The Cellar

When oil is drilled in Texas in the 1930s, a strange slimy liquid leaks out and turns a dog into a horrible monster. Little T.C. recognizes the danger and locks the monster in the cellar using a lucky Indian charm. In the present time, worker Mance with his wife Emily and their daughter April buys the farm from T.C., who warns them about the cellar. Mance ignores the warnings and opens the door to the cellar. The first deaths occur and only Willy, Mance's son from a previous relationship, seems to realize what is going on. He confronts the monster for a fight.

In The Cellar, director Kevin Tenney unleashes a mutant dog on a family struggling with their own problems. Mance feels like he is neglecting his son Willy and is being unfair to his wife Emily. Willy is the only one who understands what is going on, but no one wants to believe him, in fact he is even pressured by his father. In the end, all of this is only mildly interesting if you as a viewer are just waiting for the monster to finally get going. Until it is so far, a sometimes absurd family quarrel has developed, which is resolved thanks to the common fight against the monster and a huge explosion.

Filming began with John Woodward in the director's chair, but he left the production. Kevin Tenney came on board to complete the low budget film. His job was to revise the script while continuing filming. Tenney's version was revised by the film's producers. This revised version is the known version of the film that has been released so far. Tenney's version was only screened once and can now be found on the US Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome, just like the revised version. Both versions are very different, as the Producer's Cut has been radically recut. The Director's Cut is the better version of the film and shows how some scenes in the Producer's Cut were sometimes torn apart in an amateurish manner. The Producer's Cut tries to bring the mystical Native American aspect of the plot more to the fore, including a new prologue and epilogue in which a narrator talks about Native American legends. Ultimately, however, these scenes don't add much to the plot. Otherwise, many scenes have been shortened, recut and put in a different place in the film.

The Director's Cut is much more stringent with better dramaturgy and a logical sequence of scenes. It begins with the events in the 1930s, which were inserted as flashbacks in the Producers' Cut. The scene transitions are better. For example, we learn that Willy gets the rifle from T.C. and Willy discovers the pond while playing in the backyard. But honestly, it still didn't become a good movie because of that. The Director's Cut is a bit worse in quality than the Producer's Cut. Probably a theatrical print was used as a template. Still, this is clearly the version to watch.

Picture comparison:

PC:

DC:

Runtimes:

PC: 85:36 min.
DC: 84:04 min.

Comparison between the Producer's Cut and the Director's Cut.

[00:00:00][00:00:00]

The PC begins with a fast-paced tracking shot through the desert and clouds. A narrator tells of a forbidden place the Indians call Caguay.

Then the camera moves through the desert as the speaker tells of a war council of Indians who wanted to exterminate the white man. The Indians have left, but the evil has remained.

The DC shows a basement door suddenly opening. The opening credits can be seen. The camera pans to an oil derrick, then a tracking shot through the desert follows. This is an alternate scene compared to the PC.

When the oil derrick is seen, both versions run parallel again.

PC: 2:35 min.
DC: 2:39 min.


[00:03:04][00:03:08]

The PC cuts to the dog.

In the DC, the man says that the borehole should be closed. Then an alternate scene of the dog can be seen. The boy looks into the borehole from which gas is leaking.

PC: 6 sec.
DC: 17 sec.


[00:03:19][00:03:35]

Sam wonders about the strange tissue stuck to the drill head. Then cut to the dog messing with a scorpion.

DC: 20 secs.


[00:03:25][00:04:01]

The PC now shows the scene with the scorpion and the dog here.

The man asks Tony to be allowed to drill further. The man refuses, as Sam shows him what was stuck to the drill head. Tony says that this is not oil and that they should close the borehole. Then he drives away.

PC: 7 secs.
DC: 30 sec.


[00:04:16][00:05:14]

In the PC, the narrator tells us that the tunnel of Caguay will come to life and the white man will learn his lesson. The monster is seen very briefly, the boy screams and the rig explodes.

The credits follow.

Mance and Emily are waiting outside a cabin. Mance wants to leave, but Emily asks him to wait a little longer.

In the DC, you see TC waking up in the night instead. A dog is barking at the derrick. A strange liquid bubbles in the dog's water bowl. TC goes out to have a look. The dog has broken free of its leash and a scream is heard. TC discovers the dog's dead puppies.

TC runs back into the house to tell his father that the dogs are dead. His father doesn't believe him and sends him to bed. As the father lights a cigarette, he hears something fall from the rig from outside. He runs outside and calls for the dog. A liquid bubbles out of the well. The man reaches in and is grabbed. He loses his cigarette, causing a fire. The rig explodes. TC sees this and runs out. He goes into the house to get water. The dog barks at the cellar door. TC locks it with the rabbit's foot.

The adult TC is seen and "Present Day" fades in.

PC: 3:51 min.
DC: 5:49 min.


[00:08:56][00:11:53]

The man says that TC is like a lazy snake who needs some motivation. He takes a mouse and hangs out with the snake in its glass enclosure, but then pulls it back.

DC: 32 sec.


[00:09:23][00:12:51]

The PC cuts to Chilo for a moment.

Then TC is dragged outside.

In the DC, we learn that TC gambled away a lot of money and drank it away, and the man is now urging him to sell his house. In an alternate shot, TC is dragged outside.

In the next shot, you can see him landing on the ground earlier.

PC: 9 secs.
DC: 32 sec.

[00:09:50][00:13:42]

The DC shows Mance watching a raven while Emily investigates the house. A tarantula approaches Mance. Mance wants to leave but Emily persuades him to wait.

TC approaching with his car.

DC: 1:28 min.


[00:10:03][00:15:23]

In the PC, TC approaches with the car, then it cuts to the raven.

PC: 7 secs.


[00:10:32][00:15:47]

TC, Emily and Mance are seen earlier in the DC.

DC: 1 sec.


[00:10:41][00:15:57]

Mance is seen earlier in the DC as he bandages his hand.

DC: 1 sec.


[00:10:43][00:16:00]

TC can be seen earlier. He says that he is leading them into the house.

DC: 2 secs.


[00:10:48][00:16:07]

The PC shows a close-up of Sam worshipping the skeleton.

PC: 6 secs.


[00:10:57][00:16:10]

Mance is seen longer in the DC, then Emily earlier.

DC: 2 secs.


[00:10:58][00:16:13]

The PC shows Sam as TC says he's looking out here.

DC has an alternate shot of him.

PC: 5 sec.
DC: 5 secs.


[00:11:19][00:16:34]

In the PC, TC, Mance, and Emily walk to the house.

In the DC, TC is seen longer, then a cut to Mance and Emily. Dialogue is the same.

PC: 13 secs.
DC: 9 sec.


[00:13:02][00:18:12]

The PC fades out and then shows a landscape shot.

In the DC, the door can be seen for a longer time.

Then it cuts to a playground in Chicago. A girl is playing with her dog, which is playfully snatched by Willy. He has imagined fighting a dragon. His friend calls him over. They steal electricity from a car to solder a model airplane. He tells him about visiting his father in Texas.

Mance and Emily drive up to the house with their moving trailer.

Sam prays in front of a circle of fire with a skeleton in the center. TC comes up to him and says that he had to sell the house. TC says that Sam can protect it.

PC: 5 secs.
DC: 3:14 min.


[00:13:59][00:22:17]

In the DC, Emily tells Mance that the closet has always been in that spot. The next shot starts earlier.

DC: 5 secs.


[00:14:05][00:22:29]

The PC shows a close-up of the Indian seal.

In the DC, you can see Mance and Emily for a longer time.

PC: 2 secs.
DC: 1 sec.


[00:14:22][00:22:45]

In the PC, the scene of Sam and TC at the fire circle follows.

Then the scenes of Willy in Chicago.

Finally, a bird is seen in the sky.

In the DC, the scene continues after Mance and Emily find the door. Mance jokes that TC wanted to hide his bodies. Mance breaks the lock and opens the door. He calls down and jokes a bit. He then closes the door again, not wanting to go downstairs because of the smell.

In the next scene, Mance drives up to Sam. He asks him what the spear in the ground means. Sam says that this is an evil place and the spear holds evil in the ground. He warns him that newborns are at risk because their souls have not yet merged with the body. He goes on to say that his grandfather was commissioned by the Indian War Council to create a monster to eradicate the white man. Mance asks why the monster is not released. Sam says that the monster also kills Indians.

Mance and Emily are talking about Willy's visit. Mance is not quite comfortable in the house yet and is distracted by Emily with sex.

PC: 2:38 min.
DC: 3:47 min.


[00:17:44][00:27:16]

After TC introduces himself, the DC cuts to Willy, who also introduces himself to him.

DC: 3 secs.


[00:17:47][00:27:22]

The PC shows how the raven lands on the branch.

The DC continues to show Willy and TC.

PC: 2 sec.
DC: 3 sec.