The Cellar Door is Intensely Scary and Incredibly Smart.
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The Cellar Door is what psychological captivity horror is all about, regardless of budget. This is one of the best horror films of 2007.
Written by The Horror Czar (BHM Editor Don Sumner)
December 25, 2007
Release: June 1, 2007
Directed by: Matt Zettell
Written by: Christopher Nelson
Starring:
James DuMont as Herman
Michelle Tomlinson as Rudy
Horror movies focused on captivity and torture are a recent phenomenon in American cinema. The concept itself is not entirely new of course ( I Spit on your Grave, 1978) but the mass acceptance of blatant torture, kidnapping and the state of captivity did not gain modern momentum until the release of Saw in 2004. Since this cutting-edge film’s release the market has been saturated with other titles hoping to capitalize on the new-found love of kidnapping and graphic torture, including popular movies such as Hostel and Hostel 2 as well as a host of less popular flicks including Broken, Turistas and Captivity. In most cases the psychology of captive and the captor takes a minor role in lieu of the shock-value of graphic gore. The Cellar Door breaks this trend.
The Cellar Door begins with an escape in progress that
sheds much light on the background of the villain, Herman (James
DuMont). The escapee is a bloodied, bound and panicked woman who fights
her way out of a normal looking house and tries to find some help
before being recaptured by Herman and killed. Herman then returns to
his house and fortifies his prison by making sure that his last
victim’s means of escape is cut off to any future
“guest”. Enter Rudy (Michelle Tomlinson).
We meet Rudy going about her normal life, not knowing that a deranged Herman is watching her every move. Armed with ether, Herman lets himself into Rudy’s apartment and whisks her off to his “love nest”, a small box in his cellar reinforced with lumber and wire. Rudy is now a prisoner and must use her wits to find a means of escape before she meets the same end that several women before her have faced – a tortured death.
The Cellar Door is scary because of the transparency into the situation. Rudy is not being held captive by a nameless psychopath but rather by a disturbed man who is clearly on the edge of a manic breakdown at any moment. The script is smart and humanizes the captor making him that rude guy you saw at the supermarket or the nerdy guy who you catch looking at you while stopped at a traffic light. Herman could be any weird guy that can’t get a date, but in this particular case he is much more terrifying – a sociopathic killer that is convinced that he hurts people because they give him no choice.
The production quality this low budget independent film is incredible. Both the cinematography and the editing work elevate this film beyond typical “made for DVD” fare. The performances by James DuMont and Michelle Tomlinson are excellent as well, giving depth and reality to both captor and captive. Much of this is due to the inherent talents of the lead actors, but I give props to the direction of Matt Zettell most of all. The writer creates the story, but the director interprets it – and Matt Zettell’s interpretation of the relationship that could develop between a sociopathic killer and his love interest has believability and honesty.
The Cellar Door had only limited theatrical release before going to DVD in April of 2008. This is a shame. I think of Captivity, which had major promotion and wide release in theaters, and I can’t help but draw the conclusion that The Cellar Door is what Captivity could have been if it were done well. As it stands The Cellar Door may just remain one of the best horror movies that nobody knows about. Do yourself a favor and add this one to your collection of the best horror to come out of the last couple of years, where it surely deserves a place. Questions or comments about The Cellar Door? Contact us!
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