Review of Don't Look in the Basement (1973) by Ryan S — 08 May 2010
Don't Look in the Basement is the lost 70's gem about a small insane asylum with a group of diversely different yet all equally dangerous group of patients whose order in the house is about to change when head doctor Stephens is accidentally murdered by one of the patients, leaving Dr.
Masters (Anne MacAdams) in charge, unaware that Dr. Stephens had just hired new nurse Charlotte Beale (Rosie Holotik) who comes in with high hopes and gets more than she bargains for with the abrasive and intense patients.
All is not well though as some bodies start mounting up and certain people aren't what they seem. The big twist towards the end is delightful and adds a lot to the film, but it's so surprising to see how down-played it is, as the story just tries to move forward rather than dwell on the twist and point fingers at it, hoping for audiences to embrace it.
Sure, Don't Look in the Basement is heavily-dated and not appropriately titled, but the film packs a nice punch for its time. Certainly, it can be said that the insane people within the film really do kick it up a notch and add a great element of horror to it.
Like I said before, Don't Look in the Basement is real lost gem and heavily underrated. With not one, but two (!) remakes of this movie coming out in the near future, I can only hope some people will be smart enough to seek out this lost classic and give it a spin.
If they're REAL horror fans, they won't be disappointed. Good stuff!
This review of Don't Look in the Basement (1973) was written by Ryan S on 08 May 2010.
Don't Look in the Basement has generally received mixed reviews.
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