The Beast in the Cellar
- Year: 1971
- Country of origin: UK
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
- Director: James Kelley
- Length: 88 min
A chill-filled festival of horror!
Film Synopsis
Two reclusive sisters living in a remote English countryside home grow increasingly anxious as a series of brutal murders terrorizes a nearby military base. Their dark family secret gradually comes to light, revealing a connection between the killings and a long-hidden presence beneath their house. This moody British horror blends psychological unease with grim revelations.
Critical Perspective
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Like so many films that don’t quite make the grade, there’s a solid enough idea here, one that needed more than writer-director James Kelly gives it. The pace is leaden, his direction slovenly, steadfastly refusing to get going and the big mystery of what the eponymous beast really is is solved far to early, leaving very little for the rest of the film to do.
Kevin Lyons, The Beast in the Cellar film review (The EOFFTV Review, 2023)
The Beast in the Cellar Blu-ray & DVD editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Severin BD-ALL/US/OOP 2019 | 88 Films BD-B/UK 2024 | Odeon DVD-0 PAL/UK/OOP 2011 | Anchor Bay DVD-2 PAL/UK/OOP 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Allan Bryce and David Flint | ||||
| Audio Commentary by Associate Producer Christopher Neame and Executive Producer Tony Tenser, Moderated by John Hamilton | ||||
| Tigon Tales of Terror | ||||
| The Beast in the Cells - Interview with Editor Nicholas Napier-Bell | ||||
| The Beats in the Cellar - Interview with Composer Tony Macaulay | ||||
| The Composer in the Cellar - Interview with Composer Tony Macaulay | ||||
| Cutting the Beast - Interview with Editor Nicholas Napier-Bell | ||||
| Getting in the Cellar - Interview with Actor Christopher Chittell | ||||
| Locked in the Cellar - Interview with John Hamilton | ||||
| Sounds from the Cellar - Interviews with Sound Camera Operator Graham V. Hartstone and Sound Mixer Tony Dawe | ||||
| Stills Gallery [Anchor Bay] | ||||
| Stills Gallery [Odeon] | ||||
| Biography: Actress Beryl Reid | ||||
| Biography: Actress Flora Robson | ||||
| Film Notes by John Hamilton | ||||
| Theatrical Trailer | ||||
| Radio Spots |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- 88 Films’ “Tigon Collection” Blu-ray includes a 36-page booklet with writing by Johnny Mains (“The Beast in the Cellar: We Need to Talk About Celery”), Matthew Edwards (“The Secret of Blood Island, The Beast in the Cellar and Terror: An Interview with Actor Peter Craze”) and Andrew Graves (“The Beast in the Cellar”).
- Odeon’s “The Best of British Collection” DVD includes a 4-page booklet.
- Anchor Bay’s 2005 DVD is included in “The Tigon Collection” box set with Witchfinder General (1968), The Body Stealers (1969), The Haunted House of Horror (1969), Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) and Virgin Witch (1972).
~ Found an error or know of another edition? Submit a correction or release update. ~
Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
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Tigon Tales of Terror (26:57) -
The Beast in the Cells (12:38) -
The Beats in the Cellar (19:44) -
The Composer in the Cellar (11:23) -
Cutting the Beast (8:22) -
Getting in the Cellar (2:35) -
Locked in the Cellar (23:16) -
Sounds from the Cellar (7:52)
| Editions | |
|---|---|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Allan Bryce and David Flint 88 Films BD |
| Audio Commentary by Associate Producer Christopher Neame and Executive Producer Tony Tenser, Moderated by John Hamilton 88 Films BD | |
| Tigon Tales of Terror Severin BD | |
| The Beast in the Cells - Interview with Editor Nicholas Napier-Bell 88 Films BD | |
| The Beats in the Cellar - Interview with Composer Tony Macaulay 88 Films BD | |
| The Composer in the Cellar - Interview with Composer Tony Macaulay Severin BD | |
| Cutting the Beast - Interview with Editor Nicholas Napier-Bell Severin BD | |
| Getting in the Cellar - Interview with Actor Christopher Chittell 88 Films BD | |
| Locked in the Cellar - Interview with John Hamilton 88 Films BD | |
| Sounds from the Cellar - Interviews with Sound Camera Operator Graham V. Hartstone and Sound Mixer Tony Dawe 88 Films BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Anchor Bay] Anchor Bay DVD | |
| Stills Gallery [Odeon] Odeon DVD | |
| Biography: Actress Beryl Reid Anchor Bay DVD | |
| Biography: Actress Flora Robson Anchor Bay DVD | |
| Film Notes by John Hamilton Anchor Bay DVD | |
| Theatrical Trailer Severin BD | |
| Radio Spots Anchor Bay DVD |