The Cellar (1989 film)

Did You Know?

• The film was released in Germany as 'Anthony II - Die Bestie kehrt zurück', despite having no connection to The Kindred, which had been released as 'Anthony'.
• A 2K restoration of the film was released on Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome in 2021.
• The film was released on VHS in the United States by Southgate Video in 1989.

Plot

A monster, assembled from parts of different animals, was created by the Comanche people to contain the evil spirits of their land. To keep this creature trapped, they drove a protective spear into the ground and added a rabbit's foot talisman for extra luck. A young boy later pulled the spear out and took the rabbit's foot for himself. When a Comanche man caught him, the boy fled, still holding the charm. The man put the spear back, but only then noticed the rabbit's foot was missing. Soon after, white settlers arrived and began drilling for oil.

In the present day, a divorced man named Mance Cashen moves to the area with his new wife and baby. His son from his first marriage, Willy, comes to visit. Willy senses something strange in the house and tries to tell his father and stepmother, but they dismiss his concerns. While playing on a tire swing over a small pond, Willy is grabbed by the foot by the monster. He manages to escape. Willy later befriends the local drunk, T. C. van Houten, who rented the house to Mance. T. C. is a kind old man haunted by bad memories; he knows about the evil near the oil well and once faced a similar ordeal.

A Comanche chief named Sam John arrives to warn Mance about the evil and the need to keep it contained. He explains that the monster was originally meant to stop white men, but it now kills anyone without discrimination. Mance refuses to listen. Willy finds a spear on his property and brings it to Sam John, hoping for answers. Sam John makes Willy promise to stay out of the cellar and to fetch him if anything happens. Soon after, Sam John is dragged into the cellar by the monster.

Willy, however, has his own plan. He sets booby traps in the basement, hoping to catch the creature in plain sight and prove he is telling the truth. While setting the traps, the monster startles him, and he runs away. T. C. is killed by the evil. Determined, Willy returns to the basement, this time armed with a flamethrower, electrical cables, and the lucky rabbit's foot. The monster interrupts him again, and Willy is forced to flee once more.