Review of Cellar Dweller (1988) by Alex G — 23 Jan 2016

Famous comic book artist Colin Childress (Jeffrey Combs) is the artist of a popular Horror comic Cellar Dweller and stupidly uses a dusty old tome, The Curses of the Ancient Dead as an inspiration for his lurid tales of terror.

Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that the incantations he is using for inspiration actually work and brings one of his horrific creations to life. Combs manages to stop the creature but at the cost of his own life.

Years later, Combs former studio has become an artists retreat to which perky young Whitney Taylor (Deborah Mullowney) arrives. She is a disciple of the late Childress and wants to follow in his footsteps.

The woman running the retreat, Mrs. Briggs (Yvonne De Carlo) resents our heroine and she must contend with a former art school rival (Pamela Bellwood) and a PI turned mystery writer (Vince Edwards looking like Stacey Keach).

Will Whitney find the ancient tome and will history repeat itself? It would be a pretty poor excuse for a direct-to-video Horror from from the late 1980s if she did. Its entertaining enough and not too long with the requisite amount of gore to satisfy genre fans and Cheryl Ann Wilson takes a predictable shower.

The creature is a guy in a suit which is not that impressive but has a certain amount of charm lacking in many of today's CGI monstrosities.