Written and directed by Jamie Langlands, a young girl wakes up imprisoned underground, with amnesia. She must escape, unravel the mystery behind her captivity, and confront her personal struggles. A suspenseful tale of survival, truth, and inner turmoil unfolds. Starring: Meghan Adara, Neil James, Charlotte Marshall, Mickaela Sands, Obie Dean and Sophie Flack.
Malicious, sinister characters targeting vulnerable groups, like addicts, is always a solid choice because it holds a sense of realism and highlights how often those groups are forgotten or treated as lesser priorities. So, as a foundation for The Cellar it works and easily allows Jamie Langlands to traverse into the darker side of the story. However, when we get there, the film begins a cat and mouse game that doesn’t get very far.
It feels like an overly simple chase, it moves quite slowly and is lacking in detail. There’s little time to get to know Meghan Adara’s Abigail, which only gives us the basic reasons to invest in her plight. The same really goes for the villainous side, their motivations aren’t fleshed out, so their presence feels lacklustre. There’s minimal violence which limits the impact of the scenes somewhat, missing an element to inject dread. Each of the aspects have a good starting point, they simply don’t expand beyond that.
It’s a shame as on the directorial side of things, Langlands is hitting some good notes. The location and set decoration choices are right where they need to be, to provide the space to create a tense atmosphere. Visually, it’s not extending itself beyond its limitations, keeping things tight and focused. There’s also a solid score (from Cristian Parras) which helps boost that atmosphere. The same can be said of the performances, they’re not overstated and Meghan Adara does a good job of trying to provide a sympathetic, relatable and vulnerable character to lead this story.
The Cellar has the right foundation to give itself the opportunity to create something insidious and creepy, but it misses the mark. The pacing and progression are both slow, there’s not a lot of development to add weight to the peril of its heroine or the motivations of its villains. There’s a good tone and visual but without the suspense or dread to back them up, they can only take the film so far. Ultimately, by the time it reaches its finale, it doesn’t feel like it’s gotten very far from where it started.
FilmCarnage.com 
Agreed, the cinematography and lighting are first rate but the script is boring and nothing happens for the most part. I’d give it one star for the cinematography.
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