....and while some visuals are done well, it ultimately becomes formulaic at the wrong time.
Final Thoughts
Ok I loved it too much to hate. I'll admit it. As a horror fan, it will pick off many boxes. I loved how there was zero CGI, and even at the end when you finally go to that place...it's practical. The scene in the depths of the cellar, that scene reminds me of The Beyond. Another world that looks all too similar to your own, that can be scarier than any alien world. Another thing to mention, this originally was a short horror. The director tried really hard to add lore and flesh this out into a feature. It works and it doesn't. I think if you are a longtime horror fan what works will outshine what doesn't. If not, the shortcomings will have the opposite effect, especially with the pacing....
Cmon now...
wlevyiii14 May 2022
Whoever rated this higher than a 5 is lying! The acting in the movie is fine. But the story and the ending is just stupid. Might as well been watching "Celluar" from years ago. These movies that just leave things with no real explanation are so tiring! STOP already. I highly recommend you skip this one and watch a tried and true older movie that does this much better.
This one really tried to be different. I appreciate that
nokuthuland16 April 2022
Don't understand the low score here. It was really thought through to not be just another remake with a different name. I can really appreciate that.
I used to love horror.
Today's so called horror movies are either just another disgusting zombie movie or some other sort of gore, or my worst pet-peeve a cop-out.
I liked that this one tried to stand on its own. It deserves a better rating.
I used to love horror.
Today's so called horror movies are either just another disgusting zombie movie or some other sort of gore, or my worst pet-peeve a cop-out.
I liked that this one tried to stand on its own. It deserves a better rating.
slow burn movie
kaefab22 April 2022
waste of time
ersin_2116 April 2022
I have watched countless bad films in this genre. So I am not surprised or disappointed with this one. The script is boring and even absurd at times. Acting by Elisha Cuthbert is the sole reson of two stars, the rest of the acting is annoyingly bad. Characterization or character development is non-existent.
I will not comment on the high rating reviews. If you are not familiar with such reviews by now, you do deserve to watch this one.
Watch only if you have nothing better to do, or have a hobby of wasting your life watching crap movies.
I will not comment on the high rating reviews. If you are not familiar with such reviews by now, you do deserve to watch this one.
Watch only if you have nothing better to do, or have a hobby of wasting your life watching crap movies.
Better Than Expected.
fatfil-414-45179717 April 2022
I always approach these channel commissioned Movies with some apprehension. In my book, Shudder has a 50/50 strike rate. However on this occasion I was pleasantly surprised. It is not one for those who seek action in every frame and gallons of blood. But this really intrigued me. And I found myself caring about the characters. And really wanting to know what happened. Although the ending was not a shocker, it still left me wondering. For those who are into the supernatural rather than the supergraffic.
The Whole House
jeroduptown6 May 2022
The Cellar starts with a worn-out premise, but then kinda loses its way somewhere between mathmatics, leviathans, demons and record players. Along with the awkward writing and ubrupt plot transitions, when the true evil appears, you're pretty much tapped out.
Not true horror. But still a good Mystery Horror.
InsaneMadster10 May 2022
It has a good plot. But I would say it's a lot of talking and searching rather than enough suspenseful moments to be a full on horror. So if you want a tense horror movie for the whole time this isn't it. But it has good acting. Good plot. Some scary elements, but not really any jump scares, and it is filmed very well.
Overall definitely worth the watch.
Overall definitely worth the watch.
Hard Pass
Draysan-Jennings19 April 2022
The say you can tell if a movie is going to be any good in the first 15 minutes. Well it only took me 5 to realize this was going to be terrible. Slow, dismal and boring is the perfect way to describe this film. 3 stars.
The writers need to do their Googles
bpabrown21 April 2022
How can one not recognize the Hebrew alphabet? How can one run some "whatever" digital company who holds preputial meetings on trying to crack the code on "social influencers" but yet hires some intern to figure out "what strange language this is?" (Hebrew)
How did the clueless intern manage to use her Googles so quickly and like Daphne and Velma master the language and rearrange the letters to solve the mystery in like 6 minutes.
Plus, I hate how people move into a house and they are unpacked by the end of a fully cooked dinner. (Who doesn't take time off from work during a move? Oh, not this family. They went right back to their "meetings" an hour or two after moving in,)
I swear the writers used a search engine like Yahoo or Web Crawler circa 2003 and searched "Spooky, Occult, superstition" and then threw it all together like a pot of Gumbo.
If I was whatever entity haunting that house I would be really annoyed at how dense this family is and try to send'em packing like the Lutz family.
This film was annoying.
How did the clueless intern manage to use her Googles so quickly and like Daphne and Velma master the language and rearrange the letters to solve the mystery in like 6 minutes.
Plus, I hate how people move into a house and they are unpacked by the end of a fully cooked dinner. (Who doesn't take time off from work during a move? Oh, not this family. They went right back to their "meetings" an hour or two after moving in,)
I swear the writers used a search engine like Yahoo or Web Crawler circa 2003 and searched "Spooky, Occult, superstition" and then threw it all together like a pot of Gumbo.
If I was whatever entity haunting that house I would be really annoyed at how dense this family is and try to send'em packing like the Lutz family.
This film was annoying.
Elisha Cuthbert is the SCREAM queen
rafael-0575918 March 2022
better than average Shudder production
LazyDaisee-3688227 April 2022
Its a made for tv horror so don't expect the best horror film ever made
But the film is better than most of what Shudder throws out and there were some good moments.
Overall if you are a horror junkie then you will have seen a LOT worse than this.
But the film is better than most of what Shudder throws out and there were some good moments.
Overall if you are a horror junkie then you will have seen a LOT worse than this.
More 2022 Horror Crap - The Cellar
arthur_tafero13 October 2022
As if 2022 didnt have enough bombs to level North Korea, this one comes to the horizon. This cliched tale of "a haunted house" (in this case a haunted cellar), is more appropriate for Abbott and Costello or the Three Stooges. As unbelievably as it may sound this type of film has been done before (perhaps a few hundred times before). The acting and direction is mind-numbing for the first hour of the film, and the payoff is definitely not worth the wait. Save your time and money and avoid this turkey, unless, of course, you are a fan of a good afternoon nap, which this film will provide for you.
Bad
dani_joker25 June 2022
Bro I can make better scary sounds with my mouth and better scenes with my eyes bro it is not scary at all that costume of the beast is really fake like u can observe it's fake. I apreciate and I give 2 stars because you added 2 BMW in the film one is seria 5 F10 and the other one is X5 they are the most atractive things of the movie.
Leave it with me
confirmeddeath18 April 2022
I was wondering if that phrase had any meaning, "leave it with me", no. It didn't have any meaning. The writer/producer, person in charge uses that phrase and instead of having different characters use different phrases, they all used the one that he uses in life...
Rant about "leave it with me" over.
The movie was predictable partly due to having read the description before having seen it. And even more predictable, horror movies nowadays rarely have a happy endings. They never get away from the monsters, so it was quite apparent what was going to happen.
And I don't know what kind of parent would go through hell to get their kid back from hell... well, actually, the kind of parent that would encourage their kid to go to figurative hell to turn the lights back on instead of telling them it's OK...
The movie was predictable partly due to having read the description before having seen it. And even more predictable, horror movies nowadays rarely have a happy endings. They never get away from the monsters, so it was quite apparent what was going to happen.
And I don't know what kind of parent would go through hell to get their kid back from hell... well, actually, the kind of parent that would encourage their kid to go to figurative hell to turn the lights back on instead of telling them it's OK...
Good movie!! Not great. But good. Solid 7
magus151429 April 2022
Not sure what some of the people who left horribly low ratings expected. It's a horror movie. It had an interesting take on the idea. It won't leave you a better person for having watched it but it was cool and had some creepy moments. Well worth the watch.
5 Mins
kellylaw-5117328 April 2022
Read the plot and watch the last 5 mins. That's it. Non of the 4 main actors and actress did their job well. The leading actress, really, you won't see any terrified or worried expression from her face. Shame on her acting skill here.
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