THE CELLAR [1989]

 THE FILM I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS THE NEW "DIRECTOR'S CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM ON THE RECENT SUPERB VINEGAR SYNDROME RELEASE. 

I've never seen the producer's cut which was the one available on video for years but I know everyone from the film's director Kevin Tenney to the entire cast hates that one so I chose to watch the new director's cut which everyone seems to prefer.  And this version of the film of pretty terrific.  Now I'm a little interested to see the OG version to see how bad it it.  THE CELLAR is a really solid (in this incarnation) horror film involving some sort of subterranean evil which is held at bay by Native American magic.  Near a Texas dry oil well in the (I believe) 1930s, an ancient evil is released from underground and kills the father of a boy named T.C.  A Native American shaman traps the evil back underground with a spear containing shamanic charms and rabbit's feet.  Cut to today (1989 rather) and T.C. is now an old man who is being forced to see the property and house by a douchey local businessman.  A young family (Manse and his pregnant second wife Emily buys T.C.'s old house.  Emily has the baby and the Cashen family moves in.  Shortly thereafter, Manse's son Willy from his first marriage come to stay for the summer.  Willy is a pretty handy kid with electronics etc. a la Tommy in DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS.  A china cabinet T.C. tells them not to move . . . . they move.  Behind it is a boarded up door covered in Native American protection items.  This leads to the cellar which is half submerged in water.  Willy convinces his Dad to let him also have the spear he finds sticking in the ground; the one that's holding the evil monster at bay.  So guess now WHAT ELSE is in the cellar!  

Kevin Tenney was finishing up WITCHTRAP when he was called in to direct THE CELLAR; the original director (who also wrote the screenplay) was fired after five days shooting.  There is nothing here to light the night on fire but I think Tenney did a very good job and ended up (in his director's cut) with a good horror movie.  The cast of Patrick Fitzpatrick (Manse), Suzanne Savoy (Emily), Chris Miller (Willy) and veteran character actor Ford Rainey (as the elder T.C.) all give really good performances; they demonstrate terrific chemistry on screen and act with real sincerity and warmth. 

Patrick Fitzpatrick, who at the time specialised in playing bad guy/psycho parts, is excellent cast against type as the caring but insecure father trying to bond with a son he only gets to see once a year.  Savoy is given some nicely witty lines and actual business to do rather than having her character some cringing woman who needs saving; she battles for her family. 
Never a fan of child actors, I was pleasantly surprised by Chris Miller's likeable, non-saccharine and non-annoying performance as Willy who must go it alone when his parents don't believe his "monster in the cellar" stories.  And Ford Rainey, as always, is superb in his role of the old man T.C. whose fear of the creature being let loose is palpable.

Kevin Tenney, during interviews included on the new blu ray, downplays his new "director's cut" as just OK while everyone else seems to praise it a terrific.  Tenney believes that it's only terrific in comparision to the butchered released version.  Not having seen that, I can't comment.  However, the film I watched was very good.  In the words of actor Patrick Fitzpatrick, Tenney managed to turn "chicken shit into chicken salad".