Amazon Prime viewers obsessed with forgotten horror film but are all baffled by one ‘flaw’
It's on the streamer's most-watched chart, surrounded by some tough competition.
Amazon Prime Video fans are all getting behind a slightly obscure horror film from last year, sending it soaring into the platform’s charts.
However, many of them have the same slight niggle with the thriller-cum-horror movie.
Cellar Door, initially release by Lionsgate in November in the US, stars Jordana Brewster, Scott Speedman and Matrix star Laurence Fishburne.
It’s available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, where it has landed at number seven on the most-watched charts, behind newly added and widely marketed Prime Originals like My Fault: London and You’re Cordially Invited with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell.
It’s also fended off competition from the likes of recently added DC movie Suicide Squad and the original Spanish-language version of My Fault, part of a franchise sensation for the streamer, with both less popular in the top 10.
The unsettling movie sees wealthy homeowner Emmett (Fishburne) offer to give his beautiful estate for free to a couple (Brewster and Speedman) who is looking for a fresh start and revived happiness.
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Previous Page Next Page Cellar Door, starring Scott Speedman and Jordana Brewster, is on the streamer’s top 10 chart of most-watched movies (Picture: Lionsgate)But their dream home comes with one unusual caveat: they can never open the cellar door. This doesn’t bother them at first – until they get to know a little bit more about the history of the property and its former inhabitants.
‘You know what they say about old houses – they all have their deep, dark secrets,’ Emmett is heard ominously teasing at the end of the film’s trailer.
Comment nowHave you seen Cellar Door? What did you think?Comment NowWhile it’s clearly been popular for Prime subscribers, some fans have expressed the same slight bafflement with the film’s plot, so a warning for what comes next – if you don’t want the story spoiled for you, don’t read on.
‘The cellar door has nothing to do with the movie,’ pointed out Ben E in a user review on Rotten Tomatoes, while Felicia M added: ‘It was a decent movie. I did not appreciate that the door was never opened and had no story behind it.’
It also stars Laurence Fishburne as the man who mysteriously gives away his sprawling home (Picture: Lionsgate) However, several people have pointed out the same niggling issue with Cellar Door (Picture: Lionsgate)‘For a film called Cellar Door, there’s really no point in it because it’s not explored,’ chimed in Donald S, as another fan argued: ‘The movie’s singular rule – “Just don’t open the cellar door” – is paradoxically both the centre of attention and a total misdirection. One would expect that such a warning would be pivotal to the story, propelling the plot with intense anticipation. Instead, it plays no significant role at all, leaving viewers scratching their heads.’
However, not everyone had an issue with the red herring, as Sean H shared: ‘Some people probably will feel shortchanged by this film, but I enjoyed it for what it was.’
‘The premise that they can have the mansion as long as they don’t open the cellar door is simplistic but oddly intriguing. It’s not a feat of film, but it’s a twisty fun watch,’ wrote Jerod S, while Kathryn M insisted she was ‘gripped from the start’.
‘The reviews paint it in a much worse light than it actually is. Cellar Door is intriguing from the get-go, and thanks to good acting and a shocking plot twist, it’s entertaining to say the least,’ said Farah R in her defence of the popular movie – which has just a 33% fan score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an even weaker 22% from critics.
The thriller flick was not a hit with critics, although several fans have defended it (Picture: Lionsgate)‘Vaughn Stein’s thriller is too simplistic and implausible to provide any chills. But despite some lurid eventual plot elements, it’s also too blandly slick in a TV-movie mode to offer much trashy fun, Dennis Harvey wrote in his review for Variety, while Peyton Robinson for shared: ‘With less textbook dedication to its metaphors and more sleight of hand in its structure, Cellar Door would accomplish the tension it intends, but its bland approach fails to inspire investment.’
ScreenRant wasn’t quite so dismissive, suggesting: ‘Cellar Door teases an intriguing thriller with high-quality performances and talented stars, but the end result didn’t quite reach its potential.’
Cellar Door is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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