The Beast in the Cellar

John Chard

The negative of this film should have been confined to the cellar! Two batty old ladies have a secret in their cellar, a secret which may need to be revealed when murders start occurring around the countryside. And why are soldiers being particularly targeted? Two great British actresses in Beryl Reid and Flora Robson rock up for one of Tigon's worst films. It's not that the production is poor, because that side of it is more than decent, it's that it's an utter bore. 99% talking and literary bluffs dominate the picture to the point where when the big finale arrives, it really isn't worth the wait. Not even the introduction of the lovely Tessa Wyatt - in astute male fantasy nurse role - can perk things up. Head of Tigon, Tony Tenser, once said he only made films to make money, it's with films like this where that becomes apparent. It's hard to believe that this is the same company that produced Witchfinder General! 3/10