Don't Look in the Cellar

My vote reflects the real quality of this movie, though I do have to say that it was that sort of horrible that actually encourages watching. I hate to make the train wreck analogy for fear of the cliché, but it crossed the line from horror to humorous within the first 10 minutes or so and that is one of the many varieties of cheap horror flick that keep me glued to the screen.

The plot is at the same time simple to the point of boredom and yet strangely convoluted, and one of the film's few good points is that it does attempt to wrap up these loose ends rather neatly by the end. Unfortunately, the conclusion is weak and unsatisfying and it is almost impossible to take anything that happens seriously because the acting is about as bad as it gets without it ACTUALLY being a joke.

The premise revolves around a group of community college students who spend the night at an abandoned insane asylum for an extra credit report for their local history course. Their professor planted the idea in their minds because of a lecture she had given about urban legends, and apparently the asylum has a pretty interesting legend. Unsurprisingly, a handful of the characters have a past that ties in with the asylum in an eye-rolling way and the overnight visit reveals these secrets.

My favorite character had to be Wendel, if just for his absolutely stunning role as the insane man who stands in a room and tells a bunch of 30-something-actors-playing-20-something-college-students not to go into the cellar because there is a murderous psycho down there (and they subsequently do, without fail).

Whatever. Point is, the acting is horrible, the story is horrible, the cinematography is so horrible it must have been intentional (so many dramatic ~angled up behind some woman's butt~ shots) but it all adds up to a mediocre dose of bad movie glee. Recommended for that reason if for nothing else.

That's seriously the agreement my boyfriend and I came to after watching this movie. The characters were terrible, the story was even worse. It was definitely shot in their houses, not only because they are clearly decorated like homes but also because if you look at the "asylum" you can see that someone forgot to move Mr. Fluffy's cat tower from right next to the freaking front door. I'm sure this was a college film but couldn't they put some effort into it? I mean, I'm sure they could have at least worn better clothes since most of them are pretending to be "rich kids" but apparently they decided to beg their local Goodwill store for things they wouldn't be able to sell. I watched it and felt bad for the failing grades they probably received.

I mean seriously, how the hell can this have cost $1.2 million? Surely they didn't pay any of the actors, because I'm fairly certain none of them had other work and would have paid for any film role.

It doesn't look like they actually used any film. The costumes must have come from a charity shop (or did the actors bring their own?). I'm fairly certain the sets where essentially wherever they decided to get the camera out. Fake blood doesn't cost that much.

Seriously, there is only one reason this film can have been made, and that is to try and make a clean sweep of the Raspberrys.

It is terrible, terrible, terrible, on so many levels.

OK, so I've given you the build up.

Now go and watch it. It is so bad, it is side-splittingly hilarious.

I watch a lot of really bad movies, mainly horror. Some of them are good fun and others aren't and 'Don't look In The Cellar' definitely fits into the latter group. It's appalling. Plot, sets, script, direction are all absolutely terrible. As for the acting, well I would be hard pushed to think or another film where the acting was worse. A pile of wooden planks would have been more believable.

This really feels like a bunch of mates, with absolutely no experience, got together for the weekend with a video camera for a laugh. They might have had a laugh but I'm afraid anyone viewing this will be bored to tears. I've also read that this cost $1.2 million to make. How? This looks like no more than $10,000 and even that's pushing it! Listen to all the other reviews and avoid.

A group of college students regret their decision to sneak into the cellar of a haunted asylum on Halloween. One by one they encounter Smiley (Jed Rowen), the last of a flawed bloodline.

This movie is pretty terrible, but the reason boils down to one key factor: they had no money, and used a very cheap camera. They probably should not have made a movie and it definitely should not be on Netflix, but it is and I watched it.

In all fairness, the acting is not too bad, at least from the students (I found the inmates far too cheesy). And the plot is nothing amazing, but really no worse than half of the horror films that get made. I will give these guys a little credit. Maybe invest in a better camera, learn a few new angles to shoot from, and you might have a passable movie. Maybe.