A Chilling Descent: Kyla Pratt & Kelcey Mawema Stars in Lifetime’s Latest “Girl In” Thriller
Lifetime continues its powerhouse streak of gripping, reality-inspired storytelling with its latest Ripped from the Headlines feature: Girl in the Cellar, premiering Saturday, August 23 at 8/7c. The network expands its critically acclaimed “Girl In” franchise by diving deep into generational trauma, maternal obsession, and the haunting echoes of captivity.
This time, the spotlight is on actress Kyla Pratt (The Proud Family), who delivers a chilling and emotionally complex performance as Rebecca, a single mother whose protective instincts spiral into darkness. Co-starring rising talent Kelcey Mawema (Cruel Instruction) as her teenage daughter Lory, the film unearths the hidden scars passed from one generation to the next.
Set in a quiet suburban neighborhood, Girl in the Cellar tells the story of Rebecca, a woman still haunted by her own childhood horrors. Years ago, she was held captive by her abusive father—in the same cellar that now looms beneath her family home. When she discovers that Lory has been hiding a relationship, Rebecca’s grip on reality begins to unravel. In a desperate attempt to “protect” her daughter from the mistakes she believes ruined her own life, she locks Lory in the basement—the very place of her past torment.
But Lory is no passive victim. As she fights for her freedom, the community begins to question her sudden absence. Whispers grow louder. Rebecca’s increasingly erratic behavior raises alarm bells. The clock ticks as guilt, trauma, and unraveling secrets collide in a claustrophobic dance of survival.
Directed by Robert Adetuyi and penned by Eva Gonzalez Szigriszt, Girl in the Cellar adds another bone-chilling chapter to Lifetime’s gripping library of “Girl In” titles. From Girl in the Basement to Girl in Room 13, the network continues to push boundaries with its thought-provoking thrillers rooted in real-life horrors.
The film is produced by Navid Soofi for PF Maple Productions Inc. in association with Studio TF1 America, with executive producers Timothy O. Johnson, Meghan Hooper White, and Amelia Burstyn.
At its core, Girl in the Cellar is more than a thriller—it’s a harrowing psychological portrait of how the past can echo louder than the present. And with Kyla Pratt at the helm, this one promises to hit hard, linger long, and spark the conversations that matter.
Don’t miss the premiere Saturday, August 23 on Lifetime.
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