The Basement (film)

Last updated
The Basement
The Basement movie poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed byBrian M. Conley
Nathan Ives
Written byBrian M. Conley
Nathan Ives
Sean Decker
Produced byBrian M. Conley
Nathan Ives
Sean Decker
Mark Heidelberger
Starring Mischa Barton
Jackson Davis
Cayleb Long
Tracie Thoms
CinematographyKenneth Stipe
Edited byBrady Hallongren
Music byAaron J. Goldstein
Distributed byUncork'd Entertainment
Release dates
  • October 7, 2017 (2017-10-07)(Shriekfest)
  • September 15, 2018 (2018-09-15)(United States)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Basement is a 2017 American horror film directed by Brian M. Conley and Nathan Ives. The film stars Mischa Barton, Jackson Davis, Cayleb Long, and Tracie Thoms. The film premiered at Shriekfest in Los Angeles on October 7, 2017. It received a 10 market theatrical and digital release in the United States on 15 September 2018. [1]

Contents

Plot

A deranged serial killer known as Bill Anderson (or "The Gemini") tortures and slays his victims in the basement of his San Fernando Valley home.

Craig Owen (Long), a famous guitarist, goes to the convenience store when his wife, Kelly, asks him to get more champagne. While out, Craig receives two seductive text messages from a woman named Bianca, which he promptly deletes. He was kidnapped in the parking lot. Bill tortures him throughout the night by cutting off his fingers, knocking out his teeth (and forcing Craig to chew and swallow them at one point), and pretending to be various characters in a bizarre drama, including a clown, a police officer, a detective, a prisoner, a doctor, a lawyer, a father, a mother, and a prison guard. The mother gives Craig a nail file, which he uses to cut through his restraints while Gemini eats upstairs. Craig frees himself and escapes the basement, only to be recaptured. He wakes up to Bill dressed as a priest, who makes him confess and take communion before carving the Gemini zodiac symbol into Craig's forehead. Bill returns dressed as an executioner and waits for 6:00 AM. Eventually, he decapitates Craig with a blowtorch.

Meanwhile, Craig's wife Kelly invites her best friend Bianca over to discuss where Craig might be. Kelly reveals to Bianca that Craig is having an affair and wants to kill whoever it could be. Bianca stays the night and falls asleep on the sofa after Kelly drugs her.

In the morning, Bill arrives at the house dressed as a police officer. He assures her that he killed Craig. Kelly points to Bianca and tells Gemini to 'take out the trash'.

In the last few minutes, a flashback set one month earlier reveals that Bill and Kelly are twins, and she knows all about his killing spree. She also knows that Craig is having an affair with Bianca and asks Bill to kill Craig. [2]

Cast

Production

Conley and Ives wrote the script together in the fall of 2015, and they were inspired by films such as Sleuth , Seven, and The Silence of the Lambs . [3]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 11% based on 9 reviews, with an average score of 3.43/10. [4]

Dread Central gave the film 5 stars out of 5, remarking on its "solid script" and praising the "stellar lead performances" of Davis and Long. The website was also complimentary about the film's production values: "DP Kenneth Stipe has done a lot of TV, but here his lighting and composition are truly cinematic. The music is from another hardworking television veteran, Aaron J. Goldstein, whose sounds underscore the tension and a few moments of comedy quite nicely. When it comes to the grueling and gore – much of it cringe-inducing – kudos go to Julia Hapney and her team." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kane Hodder</span> American actor, stuntman, and author

Kane Warren Hodder is an American actor, stuntman, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felissa Rose</span> American actress

Felissa Rose Esposito, better known as simply Felissa Rose, is an American actress and producer. Rose has amassed over 150 film credits, and is best known for her work in the horror genre, for which she is recognized as a "scream queen".

<i>100 Feet</i> 2008 American film

100 Feet is a 2008 American horror film written and directed by Eric Red and starring Famke Janssen, Bobby Cannavale, Ed Westwick and Michael Paré.

Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. The company expanded into other media including advertising, podcast networking, film, television, streaming media, and management.

<i>Its Alive</i> (2009 film) 2009 American film

It's Alive is a 2009 American science fiction horror film directed by Josef Rusnak. It is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name written and directed by Larry Cohen. Bijou Phillips stars as a mother who has a mutant baby which kills anyone when scared. The film was released on April 2, 2009, as a direct-to-video and received mostly negative reviews upon release. Criticizing the films pace and the CGI effect for the mutant baby but over the years the film was later praised for its cast, the music and its ending that many viewers deemed to be shocking and tragic. Later in 2020-2021 Millennium Films lost rights to It's Alive which caused the film to be taken down especially on digital download. The movie is currently out of print and there is no announcement or any plans for a rerelease.

<i>The Ward</i> (film) 2010 American film

The Ward is a 2010 American supernatural psychological horror film directed by John Carpenter and starring Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh, Lyndsy Fonseca and Jared Harris. Set in 1966, the film chronicles a young woman who is institutionalized after setting fire to a house, and who finds herself haunted by the ghost of a former inmate at the psychiatric ward. As of 2024, this is Carpenter's most recent film as a director.

<i>Dread</i> (film) 2009 British film

Dread is a 2009 British horror film directed and written by Anthony DiBlasi and starring Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans and Hanne Steen, based on the short story of the same name by Clive Barker. The story was originally published in 1984 in volume two of Barker's Books of Blood short story collections.

Patrick Rea is an American producer, writer and director known for the films Nailbiter, I Am Lisa, They Wait in the Dark and The Last Butterflies.

<i>The Last Exorcism</i> 2010 American film

The Last Exorcism is a 2010 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Daniel Stamm. It stars Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Caleb Landry Jones, and Louis Herthum.

<i>The Innkeepers</i> (film) 2011 American film

The Innkeepers is a 2011 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Ti West. It stars Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, and Kelly McGillis. Its plot follows two employees at the Yankee Pedlar Inn who, during its last weekend of operations, attempt to document the alleged supernatural activity in the building.

<i>The Tortured</i> 2010 Canadian film by Robert Lieberman

The Tortured is a 2010 Canadian-American horror-thriller film directed by Robert Lieberman, written by Marek Posival, and starring Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe, Fulvio Cecere, and Bill Moseley.

<i>Texas Chainsaw 3D</i> 2012 American film by John Luessenhop

Texas Chainsaw 3D is a 2013 American slasher film directed by John Luessenhop, with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms.

<i>Skinned Deep</i> 2004 American film

Skinned Deep is a 2004 American comedy horror film directed and written by Gabriel Bartalos and starring Les Pollack, Aaron Sims, Kurt Carley, Linda Weinrib, Forrest J Ackerman, Eric Bennett, and Warwick Davis.

<i>The Town That Dreaded Sundown</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a 2014 American slasher film and serves as a metafictional sequel to the 1976 film of the same name. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon in his feature-length directorial debut, the film was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and produced by Jason Blum and Ryan Murphy. The film stars Addison Timlin, Travis Tope, Spencer Treat Clark, Veronica Cartwright and Gary Cole and was one of the last films of Ed Lauter and Edward Herrmann before their deaths in October 2013 and December 2014, respectively.

<i>I Spit on Your Grave 2</i> 2013 American film

I Spit on Your Grave 2 is a 2013 American rape and revenge horror film directed by Steven R. Monroe. It is a sequel to the 2010 film I Spit on Your Grave, also directed by Monroe, which in turn was based on Meir Zarchi's 1978 film of the same name.

<i>It Follows</i> 2014 horror film by David Robert Mitchell

It Follows is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. It stars Maika Monroe as a young woman who is pursued by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter. Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe appear in supporting roles. It Follows debuted at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was later purchased by Radius-TWC for distribution. After a successful limited release, the film had a wide release two weeks later on March 27, 2015.

<i>Victor Crowley</i> (film) 2017 American film

Victor Crowley is a 2017 American slasher film written and directed by Adam Green. It is the sequel to Hatchet III, and serves as the fourth installment in the Hatchet film series. Kane Hodder returns to the role of the titular killer Victor Crowley. Critical reaction for the film was generally mixed.

<i>The Toybox</i> 2018 American film

The Toybox is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed by Tom Nagel and starring Mischa Barton and Denise Richards. The film wrapped production in April 2017 and was then acquired by CineTel Films with an aim of launching sales at both the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and the American Film Market. A promotional trailer was released on April 4, 2018. The film was also accepted into a coveted screening slot at the Texas Frightmare Weekend in May 2018. The film was released in theaters and on VOD on September 18, 2018. Entertainment Weekly released the exclusive trailer on August 17, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Truitner</span> American filmmaker and entrepreneur (born 1972)

Ian Truitner is an American filmmaker and entrepreneur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Chaves</span> American filmmaker

Michael Chaves is an American filmmaker and visual effects artist, best known for his work on the miniseries Chase Champion and the theatrical films The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and The Nun II.

References

  1. ↑ ‘The Basement’ Trailer Gets Locked Up With Split danish whit everything Personalities [Exclusive] Bloody Disgusting. 23 July 2018
  2. ↑ Shriekfest Heads Down into ‘The Basement’ Bloody Disgusting. 14 September 2017
  3. ↑ Interview: Director Brian Conley Talks The Basement Comingsoon.Net. 5 October 2017
  4. ↑ "The Basement (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ Basement, The (2017) Dread Central. 10 October 2017
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.