Don’t Look in the Basement-review

Ever get the feeling you are about to be axed in the back Nurse?

            This movie is not bad.  There are some things that are strange as hell about this little early 1970s horror movie.  For one thing it was released with “The Last House on the Left” in drive in theater in a double bill so I imagine that must have been a fun as shit night for a person.  “Come on honey.  Let’s go see a rape horror movie tied with a movie about crazy people that include necrophilia and axe murder.”
            The next thing is the other title it can be found under is the “The Forgotten” and believe me that title makes a shitload more sense.  It’s not until the final 8 minutes of the movie that we even SEE the goddamn basement and you never hear the warning “Don’t look in the basement.”  So what marketing guru felt that that was such a catchier title?

Why yes, I am a sex symbol. Thanks for asking.

The movie is set in the Stephens Sanitarium. The doctor here thinks it’s totally groovy to let the inmates wander about since he thinks their insanity will just fuck off.  This proves his undoing as he gets an axe to the back from one of the inmates in a truly comical situation which is a mixture of irony and pure asshole on the part of the nurse in from of him for not telling him to duck.

This causes the only remaining doctor to appear to be Doctor Masters.   Who is greeted by a new young nurse Charlotte Beale.  She is tormented by many of the inmates and while the fear grows it finally ends with a mad twist which is not too bad in terms of good 1970s horror.   I think it’s actually pretty fun and in terms of 1970 psychological horror it works well. 

This was her e-harmony picture.

The acting is VERY over the top and considering that the folks are dangerously insane it sort of works to the story’s benefit.  All in all it’s not a bad movie for a creepy movie night though do try to watch it with other things and think of this one as the palate cleanser of sorts.  It might be good but it’s not like it’s going to be something that will give you a fright.