Brief review: "The Cellar Door"

Distributor: Monterey Home Video



Matt Zettell's The Cellar Door is a minimalist, effective slice of independent horror.

A young woman (Michelle Tomlinson) wakes to find herself imprisoned in the basement of a serial killer (James DuMont). 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.

Real, true independent filmmaking is fading these days. Are films like "Juno," "Little Miss Sunshine," and "Sideways" really independent films when they have major studio backing and the millions of dollars spent on prints and advertising that goes along with that? No, not in my opinion. If you want to see honest-to-goodness independent filmmaking, the best place to turn is the horror genre. Don't quote me on this, but the horror genre seems to have more independently-produced films released each year than any other genre by far. While some are quite bad (like any genre, really), there are a few impressive films. The Cellar Door is one of them.

What makes The Cellar Door good? First off, the direction is gritty and sometimes flashy but always solid. Zettell has shot a film that looks for all the world like a big budget film. It has impressive editing, tight, efficient pacing and cinematography, and decent gore effects when called for (although the film is definitely not a gorefest by any means). Look is important but what makes the film ultimately work is the storytelling. The presentation of what is an extremely simple story on the surface (captor and captive) is able to develop multiple layers. The film almost seems like a stage play at times with the mind games between the two taking front and center for much of the running time. It is credit to Zettell and screenwriter Christopher Nelson that a film that pretty much takes place in one room for 90% of the running time remains so intriguing. You are kept guessing what tactic the captive will try next and when the captor will have another random outburst because the guy clearly has more than a few wires crossed.

Also, the film benefits from solid performances from the two leads. DuMont's Herman is so temperamental, so schizophrenic that you don't know what version of him will show itself from scene to scene and it keeps you on your toes. His penchant for keeping poop and pee "samples" from his victims in jars alone is enough to give most anyone the willies. Michelle Tomlinson is his equal, giving a very convincing performance as his "girl in a box."

This is one "Door" worth opening.