Don’t Look in the Basement 2 Review!
In 1973 S.F. Brownrigg made Don’t Look in the Basement, a low budget thriller which has become looked over, almost forgotten when referring to horror classics. Don’t Look in the Basement takes a group of great characters in a mental asylum and pits them in different scenarios, as a young nurse tries to survive and put the pieces together, as to the bizarre occurrences at The Stephens Sanatorium. Despite the low budget, it had some great chills, performances and a great ending. It’s an underrated chiller which needs to be sought out. Forty years later, S.F. Brownrigg’s son Tony, from out of nowhere, delivers on his late father’s legacy by making a sequel to the underappreciated drive in classic. This is a sequel which I didn’t expect much from, and by reading a lot of reviews, many others didn’t either. I can proudly say I ate crow and was impressed by how enjoyable and highly engaging Don’t Look in the Basement 2 is.
It definitely helps to see the original film to get an understanding of what is going on in this sequel, but it’s not absolutely necessary. We do get some flashbacks but not to the point where it overpowers the material and risks becoming a muddled mess. Tony Brownrigg also uses the same formula in this sequel by relying on his characters to make the film entertaining, including a great lead performance by Andrew Sensenig who is an established Broadway actor and who I remember from another horror film called We Are Still Here. Sensenig really brings his character to life as the concerned doctor, William Matthews, trying to better his patients but also struggling with his own personal demons. Then we get the young hot headed doctor Lance White, played by Frank Mosley, another well established and recognized actor who disagrees with Matthews’ methods and has his own views on how the patients at the facility should be handled. The character of Sam from the original movie, played by Willie Minor, deserves an honorable mention as does the couple of orderlies (Jim O’Rear and Scott Tepperman) who add a comedic and surprisingly likable touch to the movie.
Once again, taking the indie/low budget route Don’t Look in the Basement 2 reeks of professional looking filmmaking. The high quality HD presentation is immaculate and the actors and effects are of an extremely high calibre (it seems Marcus Koch has been able to remarkably splice himself in different pieces to do the effects for every noteworthy indie film being made recently). Anthony might have even surpassed his father’s original film and made a superior product — something I’m sure his dad would be proud of him for! The quirky patients really add that touch of necessary creepiness and at the same time add another emotional layer where you feel sorry for them. They all play off each other and it comes together in great fashion at the same time.
Don’t Look in the Basement 2 picks up where the original left off. We get the character named Sam who was in the original (this time being played by Willie Minor of course), being transferred to a seemingly different mental institution after the tragedy that occurred at The Stephens Sanatorium, where Sam was said to have killed a number of residents. Once Sam arrives, bizarre things begin happening and the patients start portraying violent and deviant behaviors towards each other and the doctors. There are some particular moments including one harrowing scene involving actor Chester Rushing, who plays the mentally handicapped Roman, which graces the cover of the movie — a very disturbing image which will haunt your memories!
Throw in some great twists and turns, nice jump scares, a bunch of interesting characters and expand on the already existing storyline and you have a winner here. Don’t Look in the Basement 2 impressed me big time and it snuck up on me which is a bonus. It’s a thriller that builds and builds and has some great memorable scenes. An indie movie which can tangle with the big boys and win — only if Hollywood had this kind of panache.
Directed by: Tony Brownrigg | Written by: Tony Brownrigg | Produced by: Daniel Redd, David Rennke | Cinematography by: Chuck Hatcher | Editing by: Tony Brownrigg, Daniel Redd, David Rennke | Music by: Gordy Haab, Kyle Newmaster | Special Effects by: Marcus Koch, Tony Brownrigg, David Rennke | Cast: Andrew Sensenig, Frank Mosley, Arianne Martin, Chester Rushing, John Phelan, Jim O’Rear, Camilla Carr, Kim Foster, Angela Gair, Megan Emerick, Scott Tepperman, Willie Minor | Year: 2015 | Country: USA | Language: English | Color: Color | Runtime: 1h 28min
Studio: RDM Pictures
Distributor: LeglessCorpse Films
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