Movie review «Cellar Door»

On October 31, the psychological thriller «Cellar Door» starring Scott Speedman and Jordana Brewster was released in cinemas. Laurence Fishburne appeared in several scenes. In the review below, we analyze what Michael Corvin, Mia Toretto and Morpheus got themselves into this time.

«Cellar Door»

Genre psychological thriller
Director Von Stein
Starring Scott Speedman, Jordana Brewster, Lawrence Fishburne, Chris Conner, Addison Timlin, Katie O’Grady
Premiere movie theaters
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb

John and Sera (not the Connors, by any chance?) are a nice married couple who have just survived a tragic event but are trying to start over. While searching for the perfect home for an equally perfect life, they meet a friendly man, Emmett, the owner of a luxurious estate, whose actions are somewhat disturbing. The fact is that Emmett offers the bewildered couple his expensive real estate for free. The only condition of the surprisingly generous owner is a categorical prohibition to open the cellar, which is tightly sealed with a wooden door with a lock.

After a short time of deliberation, the characters decide to accept the offer and sign an agreement, which, according to the laws of the genre, should, of course, turn out to be Faustian. Soon enough, the initial happiness and plans for the future are overshadowed by troubles and a test of the relationship. It becomes apparent that behind the facade of the perfect couple lies a complete lie that risks leading to tragic consequences. And that damned basement beckons the embarrassed John to take a crowbar and find out what secrets the walls of this house hide.For director Vaughn Stein, «Cellar Door» is the fourth feature film in his career, which makes it clear that his films are generally mediocre at best. Starting with the neon-stylish but content-empty neo-noir thriller «Terminal» (2018), Stein continued with the detective thrillers «Inheritance» (2020) and «Every Breath You Take» (2021), which were clearly not star-studded. Although all of these films managed to attract good actors (Margot Robbie, Simon Pegg, Lily Collins, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, etc.), the audience did not wait for high-quality genre examples.

Screenwriters Sam Scott, for whom this is his feature debut, and Laurie Evans Taylor, who is part of the team behind the next installment of the horror series «Final Destination», abandon the potential creepy component in the spirit of «Devil from the Tobacco Box». They offer to dive into the story of «Skeletons in the Closet».». That is, you shouldn’t expect a secret basement to contain any horrific secret inherent in horror, let alone a monster. Except for a metaphorical one because it’s a place that hides dark human affairs, not a conventional boogeyman.

And the local people demonstrate an obsession with the notorious American dream. Where there is a place for a charming house in the suburbs with a beautiful fence and neatly trimmed bushes in the yard, and bullets stuck in the wall that evoke bad thoughts. Has the insidious Emmett really thrown a yoke on the shoulders of naive John and Sera instead of giving them hope for a happy future? Surely, such a course of events would be too obvious.

Scott Speedman at least tries to pretend that he cares about what’s going on the set. Jordana Brewster showed more emotion during an overnight trip with undercover officer Brian O’Connor than there are in the entire movie. Laurence Fishburne, the irrepressible one, is once again hitting on people with his seductive offers, only this time he may be hiding something rather than trying to reveal the terrible truth.

With such inexpressive material, it is extremely difficult for the filmmakers to claim sincere admiration from grateful viewers. A boring evening in the company of mournful faces of local stars is hardly a tempting offer.