The Beast in the Cellar

Last updated

The Beast in the Cellar
The-Beast-in-the-Cellar.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Kelly
Written byJames Kelly
Produced byGraham Harris
executive
Tony Tenser
assoc
Christopher Neame
Starring
Cinematography Harry Waxman
Desmond Dickinson
Edited by Nicholas Napier-Bell
Music by Tony Macaulay
Production
companies
Distributed by Tigon British Film Productions
Release date
16 July 1971
Running time
89 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Beast in the Cellar is a 1971 British horror film written and directed by James Kelly and starring Beryl Reid and Flora Robson. [2] The film was produced by Leander Films and Tigon British Film Productions.

Contents

Plot

Soldiers stationed at a rural army base in Lancashire are being mauled to death in the surrounding woodland. The authorities suspect a wild cat, but sisters Joyce and Ellie Ballantyne, who live in a house nearby, fear that the soldiers are actually being murdered by their brother Steven, who has been locked in their cellar for nearly 30 years.

Joyce and Ellie discover that Steven has dug a tunnel out of the cellar, allowing him to come and go as he pleases. They also find the body of one of the soldiers. As they fill in the tunnel, Joyce suffers a fall, forcing Ellie to complete the task alone. Ellie then buries Steven's victim near the house.

With Joyce now bedridden (and looked after by Nurse Sutherland), Ellie realises that she cannot cope on her own and calls in the army and police. She tells them that Steven is her and Joyce's younger brother, born after their soldier father's return from the First World War. She adds that their father had been left shell-shocked by his experiences and was violent towards Steven. After their parents died, Joyce, not wanting Steven to end up like his father, resolved to prevent him from being called up at the start of the Second World War. To this end, she and Ellie drugged Steven and placed him in the cellar, thereafter lacing his water supply with sleeping pills to keep him under control. After being physically abused by his soldier father, then incarcerated for three decades by his sisters, Steven has developed a hatred of uniformed army men and regressed to the level of a savage.

Steven re-enters the house and lunges at Joyce, who is wearing their father's army overcoat and cap. He is fatally shot by one of the soldiers. Ellie realises that Steven did not mean to attack Joyce, but a framed bedside photograph of their father in uniform.

Cast

Production

The film was originally called Young Man, I Think You're Dying based on a line from the folk song "Barbara Allen". [3] Christopher Neame says the central idea was based on a true story about two sisters who did not want their brother to go to war, so locked him up in the cellar. Neame developed the film for Tigon Pictures and says Tony Tenser of Tigon originally rejected it then changed his mind. [4]

Beryl Reid recalled it "was a really difficult film to do, because we were on a limited budget and we had very long takes. I had to do an awful lot of talking." Reid later wrote she was "disappointed" the filmmakers "in some rather cheap effects afterwards" turning the film "into a much more bloodthirsty and horrible picture than either of us had imagined. We thought it was going to be just this rather splendid script." [5]

Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in March 1970. [6] Christopher Neame says Tigon formed an association with Hemdale, who managed the composer. He says they insisted on using the music score although Neame felt it did not work. [7]

Neame later called the film "all right. Okay, overwordy and the exigencies of the budget show through the cracks in the wallpaper." [8]

Release

The film was released in the UK on 16 July 1971 on a double bill with The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971).[ citation needed ]

The film was acquired for North American distribution by The Cannon Group Inc., and released theatrically at drive-ins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 1, 1971; again it was paired with The Blood on Satan's Claw. [9]

Home media

The film was released in Canada on DVD by Maple Pictures on 6 December 2005. It was later released in the United States by Trinity on 14 February 2006. In 2011, it was released twice by Allegro Corporation on 1 February, and 7 June respectively. The latter release was part of the "Psycho Killers" 4 Movie Marathon. It was released by Films Around The World Inc. on 11 November 2015. [10]

Critical reception

In The Monthly Film Bulletin David Mcgillivray wrote: "James Kelly, a graduate from television scriptwriting, reveals an understanding of the mechanics of suspense, particularly during the macabre climax of his first film where the 'thing', first glimpsed as a shape hiding behind the banisters, then as a Nosferatu-type shadow of a talon on the wall, crawls up the stairs. Unfortunately, the material which precedes this is stretched so far beyond its natural dramatic length that the atmosphere never manages to get much of a grip on the imagination, and some consistently ill-chosen music doesn't help. Only the occasional line of dialogue ... conveys the precise nuance of the situation which the film milks so laboriously – that of the sweet old ladies struggling to live with their unspeakably nasty secret. And in the context of their impassive gentility, the obligatory injections of sex (a girl having her knickers pulled down in the spinsters' barn) and gore (Ellie pushing a clawed eyeball back into its socket) seem all the more obtrusive." [11]

Author and film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film 2/4 stars, stating that Reid's and Robson's performances brought the movie to an average level. [12]

TV Guide awarded the film 1/4 stars, stating that "The potentially interesting premise is undone by an extremely chatty script." [13]

The Observer called it "limp rubbish". [14]

On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar called the film "dull" and criticized the film's flaccid direction, endlessly talky sequences, lack of suspense, over focus on Reid and Robson's characters, and the design of the title monster. [15]

Charles Tatum from eFilmCritic gave the film 2/5 stars, offering similar criticism towards the film's overly long dull stretches, and lack of effectiveness during the attack sequences. Tatum did however commend Reid and Robson's performances. [16]

Andrew Smith from Popcorn Pictures awarded the film a score of 3/10, writing, "The Beast in the Cellar has an interesting approach to its subject matter with it’s[ sic ] characterisation of the two leads and it’s[ sic ] attempts to humanise them as much as it can. However this is horror after all and what we have is a pretty feeble but traditional British horror flick where you don’t see the monster until the very end and when you do, you realise you’ve been had for the last hour and a half." [17]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 17% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 2.5/10. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Witchfinder General</i> (film) 1968 British period horror film by Michael Reeves

Witchfinder General is a 1968 British period folk horror film directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Hilary Dwyer, Robert Russell and Rupert Davies. The screenplay, by Reeves and Tom Baker, was based on Ronald Bassett's 1966 novel Witchfinder General. The film is a heavily fictionalised account of the murderous witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins (Price), a lawyer who falsely claimed to have been appointed as a "Witch Finder Generall" [sic] by Parliament during the English Civil War to root out sorcery and witchcraft. The plot follows Roundhead soldier Richard Marshall (Ogilvy), who relentlessly pursues Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne (Russell) after they prey on his fiancée Sara (Dwyer) and execute her priestly uncle John Lowes (Davies).

<i>Hannie Caulder</i> 1971 British film by Burt Kennedy

Hannie Caulder is a 1971 British Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, and Ernest Borgnine.

<i>The Beast of Yucca Flats</i> 1961 film by Coleman Francies

The Beast of Yucca Flats is a 1961 B-movie horror film written and directed by Coleman Francis. It was produced by Anthony Cardoza, Roland Morin and Jim Oliphant.

<i>The Maze</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by William Cameron Menzies

The Maze is a 1953 3-D horror film starring Richard Carlson, Veronica Hurst and Hillary Brooke. It was directed by William Cameron Menzies and distributed by Allied Artists Pictures. It was to be the second 3-D film designed and directed by William Cameron Menzies, known for his very "dimensional" style. It was his final film as production designer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigon British Film Productions</span> British film production and distribution company

Tigon British Film Productions or Tigon was a film production and distribution company, founded by Tony Tenser in 1966.

<i>The Astro-Zombies</i> 1968 film by Ted V. Mikels

The Astro-Zombies is a 1968 American science fiction horror film written, directed and produced by Ted V. Mikels and starring John Carradine, Wendell Corey, and Tura Satana.

<i>The Blood Beast Terror</i> 1968 British film by Vernon Sewell

The Blood Beast Terror is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng and Wanda Ventham. It was released in the UK by Tigon in February 1968, and in the United States by Pacemaker Pictures on a double-bill with Slaughter of the Vampires (1962).

<i>The Blood on Satans Claw</i> 1971 film

The Blood on Satan's Claw is a 1971 British supernatural period folk horror film directed by Piers Haggard and starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, and Barry Andrews. Set in early 18th-century England, it follows the residents of a rural village whose youth fall under the influence of a demonic presence after a local farmer unearths a mysterious deformed skull buried in a field.

<i>Equinox</i> (1970 film) 1970 American supernatural horror film

Equinox is a 1970 American supernatural horror film directed by Jack Woods, and starring Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Frank Bonner and Robin Christopher. Though uncredited, producer Dennis Muren also served as a second director. The film focuses on four young people picnicking in a California canyon, where they stumble upon an ancient book used to conjure demons; soon they unleash a plethora of evil creatures.

<i>Dark Intruder</i> 1965 television film directed by Harvey Hart

Dark Intruder is a 1965 horror TV movie that was released theatrically, and starring Leslie Nielsen, Mark Richman and Judi Meredith. The film is set in San Francisco in 1890 concerning playboy sleuth and occult expert Brett Kingsford. This atmospheric black-and-white film, only 59 minutes long, was directed by Harvey Hart and was the pilot for a failed television series called The Black Cloak. It was written by Barré Lyndon.

<i>Nightmare Castle</i> 1965 film

Nightmare Castle is a 1965 Italian horror film directed by Mario Caiano. The film stars Paul Muller, Helga Liné and Barbara Steele in a dual role.

Samuel Anthony Tenser was an English-born film producer of Lithuanian-Jewish descent. He began as the producer of low budget exploitation films before moving into mainstream productions.

<i>Hellbound</i> (film) 1994 American film

Hellbound is a 1994 American action supernatural thriller film starring Chuck Norris, Calvin Levels and Christopher Neame. It was directed by Aaron Norris and written by Ian Rabin, Anthony Ridio and Brent Friedman. It was the final movie made by Cannon Films.

<i>Voodoo Island</i> 1957 film by Reginald Le Borg

Voodoo Island is a 1957 American horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg and written by Richard H. Landau. The film stars Boris Karloff, with a cast including Elisha Cook Jr., Beverly Tyler and Rhodes Reason. It is set in the South Pacific and was filmed on Kauai, Hawaii back to back with Jungle Heat. Adam West appears in a small pre-"Batman" uncredited role.

<i>Terror Is a Man</i> 1959 Filipino/American horror film directed by Gerardo de León

Terror Is a Man is a 1959 black-and-white Filipino/American horror film directed by Gerardo de Leon.

<i>The Curse of the Aztec Mummy</i> 1957 Mexican film

The Curse of the Aztec Mummy is a 1957 Mexican horror film directed by Rafael Portillo. It is the second film in the Aztec Mummy series which began with The Aztec Mummy which was released earlier that year.

The Death Train is a 1978 Australian made-for-television horror thriller film directed by Igor Auzins, and starring Hugh Keays-Byrne and Max Meldrum.

<i>Curucu, Beast of the Amazon</i> 1956 film by Curt Siodmak

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon is a 1956 American adventure/monster film, directed and written by Curt Siodmak and starring John Bromfield, Beverly Garland and Tom Payne. The title creature is pronounced "Koo-Ruh-SOO". The film was distributed in the United States as a double feature with The Mole People.

<i>The Mysterious Doctor</i> 1943 film by Benjamin Stoloff

The Mysterious Doctor is a 1943 American horror film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Richard Weil. The film stars John Loder, Eleanor Parker, Bruce Lester, Lester Matthews and Forrester Harvey. The film was released by Warner Bros. on March 3, 1943.

<i>Venom</i> (1971 film) 1971 British horror film by Peter Sykes

Venom is a 1971 British horror film directed by Peter Sykes and starring Simon Brent and Neda Arnerić.

References

  1. ↑ "The Beast in the Cellar (1970)". BBFC. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Beast in the Cellar". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "The living of sister george". The Birmingham Post. 2 March 1970. p. 5.
  4. ↑ Neame p 37
  5. ↑ Reid, Beryl (1985). So much love. Arrow. p. 162.
  6. ↑ "Dame Flora's prize". Evening Standard. 4 March 1970. p. 14.
  7. ↑ Neame p 38
  8. ↑ Neame p 38
  9. ↑ "Drive-In Theatres". The Philadelphia Inquirer . 1 December 1971. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "The Beast in the Cellar (1970) - James Kelly". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "The Beast in the Cellar". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 38 (444): 136. 1 January 1971 – via ProQuest.
  12. ↑ Leonard Maltin (3 September 2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 98. ISBN   978-1-101-60955-2.
  13. ↑ "The Beast In The Cellar - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  14. ↑ The Observer. 18 July 1971. p. 26.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ Sidnelar, Dave. "The Beast in the Cellar (1970)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Tatum, Charles. "Movie Review - Beast in the Cellar, The - eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. Charles Tatum. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  17. ↑ Smith, Andrew. "Beast in the Cellar, The (1970)". Popcorn Pictures.co.uk. Andrew Smith. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR". Fandango Media . Retrieved 9 October 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.