Don't Look in the Basement 2 (2015)

Contains a revealing character PLOT SPOILER.This is a sequel that comes 44 years later. The film includes some flashbacks and you get the basic idea should you not want to watch the first film over again. Dr. William Mathews (Andrew Sensenig) joins the staff of a sanitarium he did not realize was the one in the first film. Emily (Camilla Carr) the director, brings back Sam (Willie Minor) a survivor from the massacre. When he shows up weird things begin to happen.PLOT SPOILER: Camilla Carr was in the first film as Harriet. In this film she was the character Charlotte from the first film. Sam was played by the late William Bill McGhee in the initial feature. The basement is mentioned at 45 minutes into the feature and they do actually go into it and they leave enough characters alive for another sequel in 2060.This is not a great sequel, although it does seem to keep with the facts in the first film. For those who want to add two shiny discs to their collection of horror have this selection.Guide: F-word. Implied sex. Groping. No nudity.

When I first saw this title while perusing the video store (yes, an actual video store), I was a little reticent. My reservations came from the fact that the original is over forty years old, talk about a delayed sequel! I also expected a micro budget and highly amateurish filmmaking.Summary: The film takes place in an apparently different institution than the previous film in which a staff of doctors and their patients begin undergoing strange events after the new patient arrives. An elderly, child like man named Sam.Pros: The director is the son of the original film's director so you know right off the bat that there was some heart in this and it wasn't just a cash grab. At least one actor from the original appears although oddly enough not playing the same character. Some of the acting was passable and the clearly small budget was utilized well. Characters were likable.Cons: Some of the acting is sub-par. The addition of a supernatural element and quirky humor makes this film exhibit quite a different atmosphere from it's predecessor. Less unusual and eccentric scenes and more of a gore element.So, I'd give it a try. I can't say I'm the hugest fan of the original but I quite like it and wasn't underwhelmed by the sequel.

DON't LOOK IN THE BASEMENT 2 is, unsurprisingly enough, a sequel to the original indie horror movie of the 1970s. It's directed by Tony Brownrigg, the son of the original's director S.F. Brownrigg, and it's obviously a labour of love for the guy, with him fulfilling most of the main duties behind the camera. Unfortunately this cheap production is more dull than anything else, concentrating too much on story and atmosphere at the expense of incident and intent.The setting is the same hospital some forty years later, with an all-new cast of characters discovering some bizarre goings-on. Unfortunately this film is all set-up and barely any kind of pay-off, with brief gore the only real horror you're going to get here. Instead we get endless dialogue scenes and too many peripheral characters who add nothing to the story. As a shot on video production this has a slick look but it lacks the original's grainy realism even though the execution isn't half bad. It's more a demonstration of modern indie filming techniques than anything else.

If you're a fan of the horror genre, you have to slog through a lot of crap and once in a while, you come across a truly pleasant surprise. "Don't Look in the Basement 2" is one of those happy surprises. For those who are unaware, "Don't Look in the Basement" was a 1973 horror film by S.F. Brownrigg that involved a young nurse going to an asylum where murder and mayhem ensues. It garnered some serious notoriety because it was acquired by Hallmark Pictures and was given the same marketing campaign as the original "Last House on the Left" ("It's only a movie... only a movie..."). And now, over 40 years later, comes a direct sequel directed by Anthony Brownrigg, son of the original director. In this one, a doctor goes to work at a small, country asylum after a tragedy involving his wife. The director of the asylum informs the staff that a very special patient is coming. And it is a man named Sam, who was one of the lone survivors of the events in the original film.Once Sam gets there, strange things start to happen. Patients and staff start acting strange, and seem to be taking on the persona of the characters of the original movie. And as you might expect, murder and mayhem seem to be on the menu again...The movie is way, way better than you'd expect. The acting is professional, there is creepiness, scares, intentional comic relief, and some truly disturbing scenes. It's well photographed and solidly directed. And it's got an actual, honest-to-goodness ENDING.It helps to have seen the original (otherwise the characters seem to be just acting weird instead of channeling other characters) but it's not a necessity. I was really surprised by how good this was. Definitely recommend it.