Mikel3 We had another cold winter day here so I stayed warm and watched a film I've never seen. I viewed 'The Beast in the Cellar' a 1970 British film. It has the look of one of Hammer Studio's lesser efforts. It's not made by them, it just has that Hammer feel and quality to it...almost. I'm not hinting it's bad, on the contrary it was pretty good, especially compared to the stinkers I've seen lately. Here the acting, sets, and the dialog were all very professional. The film deals with two old ladies, spinster sisters. They remind me very much of two similar characters from 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. Like in 'AaOL' they even know a young man they're both very fond of, only this man is a friend, not a relative. These ladies are not killers, still they do have a dark secret. They did something terrible ...a person or thing has been locked in their basement for a very long time. It finally escapes, that's when people start dying, all soldiers from a nearby base. Only soldiers are killed for a reason not revealed till later. What is doing it and why is the mystery. The story does have some slow moving sections that seem like filler more than anything else. The ending is suitable yet comes off a bit abrupt compared to the leisurely way the rest of the plot unfolds. I do recommend this one for fans of light British horror, just don't expect too much from it as far as action. It's about the characters and their pasts catching up with them. I rate it a 5 out of 10.

kvnmsmth The bad news: the Canadian version of Beast In The Cellar released by Maple Pictures that I saw was of poor quality. Dark and washed out, it appeared to be dubbed haphazardly from a VHS tape. It even skips at one point due to some missing frames.The good news: this movie is so bad that the poor quality of the DVD detracted little from my viewing enjoyment. This horror movie fails to build tension and lacks scares. It is a horrorless horror film. While most frightening films have limited dialog, Beast In The Cellar is a gabfest, so much so that a character will repeat something we have just heard said by two other characters. Presumably, all the chit chat acts as filler for a very low budget, unimaginative movie. Unfortunately, the dialog isn't campy enough to make it worth a watch.

Theo Robertson One thing I have noticed about British horror movies from the 1970s is that they don`t hold up to repeated viewing THEATRE OF BLOOD is a case in point as are all those Amicus anthology movies . Add THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR to the list Much of the drama of this movie revolves around the build up of a plot revelation at the end . Once you know what the revelation is this becomes a rather flat film . It does open with a fairly good hook but after that we`re treated to long boring sequences of two old ladies making small talk . Correct me if I`m wrong but how many people watch a horror movie expecting a couple of old ladies making small talk ? The only sort of interest to be found in THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR is the anti-smoking stance . Some people have mentioned that this is an anti-war or anti-military film but watch carefully and you`ll see that everytime a squaddie lights up for a fly puff he gets killed . Rather strange considering attitudes to smoking weren`t nearly so hysterical as they are nowadays

aridan3 This film has haunted me for 30 years. I'm trying to buy a PAL format VHS or UK or USA DVD copy. This film is excellent. Flora Robson is disturbingly controlling and the ending, if you haven't been told of it, is sad & very moving. And my home is 90 years old- with a cellar.