The Cellar Door Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
The girl next door, having coffee, lunch with a friend, shopping, unaware she is becoming an obsession. She has been chosen. A young woman awakes to find herself imprisoned in a serial killer's basement. 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. Will she win the desperate, hallucinatory game of cat and mouse and escape through the Cellar Door, or die trying?
| James DuMont | Herman |
| Michelle Tomlinson | Rudy |
| Algernon D'Ammassa | Missionary #2 |
| Melina Bielefelt | Missionary #1 |
| Annie Coffey | Cashier Wendy |
| Christina Reynolds | Jennifer |
| Heather Sconyers | Christa |
| Matt Zettell |
4.80 out of 10 (257 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A wonderful game of cat and mouse...
posted on 15 Jun 2009"The Cellar Door" is a great film with amazingly nuanced performances and Matt Zettell's accomplished direction. A beautiful woman is kidnapped by a insane stalker and locked away in his cellar. What happens next is the surprising part: A relationship develops between the two. Actors Michelle Tomlinson and James DuMont command the screen with their subtle characterizations. The film is aided by a great screenplay, solid supporting performances, and a good score. Believe me when I say this is not the usual "woman in a cage" flick. Do your best to seek it out - you won't be disappointed!
Weak
posted on 18 Apr 2009I admit I kind of liked Broken for its atmosphere and cold feeling although it was going pretty much nowhere. I don't know why this movie is called Broken 2... except for the crazy guy kidnaps woman they don't have so much in common. This time the crazy guy is a pathetic loser who puts women in his cellar and cages them to have smalltalk with them and collect their feces. Obviously the movie tries to be smart and psychological with the caged woman and crazy guy interacting but at no point its getting any clear whats behind crazy guy Herman's acting. The script is once again a mess and covers stupidity on all levels... stupid victims running around with weapons just to get captured again after leaving them behind, 60 Minutes of pseudo-psychological boredom and then when the going gets tough the doorbell rings, the captive is kept in a cage for weeks and still got shiny bright white teeth... and the ending, oh my god.. crap ending, even crappier music. Its like the fourth movie in a row I saw that doesn't have a proper ending. The acting was OK but thats about it. This movie has no atmosphere, no suspense, no gore and a script like one big hole. Avoid.
A new level in total stupidity *spoilers*
posted on 15 Mar 2009I really, really wanted to like this movie and for the first hour it wasn't that bad. Kind of a cheapo version of Captivity with some half decent acting. Then came the last 20 minutes, OH MY GOD!!! Who wrote this dross?? Christopher Nelson needs to be locked up and never allowed to pen another movie script ever again. I lost track of the amount of times the two captured women had the Psycho down on the floor and then left him to get back up again to attack them, eventually killing one of them. The two women have knives, bats and other weapons at their disposal each time they knock him to the ground but each time seem oblivious to the fact that if they don't finish him off, he'll get back up and come back after them. At one point, the main female has a huge rack of knives in her hands and knowing that the killer is still inside the house, she discards them and proceeds to wonder through the house with nothing to protect herself with, it's pathetic. Then her friend attacks him with another weapon, and leaves him helpless but still moving on the kitchen floor whilst she then discards the weapon and runs into the bathroom, where he races in and stabs her to death WHAT?????? I'm sorry but the woman deserves to die if she is going to be that stupid. All this film insinuates is that women are helpless and extremely thick whenever they are in a life and death situation such as the one they are in in this film.How this movie has won awards is beyond me, it's absurd!
worst movie ever
posted on 19 Feb 2009i had high hopes before i watched this but when i did i thought it was one of the worst films ever made poor acting rubbish plot badly directed it was a plain shambles from the start,the guy who plays the weirdo serial killer is just not the right guy for the part whatsoever and it was seriously boring could not wait for it to end. there is a serious lack of quality releases these days and when rubbish like this is being put out then there is no hope for the film industry,these kinda films have all been done we need fresh ideas not low budget poor acted rubbish i think i have given this film egnough of a review now trust me don't watch it!!!
Offers nothing new but its very well done.
posted on 23 Dec 2008Hermen is lonely but strange guy who goes out one night and abducts Rudy, an attractive young woman and locks her in a big wooden cage in his basement.Generally, The Cellar Door does not offer anything in the terms of originality, and you can obviously tell its a low budget movie from the opening scene, but surprisingly enough, it had my attention, the acting by the two leads Michelle Tomlinson and James Dumont (who also serves as co producer) were actually very good, it was very interesting to see how Rudy tried to lore Hermen into a trap by playing some clever head games, and using her seductive quality to try and gain the advantage, one thing I can say is that Tomlinson certainly does have a really seductive look, the type of look that would make any man turn into putty in her hands, James Dumont does not have a seductive quality and neither is he attractive, but does play his role of sexual deviant very convincingly, and his character reactions towards Rudy's head games are spot on, if you consider Tomlinson's very good looks.The script by Christopher Nelson and the direction of Matt Zittal together with the performances by the two leads, is what makes this film worth the 90 minutes, although I'll ad that this film does not have the prim and proper look of a Hollywood blockbuster, so for those that prefer that look might want to avoid, but for those that can notice talent when you see it, definitely give it a shot.
Excellent Flick
posted on 17 Dec 2008I saw this movie at the Shriekfest horror film festival. This was in my opinion the best movie I saw. The story was strong and well put together. The characters were very rich and well written without any of the usual trappings found in snatcher films. The Herman character is played very unlike most bad guys you see in movies today. And the gal who plays Rudy has definitely got spunk! I hope to see more of her in the future. Although this film was made on an Indie budget, it definitely carries it's weight with its studio counterparts. Go see this movie. Go rent this movie. Go Buy this movie. You wont be disappointed.
nothing special
posted on 29 Nov 2008This movie was an all around regular film with your typical scenes that anger you for victims stupidity. It was a non-moving story that definitely does not get you thinking anything other then where is all the psychological drama the other critics say about the victim turning the tables on the predator. The actor who plays the predator does a good job at portraying a disturbed person but overall the script lacks any deep disturbing content. I watched this movie last night and wished that we hadn't wasted our precious time (while baby is sleeping) on this film. The 1st 10 minutes of the movie is the best, it's nothing special after that....I plan not to recommend this to my family and friends, as well as obviously anyone looking to rent it. I was pretty much non-impressed with everything about this film.
Better Than Others Of Its Kind
posted on 14 Sep 2008A potential serial killer and his kidnap victim... can they develop a relationship, a rapport? This is what viewers will be left wondering after the socially inept kidnapper is forced to take care of his victim, including buying her feminine hygiene products.The film starts out with some of the most awful shaky cam I've ever seen. If the viewer is prone to motion sickness, this may be a bit unbearable for them... I'm not overly susceptible, but another five minutes and this film would have been ejected. Luckily, it stops after the introduction.And once the shaky cam goes away, we realize something that makes or breaks an independent film. In this case, it makes it: a good story. Thanks, Christopher Nelson. Sure, I've read multiple reviews saying this film covers familiar ground. And they're right. There's nothing particularly unique about a kidnapper and his victim. We could use a twist -- like a female kidnapper and a male victim. But as far as this archetype is concerned, I think they executed it well.About the acting... the lead actor (James DuMont) is a bit silly, but fit the quirkiness of the role. The lead actress (Michelle Tomlinson) is solid. I don't think she stands out, I don't think this will launch her career... but she did well.The quotations on the box are a bit weak --do you really need multiple quotes from my friends at Pretty Scary? -- but the movie was good. If you're a supporter of independent film, this certainly is worth your time. Not the most polished, not the greatest film of the year... but it held my attention and the attention of my friend Seth, which is more than we can say for most films when we're drunk off our butts.
nothing to do with Broken but stated as Broken 2
posted on 02 Jun 2008As noted in my Broken review this one was in the Broken box too stated as Broken 2. In fact the storyline is a bit of the same, girl get kidnapped, locked up in a , euh, cellar, tries to get befriended with the killer, tries to escape. So far so good but it never works. It never is creepy or really bloody let even say gory. It started of really well with the begin credits. What we see is okay, that part is bloody and gory and you are immediately into the movie but when that girl is killed the movie change into a blah blah kind of movie, never convincing. Both the killer and the victim are doing their best but something is missing. She just stays in her cage and he just talks, never doing her really harm and she's never afraid, that annoyed me too, if you are locked up with a psycho you should be afraid or you are sick minded too. Only the last 15 minutes are bloody but it's too late, the movie failed to deliver horror. It's a pity but again it proofs that you have to be careful with franchises. Would have given it a 3 out of 10, it's the last 15 minutes that gave it 4 out of 10.
sort of a low-budget "Captivity" but actually, better...
posted on 21 Apr 2008I didn't care much for Captivity but I did find a copy of "The Cellar Door" for pretty cheap, so picked it up and watched it...and surprisingly, for the low budget, it's actually much better & held my interest more than Captivity.James Dumont plays Herman, a tubby, middle-aged guy who dresses in khakis and looks rather normal...except he's got more than a few screws loose and kidnaps women & keeps them in his basement. The last one managed to escape but Herman managed to chase her down & make sure she'd never tell anyone. So now he needs a replacement, and finds one in Rudy, who seems to be someone who doesn't LIKE men, being that she and her house-mate are hanging all over each other, but it doesn't really seem that Herman notices, or even understands. So pretty soon Rudy is in the wooden pen in Herman's basement and the game of cat and mouse begins.Dumont does pretty well in his role as mild-mannered Herman, who changes into psychotic nut-case Herman with only the slightest provocation. Michelle Tomlinson also stands out as Rudy, who can certainly take care of herself, given the opportunity.This film probably won't be for anyone who doesn't care for films like Hostel, Saw, etc., but for all its nastiness, it doesn't come off as being quite as exploitative. 7 out of 10.
Great low-budget independent ART Film
posted on 21 Feb 2008In the genre of horror films there is a sub-genre that has been denigrated with the label "Torture Porn". I prefer to refer to these films as A.R.T. films, as an acronym for Abduct, rape, and torture.The Cellar Door clearly fits into the sub-genre of A.R.T. James Dumont plays Herman, a lonely psychopath looking for love but as with most kidnapping and torturing abductors hasn't quite figured out that you simply cannot force a woman to love you no matter how long you keep her in a cell in the basement. Michell Tomlinson, plays Rudy, the woman he has currently set his designs upon.The film is pretty typical A.R.T. stuff. Herman, however, is a collector of body fluids, parts, and waste material and keeps pretty much every output of his victims. Trimmed toenails, feces, urine, and even tampons are stored carefully by this psychopath.While, as other reviewers point out, it is true that the first victim does not follow through and ensure that Herman is dead when she manages to escape the cell before leaving the house only to be run down by him later, this really does little to detract from the film. It's also easy while watching the film in the safety on one's home, far detached from a brutal A.R.T. situation to wonder why the victim doesn't take more time to make sure the abductor is truly dead and just not out for a bit, there are two flaws in this as a script: 1> the film would've been only 10 minutes long and 2> most people, kept in a cell in a basement for long periods of time, are probably far more pre-occupied with escape than checking the pulse of their abductor to make sure he's really dead. I personally do not think the writer and director did this with any motive (as one reviewer suggested) to make women weak. It simply made the movie better and demonstrated Herman's strength.I can clearly see why Jame, Michel, and the film won awards at Shriefest when it came out. The ending was brutal and bloody which I find to be essential in any A.R.T. film. The story works, the acting works, and all in all this was a great horror movie.
James Dumont Scores Big in this film!
posted on 26 Jan 2008I have to admit that I'm generally not a fan of this genre so I was not looking forward to the screening I had to attend. James DuMont's superb performance made the experience well worth my time.Every once in a while you get to see a performance that reminds you why you go to the movies and James DuMont's performance it subtle, deep and compelling.I was also glad to see the film had some substance beyond what I originally thought. It has a lot to say about isolation and need the for love. Both of which DuMont captures vividly. Making an otherwise awful character sympathetic. No small feat with a role like this and one that could have very easily been overplayed.Please don't let my going on about DuMont detract anything at all from Michelle Tomlinson's wonderful performance. The two actors are equally matched in this clever cat and mouse game of love and survival.Now I think it would be great to see them together in a romantic comedy.I was glad I saw this movie and I think you will be as well.
To the makers of this film..... Your movie sucks
posted on 03 Nov 2007As I stated in the subject line of this post "your movie sucks", while I have no Idea how anyone could sit through it once let alone a second time I myself turned it off after ten minutes or so wondering how anyone could spend not only money making this garbage but the time to actually film it and then edit it and further I can't believe the distributors actually paid you for this. The only positive thing I take away from this movie is that I didn't waste anymore time watching it so my ten minute investment was at least kept to a minimal, you might have a future in how to videos as long as their is a market for this type of movie. I can only hope you never make another movie or at the very least are forced to watch this film till you claw out your own eyes. This is the exact type of movie that gives horror movies a bad reputation I'm just surprised that Lions Gate didn't snatch this turd up and add it to it's collective pile of crappy films. In the future where ever you may land if I ever have the pleasure of meeting you just remember this "Yes I want fries with that order" And "Don't spit on the bun"
My Review
posted on 16 Oct 2007In "The Cellar Door," a young woman is held hostage in middle-America by a 'typical, white-collar unsuspecting middle-aged man.' He's seeking love and acceptance because he's totally alone in the world, and in his warped mind the only way to find that is to kidnap women and hold them hostage.This isn't the typical gory "Saw"-style movie. You feel bad for the man who's doing this to the women, because he's so pitiful and alone, but still you want him to get his comeuppance regardless. Also, the female who's being held captive is given strength in her ability to taunt her kidnapper, and there's a funny scene that will make you NEVER want to be a Jehovah's Witness.Sure, some people will think this is just a low-budget version of "Captivity," but I felt that it was done better than the bigger-budget version.
A Rip-off of a Well-Known Storyline, but with Top-Notch Performances and Solid Screenplay
posted on 08 Oct 2007In California, the psychopath Herman (James DuMont) stalks the young Rudy (Michelle Tomlinson) and her mate Christa (Heather Sconyers) along a day and a night and finally he chooses Rudy to be his next victim. He breaks in their house and uses ether to kidnap Rudy, bringing her to the basement of his house. When she awakes, she discovers that she is imprisoned in a wooden cage in a cellar and subjected to sick games of the deranged Herman. Rudy decides to play the game looking for a chance to escape from Herman's claw.I do not know how many times I have seen the storyline of "The Cellar Door"; maybe the original version of this theme (a man that abducts a woman for his own pleasure) is William Wyler's masterpiece "The Collector", which has become extremely violent and sadistic as years go by. I recall recently watching at least the franchise "Saw", "Captivity", "Broken" and "Sportkill" that are rip-off of the classic storyline. However, I liked "The Cellar Door" because the writer Christopher Nelson and the director Matt Zettell were able to make an extremely low-budget theatrical movie supported by a solid screenplay and mostly by top-notch performances of the unknown James DuMont and Michelle Tomlinson. Their mouse-and-cat game is great and in the end it was worthwhile watching this simple but effective film that works perfectly on DVD. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Porão" ("The Cellar")
Interesting but not great and certainly nothing new.
posted on 10 Sep 2007I think this movie had a lot of potential but it lacks something, I can't really put my finger on what but there is just something that keeps the movie from being worthwhile. I think the problems lay mostly with the lead actress, she is simply not believable in her performance and I found myself feeling no sympathy for her character because of that.The killer in this film is your typical American serial killer, a loner cut off from the world who appears very affable and non-threatening. Very much like a John Wayne Gacy, he seems pleasant enough at first but he hides a dark and sinister side. This is portrayed very well by James Dumont. His acting is good, his appearance suits the role perfectly and he is very capable of presenting the cold, emotionless side of his character. Unfortunately I can't say the same positive things for Michelle Tomlinson.Her portrayal of the victim is very stiff. She doesn't convey the emotions of a person trapped and facing her impending death well at all. She never comes across as a sympathetic character nor did she ever give me the feeling that she was really afraid of what might happen to her. As an actress I think she simply lacks the depth for the role she was given.The movie overall is not a bad one. The camera work is what you would expect from a low budget horror movie, looking like one of those softcore adult films on HBO. As I said though, I expected that and it really doesn't hurt the movie itself. The script is fairly good and the locations are well chosen. The best scene I think is one where the killer is shopping at the grocery store and a female clerk gets rude with him. He seems to brush it off but then a few moment later, we see the clerk getting off of work and heading out to her car. The killer steps up behind her with a baseball bat and proceeds to beat her to death, showing no remorse, sympathy or hesitation. For her one comment, the victim is murdered. I think that, if anything in the movie, really displays the psychopath in his truest form.The special effects are not great but I found them forgivable since the movie itself managed to hold my interest right up until the end. The ending is what really blew it for me. There was a lot of potential to break from the serial killer movie mold and have a film where a cold heartless killer doesn't see justice. That unfortunately is not what happens. Rather than have an ending in which the killer succeeds in his deed and we are left to wonder "will he kill again? Will he get caught?" we are given a typical serial killer wrap up that comes across more like "I am women hear me roar".Is the movie worth watching? Yes, if you can tolerate a typical, and at this point in my movie watching career I would say bad, ending. If you can tolerate the lead actresses stiff performance, there is a movie worth seeing buried beneath it. It is sad though to have to look at yet another movie with a load of potential pass away into the abyss. Kudos to James Dumont however, he carried this entire movie on his shoulders and did it well.
Terrible, Plot-less, Chauvinistic Towards Women
posted on 29 Aug 2007The entire movie consists of a young woman kidnapped and forced to live in a box. This is the basis to the struggling plot and a storyline never forms. When the movie begins it does tend to grab attention because the events are so unusual. The movie seems to be decent in the beginning and looks to carry hidden meanings; although, the movie falls apart through the second half and ends up not containing anything "deep." I was even in more shocked when the ending occurred because it was so bad. The woman seemed to have pride and joy at the end and did not act in a realistic way under the given circumstances. Additionally, the closing scene was horrible the way it was portrayed and the background music was out of place.Not only was the movie terrible in general, it also took underlying themes of demeaning women. Simply put, the woman is kept and treated as a pet in a cage. Later more chauvinism is shown when two women try to fight off the attacker and twice manage to knock him down on the floor. The two women do not consider the killer may still be alive and just walk away without any weapons both times. This suggests an inaccurate and realistic level of intelligence.
Great flick!
posted on 24 Jul 2007This is a really wonderfully acted and directed film. Lots of intensity keeps you interested the entire film. I highly recommend this film. Great story. Superb acting. Wonderful horror/thriller. Nice strong female characters for a change. Pretty creepy too. Makes you think twice about the average guy walking the streets. The Horror genre needs more strong women like this film portrays. I produce the horror film festival Shriekfest and this film took audience choice award, Best Acting Performance Award, and the Pretty/Scary award for strong representations of women in horror! Gritty fun! Go check it out. The chocolate cake scene is not to be missed.
A new level in cat and mouse, not your typical captive female flick
posted on 16 Jul 2007This film has all the elements; a tightly written script, great directing and superb acting. James' character as he so aptly portrays him, is both creepy and childlike at the same time. You go from wanting to give him the muzzle of a shot gun to suck on to feeling you should give him a baby bottle instead. You can actually pity for him and realize he wants to be loved like all of us (albeit in an institution). That's tough to do! And Michelle!!!!! Wow! she takes her character's roller coaster ride from terror to fear to anger then to a broken and eventually submissive to seductive and manipulative back to broken and then to vengeful. You want to save her, protect her then you want to do her and finally run like hell from her. Increddible! She is beautiful anyway she could entrance you reciting the alphabet!I saw the film at a festival thinking OK another terrorized damsel in chains flick, with hopefully some beautiful women to make up for the formulaic film. NOT!!!! I was unbelievably surprised. I was on the edge of my seat or dismayed and shocked that I could feel sympathy for the perp! The best Horror film I've seen all year and some of the best acting I've ever seen!!!
DuMont: The Next Anthony Perkins?
posted on 01 Jul 2009I found The Cellar Door to be rather interesting and I will admit it captured my attention to almost the very end. I sensed the storyline was well played out and with all of the scenes appearing believable other than the contrived unbreakability of the movie's most viewed prop. The cage was constructed of a weak ceiling of very thin wood and without a wire mess that in reality could have easily been kicked out. Toward the story's end is where the timing and the series of events destroys whatever greatness the movie could ever attain. That timing and procedure goes from good to ridiculous. The most notably poor scene being when the girlfriend strikes the perpetrator over the head with a bat. At that point, in light of the severity of what had already happened, it would only stand to reason the girlfriend should have struck him more than once in that particular region. But, that would have ended the movie too abruptly, right? So, I would think the scene should have never been shot in the first place. As well I would assume some other totally different finale could have been concocted instead.I must say James DuMont plays an excellent psycho "perp". So much so the movie just may stereo-cast him as such.