The idea for new horror film The Cellar began over fifteen years ago in the form of Brendan Muldowney’s short film The Ten Steps. Released in 2005, The Ten Steps instantly caught attention on the festival circuit and won several awards, including the award for Best Short Film at Stiges Film Festival. Since then, Muldowney has forged a career as both a writer and director, with 2017’s Pilgrimage being his biggest hit to date. Even after all these years, Muldowney hasn’t been able to shake The Ten Steps and has worked on the script in various forms for years. Finally, not long after Pilgrimage was out in the world, he hit a breakthrough and work began in earnest to turn the short into a feature.
Having debuted at FrightFest Glasgow and SXSW earlier this year, The Cellar now arrives in the UK on horror streaming giant Shudder. The Cellar is one of many films that was faced with the daunting task of filming during the pandemic, but the result is a perfect Friday night fright in front of the telly. Filmed on location in Roscommon, Ireland, The Cellar tells the story of Keira Woods (Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers that there is an ancient and powerful entity controlling their home that she will have to face, or risk losing her family’s souls forever.
Intrigued by the journey from short to feature, ahead of The Cellar’s release, we went to the source and spoke with Muldowney about the long creative process. The conversation also turned to horror tropes, and the ever-important question of what comes next, now The Ten Steps has reached its final conclusion.
The Cellar arrives onto Shudder from Friday 15th April 2022.
