-Written by Kyle Bain.
John (Scott Speedman) and Sera (Jordana Brewster) have been thrown a curveball; a miscarriage has made it difficult to continue their lives in their current home, and now they're looking for a change. In their new home there is one, strange condition: do not open the Cellar Door. Grappling with the decision of whether or not to obey those orders, John and Sera find themselves faced with a series of obstacles that they could have never foreseen.
A good thriller is something that can keep me engaged for hours, that makes the time feel as if it’s flying by. A good thriller is something that is honestly hard to come by, and the more I search for one, the more cliche the genre becomes. I can’t tell you the number of times that a cliche or a singular ineffective moment in a thriller has dampened the film as a whole, and, if I’m being honest, I expected that to be the case in Cellar Door. Brewster is from one of my favorite film franchises of all time, and Speedman from my favorite horror film of all time (The Strangers), and I’m well aware of what this duo is capable of bringing to the table–but I also know that they can only be as good as the script they are handed. That’s how I started this film, worried that a relatively interesting (yet equally silly) concept might be one that doesn’t support these actors–but this was only speculation.
I was wrong. What, again, does seem both intriguing and silly isn’t even the primary storyline, but rather the catalyst for everything else. Cellar Door is the title of the film, and it certainly plays a prominent role in the story, but there’s so much more happening throughout the course of the film. Though, the amount of content present is never overwhelming, never too much to handle, never out of place, and nothing ever steps on anything else’s toes. Multiple storylines are occurring simultaneously, but Director Vaughn Stein does a wonderful job of allowing them to exist harmoniously. Again, Cellar Door is a thriller, and its success is contingent on whether or not it can keep viewers on the edges of their seats. The various storylines, all connected to one another, work to do just that.
The most important aspect of Cellar Door is the pacing, the timing by which this incredible story is told. Stein and Writers Sam Scott and Lori Evans Taylor work in tidbits of mysterious information throughout the film that causes viewers to question what’s actually happening. However, they continue to play things close to the vest, allowing viewers to know only what they want us to along the way.
Additionally, a real connection was formed between myself and the film as Stein and his team ensured that the lighting and set design create an immersive experience. What is a rather large estate in which this couple now resides, there is a sense of claustrophobia present in the film that forces us to feel sort of trapped in a situation seemingly just as precarious as Sera and John. Cellar Door remains immersive throughout, keeping viewers engaged and present in the story from start to finish.
Cellar Door is a highly effective thriller that takes viewers on a journey through the life of a married couple with a unique set of parameters set upon them. While the title of the film only plays a minor role (physically) in the development of the film, the metaphor present as a result of the cellar door is powerful, engaging, and a driving force behind a spectacular film. The performances are brilliant, the set design, lighting, and cinematography each working to strengthen a wonderful narrative and engaging film. Cellar Door is a hit for sure, a film guaranteed to entertain from start to finish.
Directed by Vaughn Stein.
Written by Sam Scott & Lori Evans Taylor.
Starring Jordana Brewster, Scott Speedman, Randy Schulman, Zachary Feiner, Addison Timlin, Susannah Mars, Laurence Fishburne, etc.
8.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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