The Scream Queen

Horror is a genre which has always, and continues to, champion the underdog, both within and outwith the narratives that keep us up at night. Of course the genre has its big franchise box office hits; The Conjuring, Alien, Halloween, etc. But horror would be nothing without the indie gems on the other side of the spectrum, that true fans will seek out to experience new thrills. I was fortunate enough to be sent a pre-screener of such; psychological cult film The Cellar directed by Jamie Langlands.

Focusing on an AA group, in particular Abigail (Meghan Adara), The Cellar explores classic horror themes such as religion and cults through a comparative lens with addiction. The scenes which take place within the AA group are expertly crafted with suspense, and the majority of the actors do a great job at conveying normal people overcoming trauma and addiction. Meghan Adara is especially great, and with a film that is largely devoid of dialogue, her body language and expressions convey a range of terrified emotions to an effective extent.

The film’s low budget works against it at times (some of the shots are out of focus and the special effects leave much to be desired), but Langlands certainly manages to make the most of the stunningly medieval location in which The Cellar was filmed. Paired with some inspired colourful lighting that is reminiscent of 2000s films such as Saw, the location and set design steal the show.

The Cellar, although an impressive leap considering its tiny budget, is not without its issues. At almost an hour and a half, the film can be a slog; if you love slow burn, then this might work for you, but unfortunately slow burn isn’t really my thing. The Cellar would benefit from a shorter run time; at least half an hour to forty five minutes could be cut to sharpen the narrative. The slow pacing issues ironically make it hard to keep up with what’s going on, as the film cuts between past and present – a format that would benefit from a leaner short film format. As with many horror releases these days, independent or big budget, the ending leaves much to be desired. The special effects cheapen the climax immensely, while the payoff is a futile attempt at a twist which fails to shock or surprise. Granted, endings are a tricky feat to get right, and The Cellar is by no means in the minority when it comes to falling at the last hurdle, but nevertheless its a shame that it does.

Final Verdict:

More so than any other genre, horror is where independent film thrives; fans actively seek out the hidden gems from beneath the rubble of releases each year, hoping to find the next cult classic. Although The Cellar never quite reaches that status, I feel privileged that director Jamie Langlands shared this pre-screener with me. Langlands’ film is not necessarily my cup of tea; I find psychological slow burns a bit of a slog in general, and The Cellar could have definitely benefitted more from being a short film rather than a feature. Nonetheless, the film is shot well, has a great performance from lead Meghan Adara, and features some stellar set design. It is not without its issues, but The Cellar shows glimmers of great potential; more so than anything, I’m glad horror continues to be a genre which champions all kinds of filmmaking.