everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Brilliant and touching

Admirable film.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie is well presented & holds a really good grip while one watches it.The performances are good and the monster effects are really worth watching.The lead actress performed really well and so did the other actors.I watched a full movie after a very long time and I am no one into writing reviews but this movie just made me to switch IMDb and type my views.

One can do worse than this if they're partial to the cheese horror of the 1980s, a decade when the genre really came to life. Not that it's anything special at all, but it IS reasonably amusing and thankfully pretty short in duration (78 minutes all told). A production of Charles Bands' Empire Pictures, it's got a cool, gnarly monster, a decent cast, some gore and some suspense, and lots of impressive horror themed comic book art. It even comes up with some twists along the way. It's one of the directorial efforts of makeup effects expert John Carl Buechler, who'd previously helmed "Troll" for Empire.Debrah Farentino, acting here under her maiden name Mullowney, stars as Whitney, an aspiring comic book artist whose inspiration was the reclusive Colin Childress (played by Jeffrey Combs in a regrettably brief cameo appearance). In the opening prologue, Colins' creations manage to come to life and commit murder. 30 years later, his house is an art academy, and Whitney is the latest student. She finds that when her imagination is fired, the panels in her strips likewise take on life. So now she and others at the school are in big trouble.The conclusion isn't altogether satisfying, but getting there, one can still have an agreeable enough time. There are some fun moments, and some hoots to be had. Brian Robbins ('Head of the Class', "C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud") is likable as a fellow student, as is Miranda Wilson as Lisa. Pamela Bellwood ('Dynasty') is effectively bitchy as Whitney's rival. Veterans Vince Edwards ("Return to Horror High") and Yvonne De Carlo ("The Silent Scream") are enjoyable to watch. Robbins's father, actor Floyd Levine, has a bit as a cabbie, and experienced monster performer Michael Deak plays the titular Cellar Dweller.In the end, "Cellar Dweller" is forgettable but worth a viewing for genre devotees who want to see as much from this decade as possible.Six out of 10.

Is it art imitating death or death imitating art? I really don't know why this cool movie has languished into near obscurity over the years, I think it's one of the best horror comic themed flicks out there. I love the simple yet impressive intro credits sequence, so similar to that of my favourite ever film "Creepshow", which is also a homage to the classic macabre spirit of the old E.C. horror comics of the '50s. I always like stories and pictures that feature comic books that come to life, it's what I most enjoy about this movie and for me is the very glue that holds it together. It's just such an utterly fantastic concept, the pen-to-paper magic of the events becoming reality as they are scrawled out. The comic art panels are very fun and imaginatively executed and are used to great economic and stylistic effect. A few of the kills are very awesome and memorable where it's shown frame-by-paneled frame as the demon beast embarks upon its unholy feasts of terror. The plot is very similar to a "Tales From the Crypt" episode called "Korman's Kalamity." The tone throughout is somewhat light and silly but it still maintains a good Gothic horror atmosphere. And the location and setting weren't all that much, but are used well. A lot of eerie moodiness is generated by simple shadows, frequent thunder crashes, and howling winds - real good old-fashioned haunted dark house type stuff! The decent subtle score helps a lot as well. The look and sound are quite rough and in fact almost make it come off as a neglected B-movie at first. I mean it's clearly high on imagination, low on budget, but that doesn't prevent it from being a hell of a lot of fun and far from an average horror movie. It's great to see Jeff Combs in it, looking suspiciously professorly! But don't get too attached - he kicks the bucket even before the opening credits roll. It's too bad they didn't use him any more than they did because the rest of the cast is a bore. They're not terrible, but neither are they engaging or interesting enough that you give a s**t when they start getting eaten including the lead! Brian Robbins was especially lame and annoying. He was kinda cute but so weird looking.. His impossibly huge gob freaked me out! Looked big enough to swallow your whole head! ::: I like the rather cryptic rhyming verse that is spoken several times over the course of the plot. I don't believe it suggests that only sick people enjoy horror and are intrigued by evil, just that maybe sometimes allowing the mind linger in the darkness and on dark things for too long, and trying too hard in vain to make sense of the senseless, can corrupt and consume the careless and give rise to further badness and heartache... I love the simpleness of the closeup shots of imagery on paper during the sequence where the monster is slowly recreated with just a little inspiration from the Necronomicon-like tome of evil! The personified comic book monster incarnation of evil, the malicious Cellar Dweller, looked like a combination of a werewolf, some kind of giant ghoulie, and an ape. Kinda plain, but a very interesting design. The appropriately hulking suit was enough to convey a lot of intimidation and dark intentions, and the animatronic face was wonderfully expressive, with flexing lips, eyes and ears. And in this movie age of cgi it's always real nice to see a tangible, 'flesh and blood' creature that's physically present. He doesn't get up to all that much, but you sure couldn't say that he doesn't love his work... ::: The ending wasn't exactly a great twist and it doesn't make that much sense, but I still think it's pretty interesting and poetic with the devilish Dweller apparently being completely free to haunt imaginations untold... Maybe he just ate too much "creative energy" that he was simply too strong to be banished? At least it's not a happy ending... This is a great horror comic book fantasy that no fan of such rare offerings should be without. See ya!

Comic book artist at an art colony accidently unleashes a monster when she recreates a dead artist's creation. The monster goes about the colony ran by Yvonne De Carlo killing off all the students. New World production has a good premise, neat monster, and more gore then usual, but the premise is underdeveloped and the script under plotted. The clever ending is flatly written. Disappointing effort with some good horror stars. Rated R; Nudity, Graphic Violence, and Profanity.