July 14, 2015
Cellar Dwellers / Catacombs Double Feature
Ken Tasho READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Two dungeon-themed movies from the late 1980s make their Blu-ray debuts with brisk running times, they're a nice way to enjoy a warm, summer movie night. The "Cellar Dweller/ Catacombs -- Double Feature" might sound cheesy as hell, and of course they are. Light years away from previously-released VHS and DVD versions, these fantastic high-definition transfers are courtesy of Scream Factory.
Both films were originally released by the low-budget company Empire Films. "Cellar Dweller" mimics the look and feel of any "Tales from the Crypt" episode, as a manic comic book artist in the 1950s (Jeffrey Combs, "Re-Animator") gets torn to shreds by the fictional monster he created. Flash forward thirty some-odd years later and his house is now an art school run by none other than one of the Munsters (Yvonne DeCarlo).
A curious student inadvertently brings the creature back to life and starts killing the art academy's residents (including "Dynasty" actress Pamela Bellwood). At a breezy 78 minutes, "Cellar Dweller" feels like a shard of an idea yet its brief running time is a welcome relief. No special features adorn this full-length film and a disclaimer saying that the movie was culled from a less than stellar print isn't really true. Besides a few specks of grain, "Cellar Dweller" looks just fine.
"Catacombs" begins 400 years in the past when the devil gets buried in the catacombs of a church in Italy (where some of this low-budget movie was filmed). Centuries later, a handsome American priest (Timothy Van Patten) shows up on the scene and along with a female teacher, they unearth Satan from the dungeons of the church.
Makeup effects are none too shabby and considering this was 1988, "Catacombs" intrigues with some decent atmosphere. An audio commentary by director David Schmoeller gets tagged onto the Blu-ray as a bonus feature.
Look for more forthcoming horror films such as these from Scream Factory as part of the 2015 "Summer of Fear Part Two" series.
"Cellar Dweller/Catacombs Double Feature"
Blu-ray
www.shoutfactory.com
