Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Brendan Muldowney
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Eoin Macken, Abby Fitz, Dylan
Fitzmaurice Brady
Writer/director Brendan Muldowney's 2004 short
The Ten Steps is one of the most effective and economical
pieces of horror storytelling imaginable. It runs for just 10 minutes
but boasts a twist worthy of MR James, Rod Serling or the best of EC
Comics. Now, two decades later, Muldowney has expanded his short into a
feature length film. In the process he's lost the concise impact of his
earlier work, but he introduces some intriguing new ideas.
If you acquire a massive house for "practically nothing" in an auction,
you should probably ask some questions. If said house is in Ireland,
with its astronomical property prices, there's definitely something
afoot. Yet Keira (Elisha Cuthbert) and Brian (Eoin Macken)
do just that, acquiring a small mansion for a steal. Their teenage
daughter Ellie (Abby Fitz) is none too happy about the move, but
their young son Steven (Dillon Fitzmaurice) takes to his new home
immediately.
One evening Ellie disappears after going down to the property's spooky
cellar to trip the fuse box. The police are stumped. Everything suggests
Ellie just vanished into thin air within the house. Beginning her own
investigation while Brian frowns in classic horror movie husband
fashion, Keira delves into the history of their new home. She uncovers a
past of similar disappearances and even learns that physicist Erwin
Schrodinger once lived in the home.
Muldowney comes up with the rather fascinating concept that the house
itself is something of a Schrodinger's box, in which its inhabitants are
neither dead nor alive until they leave the house, much like the cat
from his famous theory. Elements of Jewish mysticism are brought into
the story, while the influence of Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell films is
palpable, particularly in a late sequence that resembles the Italian's
vision of Hell in The Beyond.
These various elements never quite coalesce into a satisfying
narrative, and the movie relies a little too much on watching its
protagonists googling the meaning of Latin quotations. And wouldn't you
know it, there's an old record that when played through a gramophone
conjures up all manner of nastiness. Given how novel his original short
was, it's disappointing to see Muldowney rely on so many clichés for his
feature length expansion.
But Muldowney does a good job of establishing an eerie atmosphere
throughout. Along with cinematographer Tom Comerford, he shoots
the NorthWest of Ireland with the same rain-soaked and overcast sheen
that Hollywood films have employed for thrillers set in the Pacific
NorthWest ever since Gore Verbinski's remake of The Ring. For a relatively low-budget Irish production it's surprisingly slick.
Don’t be surprised if the likes of Blumhouse come calling for
Muldowney.
The Cellar is on Shudder UK now.
