The Cellar [2024] – Review (4/5)

Director Jamie Langlands makes his feature-length debut with The Cellar, a slow-burning and atmospheric tale about a woman’s journal to escape from literal confinement and her spiritual journal to escape from her inner demons.

Meghan Adara stars as Abigail, a woman who wakes up trapped in a locked room in an underground cellar. Most of the film focuses on Abigail trying to escape from the cellar, with very little dialogue or other characters.

At times, it seems like Abigail might be being pursued by a mysterious assailant, although this was largely hinted at for the most part instead of being explicitly shown.

DO NOT CONFUSE THIS ONE WITH…

The 2024 thriller Cellar Door, which we have reviewed here >

And while some viewers might lose interest in the long sections in which Abigail prowls the underground maze of corridors due to the lack of dialogue or interactions which occur throughout these prolonged sequences, others will appreciate the way in which The Cellar presents an intimate journey into one woman’s desperate struggle to emerge victorious.

Never give up

Abigail is clearly a woman who refuses to give up, no matter how discouraging the odds stacked against her happen to be, and her largely uninterrupted journey to freedom will resonate with anyone who has ever felt trapped in a situation which they desperately want to escape from.

The way in which very little else is shown as Abigail tries to find a way out means that your attention will be laser-focused on her efforts to break free, and while some might lose interest, others will be captivated.

It also soon becomes clear that Abigail was deeply troubled prior to her ordeal in the cellar, and her dream of a better life if she manages to break free makes her seem even more admirable as a person.

And Adara delivered a compelling and persuasive performance despite her relative lack of dialogue, with Abigail’s sheer determination and desperation clearly being felt, regardless of the fact that she rarely speaks.

Impressive performances

Although there are some interludes to group therapy sessions which Abigail attended before being captured, with the attendees offering detailed accounts of why they believe they need help after their lives fell to pieces.

These scenes offer a welcome diversion from the portions of the film taking place in the maze-like cellar, and the actors all delivered impressive performances as lost souls who desperately need to be found.

Obie Dean delivered a particularly impressive performance as Darren, a former addict who describes how he overdosed during one of the group therapy sessions. Darren clearly struggles to hold back tears as he recounts his story, and you will do the same as you listen to his account of his harrowing ordeal.

Watch The Cellar (2024) on Digital now

Aside from the group therapy scenes, there are also some dream-like sequences showing Abigail seemingly experiencing visions of herself in a field, with strange events going on around her. It is unclear if these are flashbacks, dreams, or hallucinations, so you will need to make up your own mind about these scenes.

And while some will argue that these largely ambiguous sequences do not serve much of a purpose, they will still leave you pondering over the meaning for a long time after the end credits start to roll.

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If the title seems familiar, it may be due to this one from 2022 >

Viewers with long attention spans will no doubt be absorbed by Abigail’s quest to escape from the labyrinthine complex as they watch The Cellar, with Langlands proving that you do not need large amounts of dialogue to tell a character-focused story.

And the relatively short, eighty-four minute runtime ensures that The Cellar does not overstay its welcome, so even though there was not an awful lot going on for much of the film, your interest will not have too much time to waiver.

Although it may be too uneventful for some, The Cellar ultimately proved to be a captivating examination into the lengths that people will go to in order to find a way out of desperate situations.

THE CELLAR (2024) was released on digital on November 4, 2025.

Details

Director: Jamie Langlands
Writer: Jamie Langlands
Stars: Meghan Adara, Neil James, Charlotte Marshall, Wayne Liversidge, Obie Dean, Mickaela Sands, Sophie Flack