Cellar Dweller

John Carl Buechler in my opinion is one of the best special effects artist.

John is the original creator of Harry Potter.

Check out the cult classic Troll.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a rented vhs.

Revisited it recently.

Found it to be a good horror/creature flick then.

The movie is very cheesy n in no way bearable by today's standards.

Most of the blame here should go to the bad script, which has no consistency or logic.

It has a good decapitation scene n has a bit of nudity.

The writer is Don Mancini of Child's Play fame n there is Jeffrey Combs in a tiny role.

A big goof - Amanda does the reaction of slipping n says ooh before her foot lands on the banana peel.

I obviously think more of this movie than the writer of the back blurb. His/her explanation of what the movie is about doesn't even come close to what actually happens. It leads me to believe that he/she did not in fact watch the film. You be the judge.

Back Blurb: "Below the floor, beyond the light, he lives! He is every monster known to mankind, part man, part werewolf, part vampire, part devil- he can appear anywhere, anytime. Journey back to 1951, where a cult comic book artist conjures up an ancient curse to inspire his drawing. Suddenly a howl from the cellar shatters the silence - his latest creation has come to life.. and it kills without need or mercy.

Here is where the bulls**t begins 40 Long years later, (incorrect it was 30) the artist's body still has never been found. Intrigued by this mystery, shy, young artist Whitney Taylor enters the abandoned Gothic house. (Okay lets see a. Body was found, b. girl not shy, c. House is neither gothic nor deserted. It is fact an artists retreat.) She discovers deep below the floor,(Actually in a chest) a book containing the artist's last drawings..(Nope wrong again it was a demon book) and the curse that will once again bring to life the creature known as the CELLAR DWELLER!

Now correct me if I'm wrong but that would have to be the worst description of a movie that I have ever heard. That aside as I previously mentioned it was a good movie, and a good looking monster.

This is a fun little horror film about a comic-book artist played by Jeffrey Combs("Re-Animator","Castle Freak")whose creation comes to life and kills him in 1950's.Now,the monster still hides in the basement of his house,which is a home to a group of artists."Cellar Dweller" is a decent horror film from special effects wizard John Carl Buechler.It's very entertaining and it features some cool gore scenes and funny-looking monster.Check it out,if you like this genre.Nothing special,but it will entertain you!

One can do worse than this if they're partial to the cheese horror of the 1980s, a decade when the genre really came to life. Not that it's anything special at all, but it IS reasonably amusing and thankfully pretty short in duration (78 minutes all told). A production of Charles Bands' Empire Pictures, it's got a cool, gnarly monster, a decent cast, some gore and some suspense, and lots of impressive horror themed comic book art. It even comes up with some twists along the way. It's one of the directorial efforts of makeup effects expert John Carl Buechler, who'd previously helmed "Troll" for Empire.

Debrah Farentino, acting here under her maiden name Mullowney, stars as Whitney, an aspiring comic book artist whose inspiration was the reclusive Colin Childress (played by Jeffrey Combs in a regrettably brief cameo appearance). In the opening prologue, Colins' creations manage to come to life and commit murder. 30 years later, his house is an art academy, and Whitney is the latest student. She finds that when her imagination is fired, the panels in her strips likewise take on life. So now she and others at the school are in big trouble.

The conclusion isn't altogether satisfying, but getting there, one can still have an agreeable enough time. There are some fun moments, and some hoots to be had. Brian Robbins ('Head of the Class', "C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud") is likable as a fellow student, as is Miranda Wilson as Lisa. Pamela Bellwood ('Dynasty') is effectively bitchy as Whitney's rival. Veterans Vince Edwards ("Return to Horror High") and Yvonne De Carlo ("The Silent Scream") are enjoyable to watch. Robbins's father, actor Floyd Levine, has a bit as a cabbie, and experienced monster performer Michael Deak plays the titular Cellar Dweller.

In the end, "Cellar Dweller" is forgettable but worth a viewing for genre devotees who want to see as much from this decade as possible.

Six out of 10.

Cellar Dweller is a nice surprise for horror fans because it has a mixture of winning elements. The only thing it lacked for me was gore - but it does have a funny severed head scene. The storyline is quite interesting and keeps you watching, and the acting is decent enough to carry it. I quite liked Yvonne De Carlo, but then I've been a fan of her since watching American Gothic.

I do however feel it lacked a little "something" to make it a great b-movie, and that something is gore. The severed head scene is good, but not enough. I also felt that the ending wasn't a good enough conclusion, and this is because the producers obviously wanted to leave room for a sequel.

Overall, Cellar Dweller is an above average b-movie that is not perfect but definitely worth a watch.