Cellar Dweller (1988)
Cellar Dweller (1988)
Do you ever watch a film and wonder, how this isn't a huge cult classic that everyone is talking about? I mean there are some cult classics out there that I wonder why they are such a big deal, then there are films like Cellar Dweller, and I wonder why this isn't a film that is talked about a lot more. I love low budget horror films, I love practical effects, and love a great creature feature, and if you can patch together a decent story as well, then thatis all the better. Cellar Dweller tells the story of a comic book artist who's creation comes alive and starts to kill people, and it has an amazing practical effects created monster. The film is simultaneously cheesy and actually terrifying, and definitely plays up the campiness of the low budget production, but also comes off as a legit horror film. You can be terrified and laugh at the same time with Cellar Dweller. Also I love the amazing poster art for the film, that is how to make a movie poster! The film had a VHS and Laserdisc release in the the late 1980s and 1990s, but it didn't receive its first DVD release until Scream Factory released it as part of their Scream Factory "All-Night Horror Marathon Series, packaged with Dungeon Master, Contamination .7, and Catacombs, and then again as a Blu Ray double feature with Catacombs. This would have been one of those films that probably did well in the video rental market, with people being drawn to it's sexy horror/fantasy artwork on the cover. I miss the days of the video rental store. I am not a fan of streaming services, I prefer going into the video store, and going to the horror section, and oftentimes choosing a film based on the artwork alone, getting some popcorn, candy, and soda and going home, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that it will be a fun night. I miss the physical aspect of picking the film off of the shelf, especially with a boxy VHS tape, the spending time looking at the shelves, and touching the films with your hands, and the ceremonious ritual of removing the tape or DVD from it's case and inserting it into your player, and watching that FBI warning screen and the mandatory previews at the beginning of the film, and then cuddling up under a fuzzy blanket with snacks and a soda, and watching your new cinematic discovery from your local video rental store.
Cellar Dweller was directed by John Carl Buechler, who is a legend of the sci-fi and horror world, doing films such as Troll, Ghoulies, and films in the Nightmare On Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises. The film was written by Don Mancini, and Charles Band was the executive producer distributing the film through his company Empire Pictures. The film was released in 1988.
Cellar Dweller stars Deborah Mullowney as Whitney Taylor a young artist who attends a college where her idol, comic book artist Colin Childress (Jeffrey Combs) also attended, and where he supposedly went crazy and killed another student and himself (but we know from the opening sequence that it was a monster that he created in his art that committed the murder). The film also stars Brian Robbins (the current president of Nickelodeon) as Philip Lemley who is Whitney's love interest, Cheryl-Ann Wilson as Lisa, Vince Edwards as Norman Meshelski, Pamela Bellwood as Amanda, and Yvonne De Carlo as Mrs. Briggs. For fans of horror films, Jeffrey Combs might be a familiar face as he also starred in a lot of horror films including Re-Animator. Speaking of Re-Animator, in one scene you can see a Re-Animator and a Troll poster on the wall in the background, which is one of those really cool little details. The cast have a complete campy element to them, but they work really well for the film itself, I think having a bunch of b-level actors makes this film work much better than A-list actors could.
What really makes this film a true treat are the effects, the monster is absolutely wonderfully done, I love the comic book esque animated effects, that really help to contribute to the vibe of the film. This is a film that is both serious in it's horror elements, but also has a lot of fun with the over the top camp elements as well. I think that this is a really wonderful film, and really it is amazingly done. I like that in a way it reminds me of the Aha music video for Take On Me, where the comic book drawings come to life, and at one point one of the characters goes into the illustration, and I just really enjoyed that whole aspect of the film. Overall I think that this is a really amazing film, and I am so happy that I finally got around to watching it today.
If you have not yet seen Cellar Dweller, I highly recommend hunting down a copy of it, and the best way to get it is through Scream Factory, in the DVD set that I mentioned earlier. Though if you can find a copy on VHS, that would really lead to the authentic feel of experiencing the film in the way that many viewers did for the first time. I would rank Cellar Dweller as one of the best films that you have probably never seen. I also just love the wicked cool name Cellar Dweller, it sounds like the name of a grindcore band, or a horror punk band, I love it! Really if you are a fan of low budget creature features, with practical effects, I highly recommend checking out Cellar Dweller. If you ever come across a copy do not pass it up.
Cellar Dweller was directed by John Carl Buechler, who is a legend of the sci-fi and horror world, doing films such as Troll, Ghoulies, and films in the Nightmare On Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises. The film was written by Don Mancini, and Charles Band was the executive producer distributing the film through his company Empire Pictures. The film was released in 1988.
Cellar Dweller stars Deborah Mullowney as Whitney Taylor a young artist who attends a college where her idol, comic book artist Colin Childress (Jeffrey Combs) also attended, and where he supposedly went crazy and killed another student and himself (but we know from the opening sequence that it was a monster that he created in his art that committed the murder). The film also stars Brian Robbins (the current president of Nickelodeon) as Philip Lemley who is Whitney's love interest, Cheryl-Ann Wilson as Lisa, Vince Edwards as Norman Meshelski, Pamela Bellwood as Amanda, and Yvonne De Carlo as Mrs. Briggs. For fans of horror films, Jeffrey Combs might be a familiar face as he also starred in a lot of horror films including Re-Animator. Speaking of Re-Animator, in one scene you can see a Re-Animator and a Troll poster on the wall in the background, which is one of those really cool little details. The cast have a complete campy element to them, but they work really well for the film itself, I think having a bunch of b-level actors makes this film work much better than A-list actors could.
What really makes this film a true treat are the effects, the monster is absolutely wonderfully done, I love the comic book esque animated effects, that really help to contribute to the vibe of the film. This is a film that is both serious in it's horror elements, but also has a lot of fun with the over the top camp elements as well. I think that this is a really wonderful film, and really it is amazingly done. I like that in a way it reminds me of the Aha music video for Take On Me, where the comic book drawings come to life, and at one point one of the characters goes into the illustration, and I just really enjoyed that whole aspect of the film. Overall I think that this is a really amazing film, and I am so happy that I finally got around to watching it today.
If you have not yet seen Cellar Dweller, I highly recommend hunting down a copy of it, and the best way to get it is through Scream Factory, in the DVD set that I mentioned earlier. Though if you can find a copy on VHS, that would really lead to the authentic feel of experiencing the film in the way that many viewers did for the first time. I would rank Cellar Dweller as one of the best films that you have probably never seen. I also just love the wicked cool name Cellar Dweller, it sounds like the name of a grindcore band, or a horror punk band, I love it! Really if you are a fan of low budget creature features, with practical effects, I highly recommend checking out Cellar Dweller. If you ever come across a copy do not pass it up.
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