Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Nigel P In a year awash with horror films comes this oddity, built around the familiarity and fondness cinema-goers had for the leading ladies. When Beryl Reid's Ellie potters over the hillside, or Flora Robson's Joyce is introduced sternly cleaning the house, it is the actresses we are being treated to, with the characters of Ellie and Joyce yet to be introduced to us.The production is more reminiscent of a heartfelt Ealing drama interspersed with briefly glimpsed moments of graphic horror than usual Tigon fare. Apparently, the flashes of gore – and a brief scene of underwear removal during a kiss-and-cuddle scene to 'spice it up' – were added after filming was over, at the insistence of Producer and Distributor Tony Tenser who felt, understandably, that this was a very tame presentation.'The Beast in the Cellar' could have been lifted from a stage production, as much of the focus is inside the farmhouse, and there is a tendency for the leading players (Ellie, Joyce and soldier Alan, played by John Hamill) to indulge in lengthy preamble, telling each other and the audience what they already know.James Kelley's creeping direction often makes the most of the evocative location but wastes too much time on mundanities; there is a scene where Ellie discovers the Beast has escaped, which has her scuttling through the house, down some stairs, into the garden, by the side of some sheds, into the barn – and then back again - which seems to drag on forever. Soldier Alan visits the ladies to make sure they are alright, to tell them of the frightening events and killings occurring all around them, and then to assure them not to worry. His cheerful visits are relentless, and surprisingly nothing is made of the friendship between him and wholesome local nurse Joanne Sutherland (Tessa Wyatt).The 'beast', when revealed, is … a wide-eyed bearded old man. Hardly a thing of nightmares – indicative of the film as a whole, in fact. Well played by all concerned, the story is too thin (indeed, everything you need to know is summed up in the title) and sedate to satisfy. And yet some elements remain unexplained - just why does Joyce take to dressing in her late father's army coat and cap when she thinks no-one is watching? The reason for brother Steven's incarceration is murky at best. These things would have been more effective had the audience furnished with some reasoning or motivation. What could have been truly frightening results in an inoffensive, even quaint, pot-boiler.

kvnmsmth The bad news: the Canadian version of Beast In The Cellar released by Maple Pictures that I saw was of poor quality. Dark and washed out, it appeared to be dubbed haphazardly from a VHS tape. It even skips at one point due to some missing frames.The good news: this movie is so bad that the poor quality of the DVD detracted little from my viewing enjoyment. This horror movie fails to build tension and lacks scares. It is a horrorless horror film. While most frightening films have limited dialog, Beast In The Cellar is a gabfest, so much so that a character will repeat something we have just heard said by two other characters. Presumably, all the chit chat acts as filler for a very low budget, unimaginative movie. Unfortunately, the dialog isn't campy enough to make it worth a watch.

Paul Andrews The Beast in the Cellar is set in Lancashire in England during the early 70's where two elderly sisters name Ellie (Beryl Reid) & Joyce Ballantyne (Flora Robson) live together in their large house just outside the small rural town of Littlemead, one day Ellie rushes home to tell her sister that a soldier from a nearby Army camp has been brutally murdered. At first they both wonder who the killer could be until Ellie goes down into their cellar where they have kept their brother Steven (Dafydd Havard) bricked up for the past 30 odd years & discovers that he has dug a tunnel & escaped, obviously putting two & two together they feel Steven was responsible or the murder. The fact they find another dead soldier in their shed also has something to do with their thinking. Anyway, the beast is loose, on a murderous rampage & no-one is safe...This English produced horror film was written & directed James Kelley, it came from Tigon studios who were formed to compete with the likes of Hammer & The Beast in the Cellar was released in cinemas here in the UK to an unsuspecting public on a double bill with Tigon's best known film The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) which is a thought that make me proud to be British... While not as good as The Blood on Satan's Claw I still thought The Beast in the Cellar was a great film, judging by the other comments here on the IMDb I definitely seem to be in the minority by thinking that but quite frankly I don't give a toss because I thought it was a cracking little horror film & the fact that no-one else seems to like is completely irrelevant to me & my enjoyment of it, isn't it? I love the character's of Ellie & Joyce, as a pair their so different anything else I can remember seeing in a horror film, I mean name one other horror film where he two main stars are old ladies'. I bet you can't. I thought their parts were reasonably well written & I actually started to feel a little sorry for them by the end, I liked the story although maybe it's a touch predictable (you just have to look at the title to basically work the entire film out), I liked the twist's & this is one film where I liked the slow-ish pace & the build up. Having said that it can be slow going at times as well as being a bit dull although there was something about it that I found very watchable, in fact I couldn't take my eyes off it! This is a hard one to call because I can see where all of it's (many) critics are coming from & to an extent even agree with them but for me The Beast in the Cellar (great title, by the way) had that 'X' factor, that indescribable element that just hooked me personally even though no-one else in the World can see it...Director Kelley does a good job, it's not only for the bizarre story that I love The Beast in the Cellar it's the unique atmosphere that only comes from an English horror film from the 70's & there's nothing that can come close to it. I mean they just don't, can't or simply won't make 'em like this anymore, the thick accents & dialogue, the instantly recognisable English setting & countryside, it's all here. It's a little silly at times & after 30 years that bloke would have had a longer beard than that & there is no way on Earth he could have used his long finger nails as Leopard type talons as they would have broke after one slash. There is an acceptable body-count here, while the kills aren't the goriest they're cool & there is one scene in particular that I just loved when Ellie has to dispose of the dead soldier Steven brought home & since the guys eyeball is hanging out she pops it back in! Honestly I don't really know why but there are so many things that I liked about this film, I must be mad.Technically The Beast in the Cellar is pretty good considering it was probably made for a few thousand quid, the photography is nice (it's not often you see two credited cinematographers for a film let alone the class of Desmond Dickinson who has an impressive 90 films credited to him & Harry Waxman who has 70) & sometimes very effective although the day-for-night shots look cheap as they always do & it's generally well made with atmospheric sets & locations. I thought the acting was pretty good myself especially Reid & Robson who make the film what it is really.The Beast in the Cellar is a film that I really liked, I can't quite put my finger on why because I think it's a collection of things that just made it work for me. However I will concede that this will probably be the only positive review of The Beast in the Cellar you will ever read as everyone else in the entire World seems to dislike it which I cannot ignore so with that in mind I can't recommend it as going by the law of average I'm sure most will hate it. This comment is my own personal opinion & I thought The Beast in the Cellar was great fun & a highly entertaining creepy little horror film from a bygone era, unfortunately I doubt many will share my views on it which I think is a shame...

MARIO GAUCI This was the first title from Anchor Bay UK's "Tigon Collection" Box Set that I checked out - being already familiar with the higher-profile titles among them, namely WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) and THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1970). While the film isn't as bad as its reputation would suggest, and is actually well worth watching, it is by no means a classic. The interesting premise classifies it as an anti-war movie but it was deemed to be too talky by executive producer Tony Tenser and, along with some cuts, he ordered the addition of sex and violence inserts to heighten its commercial potential. However, incongruous as they may seem alongside the film's generally deliberate pace, these rapidly-cut scenes of the rampaging 'beast' work quite well! The film's mainstay, of course, are committed performances by the two elderly female leads - Beryl Reid and Flora Robson - but also T.P. McKenna as the police official investigating the murders. John Hamill and Tessa Wyatt's contribution - intended to provide the requisite romantic interest - is largely negligible, however. Perhaps the best scene in the film is Reid's lengthy account to McKenna of their family's back-story, disclosing the identity of the 'beast' and the reason for its violent behavior. One may notice inconsistencies in the lighting scheme throughout; this is the result of having two separate cameramen - with very different styles - working on the film, albeit both very well regarded exponents of the field (Harry Waxman and Desmond Dickinson). Tony Macaulay's over-emphatic score, however, works against the film's attempt at creating suspense and, ultimately, is what dates it most of all.THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR was actually released as a double-bill with the far superior THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW, which I rewatched later in the week. Director Kelly made only one other film before his untimely death - NIGHT HAIR CHILD (1971) - which, incidentally, I should also be watching fairly soon since I recently got a copy of it! The main supplement on the Anchor Bay UK DVD is the Audio Commentary, which is pretty adequate: Tenser's memory isn't so lucid and is occasionally hard to understand, but associate producer Christopher Neame (son of director Ronald) made up for this by his highly articulate observations and recollections about this particular film.