by Dan Tabor
This week sees the release of the Empire Pictures double feature of Cellar Dweller and Catacombs on Blu-ray thanks to Scream Factory. The titles were previously released in a DVD four pack; this release sees not only upgraded HD transfers, but widescreen aspect ratio with a few extras as well.
As far as creature features from the 80s go, I really don’t think it gets much better for me than the Satanic monster-fest that is Cellar Dweller. The film was directed by John Carl Buechler who is probably best known for directing Troll and Friday the 13thpart VII: The New Blood, which actually was his follow up to Cellar Dweller. Don Mancini was responsible for the script and would go on to the Child’s Play franchise where he wrote 6 and directed 2 of the films. So needless to say this film has a pretty decent pedigree as far as 80s horror fandom goes.
The film focuses on Whitney Taylor, a young art student who moves into an eccentric and very competitive art collective, which also just happens to be the site of a murder/suicide involving the creator of her favorite comic book Cellar Dweller. Whitney hopes that moving into the basement space where Cellar Dweller was created would inspire her own take on the creature. The problem is when she starts to give new life to the beast; life imitates art, as those around her meet the same grisly deaths that take place in her comics.
Cellar Dweller at its core is a love letter to EC Comics, which moves at a very brisk pace thanks to its 77 minute running time. The script is fun, the acting is passable and the film has plenty of gore for those looking for the red stuff. I think the running time here only helps the film, since I feel the biggest problem with most low budget horror films is when they get off plan which usually gives way to bad writing or poor effects. Cellar Dweller simply sticks to its strengths and keeps it moving, since the film knows what the fans want and doesn’t get lost in trying to be anything other than what it is.
I will also say for an 80s horror film the female protagonist Whitney, played by Debrah Farentino is a refreshing change of pacee for the genre. Not only is she a horror fan and a strong female character, I also don’t feel like she was exploited in the same way most women in horror tend to be in horror films at this point in time.
Next up is Catacombs, the last officially completed film by Empire Pictures that was directed by frequent Charles Band collaborator David Schmoeller. David was also responsible for the severely underrated Tourist Trap, and would later go on to direct the first Puppet Master film for Band’s next production company Full Moon Pictures. Catacombs for me was definitely the weaker of the two and plays out at a haunted monastery where legends has it that a man thought to be possessed by the Devil was sealed in the catacombs beneath it. Of course it wasn’t simply a legend and the demon breaks free and wreaks havoc on the monks, some of which have a hard time believing in the legend, that is until it’s too late.
Catacombs, while also dealing with Satanic elements is the polar opposite of Cellar Dweller. The film is a slow burn with a lot of dialog a little in the way of violence. Thanks to the pace of the film it feels like it highlights some of the weaknesses in the script and acting. Catacombs does however have its moments once it gets moving halfway through he second act, but up until then you definitely have to let the film run its course.
While there is a commentary on Catacombs, Cellar Dweller sadly lacks any special features. The big sell here though for fans is the transfers; considering both Cellar Dweller and Catacombs, which was retitled Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice were both released direct to video; no one has seen either film look this good. Both HD transfers here are clean, sharp with almost no damage to the print and great contrast and are complemented by a 2.0 DTS-HD track. Given some of the quality of Band’s own releases he could learn a thing or two from how great some of these transfers look.
Scream Factory has done a great job slowly working their way through the Empire Pictures catalog, giving these weird little films way more respect than they probably deserve. But for hardcore fans like myself its great to finally be able to see some of these films the way they were originally intended in widescreen and with HD picture and sound.
