The Beast in the Cellar
It is the house they were born in, grew up and have lived their whole lives in, sisters Joyce and Ellie Ballantyne having seen well over half a century of changes, caught in the past as much as Littlemere, the small Lancashire village which now houses the army training barracks and little else, a shock to the community when a young private is murdered in the forest.
Superintendent Paddick and pathologist Sir Bernard Newsmith theorising the body has been mauled as if by an animal, a puma or a leopard, it seems unlikely but the thought that it was a human who attacked the man is unthinkable; the rumours spreading, Ellie is caught between horror and the excitement of the novelty but Joyce is more level-headed, although their friend who brings them supplies, Corporal Alan Marlow, assures them that all is in hand.
Released in the summer of 1971, The Beast in the Cellar is the antithesis of that season, damp and muddy, washed out by decades of rain and disappointment, taking place in a forgotten village and a house occupied by two spinsters as faded as the aging wallpaper and the portrait of their father, a decorated veteran of the Great War, Flora Robinson and Beryl Reed magnificent as resentful and sharp Joyce and needy worrier Ellie.
One having long ago abandoned hopes of marriage and escape and the other determined to live in a rosy fantasy of the past, Joyce needles her sister, resentful of the burden she must bear while Ellie seemingly plays games, but they share secrets which become heavier as the killings continue, though Vernon Dobtcheff and the great T P McKenna offer little to progress the investigation as Newsmith and Paddick with John Hamill given more to do as handsome gentleman caller Marlow.
Written and directed by James Kelly, The Beast in the Cellar cannot escape the restrictions of its budget, excellent as a parlour drama of the two sisters reminiscing and sniping as though in a sinister Alan Ayckbourn duologue reflecting the ongoing echoes of the trauma of war but unable to pretend that Ellie telling her family history to the authorities is anything other than exposition, the atmosphere needed for the tragic conclusion never quite coming together.
Somewhat bigger on the inside with notable Doctor Who guests between Reid, Dobtcheff, McKenna, Peter Craze and Roberta Tovey, restored from the original negative for Blu-ray the new edition of The Beast in the Cellar is supported by two audio commentaries, one with producers Christopher Neame and Tony Tenser, interviews including actor Christopher Chittell, editor Nicholas Napier-Bell and composer Tony Macauley and the original trailer.
The Beast in the Cellar is available on Blu-ray from 88 Films
