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The Cellar

2022

Brendan Muldowney

Elisha Cuthbert, Eoin Macken, Dylan Fitzmaurice Brady, Abby Fitz ...

4.6

686

Horror Keira Woods' daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house. She soon discovers there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face or risk losing her family's souls forever.

	Media	Author	Review
		Trace Thurman Bloody Disgusting	"The main problem with The Cellar is that we’ve seen all this before, and we’ve seen it done better. The Cellar offers nothing new in the way of haunted house films (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)"
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"'The Cellar' is shockingly incompetent in terms of basic filmmaking criteria like pacing, framing, characters, lighting, etc. It's a deeply frustrating experience"
		Dennis Harvey Variety	"'The Cellar' has the external materials needed for a spooky good time (...) but this film can’t seem to find its own pulse — or raise ours — in a comparatively deluxe setting perfect for Gothic frisson"
		Matt Donato SlashFilm	"Muldowney nails the technical illustrations (...) Cuthbert reminds us that she belongs in stressful and invasive horror scenarios (...) Harmless horror entertainment that strives to be better than ordinary"
		J Hurtado Screen Anarchy	"While 'The Cellar' adds interesting and novel touches to the old formula, they are never exploited quite sharply enough to make it feel new (...) I just wish they'd committed to something a bit more exciting than they did"
		Brian Lloyd entertainment.ie	The atmosphere gets sucked out of 'The Cellar' with its unoriginal story and setting (...) [It] offers up nothing new (…) Rating: ★½ (out of 5)"
		Richard Newby AV Club	"'The Cellar' oozes with potential but isn't given enough —or doesn't do enough— with what's there, creating a subdued experience for viewers"
		Gaius Bolling JoBlo	"The Cellar is somber, atmospheric horror at its finest (...) Its old school approach to the building tension, while familiar, displays a constant undercurrent of fear that is alluring and terrifying"
		Noel Murray Los Angeles Times	"What does connect is Cuthbert's performance (...) 'The Cellar' really works best as a metaphor about parents who can only watch from a distance as their children get consumed by the adult world's savage cynicism"
		Leslie Felperin The Guardian	"There are a few genuine scares along the way that work well enough (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		R. Colin Tait The Playlist	"Not all horror movies need to be great in order to be good. Instead, many are there to pass the time and make us feel less terrible about the world. Clearing this low bar means that 'The Cellar' makes the grade"
		Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle	"'The Cellar' delivers on a good, old-fashioned monster, as well as a proper glimpse through the gate to the abyss (...) It may be an old spell he's casting, but the incantation is just right"
		Matt Fowler IGN	"'The Cellar' has the right tone, textures, and location for a creepfest -and the story builds in a safe, traditional manner- but it feels empty in the end, as the reveal doesn't feel worth the journey"
		Natalia Keogan Paste Magazine	"'The Cellar' expands short film in all the wrong ways (...) [It] feels like nothing more than a cheap imitation of the filmmaker's previous achievement, in turn diminishing the impact of the original work"
		Jared Mobarak The Film Stage	"A film full of thought-provoking ideas that never quite gel into anything more than another example of missed potential"
		Donald Clarke Irish Times	"'The Cellar' does sag just a little in the middle, but its spooky beginning and apocalyptic denouement set it aside from the horror pack (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Josh Bell CBR	"Stretching the story to feature length requires adding more plot elements and character development, and that's where 'The Cellar' falls short"
		Karina Adelgaard Heaven of Horror	"A 94-minute movie that feels like it's 80 minutes too long (...) Because of the apparent potential, I am very curious to see what Brendan Muldowney comes up with next (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Marta Bałaga Cineuropa	"For anyone who still wakes up at night in a cold sweat, having dreamt of an impromptu Maths test, 'The Cellar' will be a pleasing, I-told-you-so experience, even though it also shamelessly copies many of the horror clichés"

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