In rural Lancashire in the north west of England, two elderly sisters played by Beryl Reid and Flora Robson have kept their younger brother locked up in the cellar for thirty years and as a result he has been driven right out of his mind. He escapes and starts killing soldiers from a nearby army camp in frenzied attacks.

"The Beast In The Cellar" is a "Tigon" produced shocker that went out as a double bill with the company's own "Blood On Satan's Claw" (Dir: Piers Haggard). Although most critics have condemned it, one called it an "Idiotically boring farrago", it isn't really that bad although there is quite a lot of laughably melodramatic chit chat between the leading ladies and the low budget does show at times. However, the success of this film is through the lighting of Harry Waxman and Desmond Dickinson (one of my favoured cinematographers) who use the rural setting to the full and there is one set up at the end which stands out in the memory long after the movie is over. The sequence in which the beast is seen creeping up a staircase in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm rather recalls the earlier horror movies of the 1930's through it's sinister use of shadow.

This transcends the basic story which is by no means bad, but it would of worked much better as a short story segment in a portmanteau horror film.

Sometimes a film just captivates your imagination. I first saw The Beast In The Cellar when I recorded it off late-night British TV, in 1992. I've since watched it in it's Odeon DVD incarnation, and it still resonates.

It may not be shocking, surprising or horrific, but I just 'enjoy' this film. The interplay between Beryl Reid, who was only 51 at the time but playing much older, and Flora Robson, represents the ending era of traditional British actresses in traditional British films.

This film has spectacular photography. The credits shot of a crepuscular sunset is unsurpassed, combined with the evocatively non-lyrical theme. It is the best shot of a sunset over British countryside that I have ever seen.

The story is admittedly weak once we find out that the sisters know what they know. However, their resolve to try and keep up their 'secret' is humanistic and done well.

The 'inserts' of gore are very brief and very effectively vivid. I think for once it doesn't harm a film.

The finale of 'the monster' coming up the stairs for the sisters, largely done in 'Nosferatu' style until a last shot, is very creepy.

In short, this isn't a great film, and impatient 'Netflix' viewers will find there's a lot of talk and little 'action'. However, the drama confined to the house between the two sisters is fascinating in itself; uncovering the mystery of the dynamics between them almost becomes the thing to 'solve' rather than the 'Beast' issue.

A film I could watch again and again, albeit leave a few years between each viewing.

The Beast in the Cellar is set in Lancashire in England during the early 70's where two elderly sisters name Ellie (Beryl Reid) & Joyce Ballantyne (Flora Robson) live together in their large house just outside the small rural town of Littlemead, one day Ellie rushes home to tell her sister that a soldier from a nearby Army camp has been brutally murdered. At first they both wonder who the killer could be until Ellie goes down into their cellar where they have kept their brother Steven (Dafydd Havard) bricked up for the past 30 odd years & discovers that he has dug a tunnel & escaped, obviously putting two & two together they feel Steven was responsible or the murder. The fact they find another dead soldier in their shed also has something to do with their thinking. Anyway, the beast is loose, on a murderous rampage & no-one is safe...

This English produced horror film was written & directed James Kelley, it came from Tigon studios who were formed to compete with the likes of Hammer & The Beast in the Cellar was released in cinemas here in the UK to an unsuspecting public on a double bill with Tigon's best known film The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) which is a thought that make me proud to be British... While not as good as The Blood on Satan's Claw I still thought The Beast in the Cellar was a great film, judging by the other comments here on the IMDb I definitely seem to be in the minority by thinking that but quite frankly I don't give a toss because I thought it was a cracking little horror film & the fact that no-one else seems to like is completely irrelevant to me & my enjoyment of it, isn't it? I love the character's of Ellie & Joyce, as a pair their so different anything else I can remember seeing in a horror film, I mean name one other horror film where he two main stars are old ladies'. I bet you can't. I thought their parts were reasonably well written & I actually started to feel a little sorry for them by the end, I liked the story although maybe it's a touch predictable (you just have to look at the title to basically work the entire film out), I liked the twist's & this is one film where I liked the slow-ish pace & the build up. Having said that it can be slow going at times as well as being a bit dull although there was something about it that I found very watchable, in fact I couldn't take my eyes off it! This is a hard one to call because I can see where all of it's (many) critics are coming from & to an extent even agree with them but for me The Beast in the Cellar (great title, by the way) had that 'X' factor, that indescribable element that just hooked me personally even though no-one else in the World can see it...

Director Kelley does a good job, it's not only for the bizarre story that I love The Beast in the Cellar it's the unique atmosphere that only comes from an English horror film from the 70's & there's nothing that can come close to it. I mean they just don't, can't or simply won't make 'em like this anymore, the thick accents & dialogue, the instantly recognisable English setting & countryside, it's all here. It's a little silly at times & after 30 years that bloke would have had a longer beard than that & there is no way on Earth he could have used his long finger nails as Leopard type talons as they would have broke after one slash. There is an acceptable body-count here, while the kills aren't the goriest they're cool & there is one scene in particular that I just loved when Ellie has to dispose of the dead soldier Steven brought home & since the guys eyeball is hanging out she pops it back in! Honestly I don't really know why but there are so many things that I liked about this film, I must be mad.

Technically The Beast in the Cellar is pretty good considering it was probably made for a few thousand quid, the photography is nice (it's not often you see two credited cinematographers for a film let alone the class of Desmond Dickinson who has an impressive 90 films credited to him & Harry Waxman who has 70) & sometimes very effective although the day-for-night shots look cheap as they always do & it's generally well made with atmospheric sets & locations. I thought the acting was pretty good myself especially Reid & Robson who make the film what it is really.

The Beast in the Cellar is a film that I really liked, I can't quite put my finger on why because I think it's a collection of things that just made it work for me. However I will concede that this will probably be the only positive review of The Beast in the Cellar you will ever read as everyone else in the entire World seems to dislike it which I cannot ignore so with that in mind I can't recommend it as going by the law of average I'm sure most will hate it. This comment is my own personal opinion & I thought The Beast in the Cellar was great fun & a highly entertaining creepy little horror film from a bygone era, unfortunately I doubt many will share my views on it which I think is a shame...