Don't Look in the Basement 2

Don't Look in the Basement 2 (2015) ** (out of 4) A mental hospital is the setting as boss Emily (Camilla Carr) tells her crew that they've got a new patient coming. It turns out that Sam (Willie Minor) was in a sanitarium where he murdered eight people in 1972. Dr. William (Andrew Sensenig) is given his case and it doesn't take long for everyone to realize that something isn't right. DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT was a shocking hit back in 1972 even though it featured no stars or much of a budget. The film was directed by cult favorite S.F. Brownrigg and it remained popular throughout the last couple decades thanks to its public domain status, which meant people had easy access to it. This direct sequel took over thirty years to materialize and it was co-written and directed by Tony Brownrigg, the original director's son. It seems doing sequels to these older movies is something that is catching on because another 70s favorite, SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT also got the sequel treatment. I went into this expecting something quite awful and was shocked not to get that. In fact, I was rather amazed at the technical quality of the picture because you'd never know that you were watching a low-budget movie. The cinematography by Chuck Hatcher makes this seem like a Hollywood picture because of how great it is. The editing, the score and one of the songs played throughout were also extremely good. Another shock was the fact that all of the performances were extremely good and believable, which is something I rarely say for a film like this. If you're familiar with the first film then you'll remember Carr and it was great getting to see her return here. Brownrigg does a very good job in the director's chair but I must say that the only disappointing thing was the actual screenplay. There's simply not enough going on here to keep you glued to the screen for the rather short 82 minutes. I really wish that a better or fuller story had been done. Everything is here for a good movie but it falls just short because there's way too much talking going on and there's needed to be a bit more plot development. Still, DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT 2 was a shocking surprise and manages to be better than the first film.

source: Don't Look in the Basement 2

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.

The original 1973 movie found itself banned in Britain as a Video Nasty, I haven't watched it for some time but I recall it being fairly good. Pity the same thing can't be said for its 2015 sequel. The movie starts off slowly but reasonably interesting, sadly the second half descends into a confusing mess. Several characters ask "What's going on?", I only wish I knew! I could watch it again to try and make sense of it but frankly I have better things to do with my time. The acting is generally passable and there are a few gory moments, but it's not enough to save this dross. Beware some dubious reviews!

This was an incredible movie. I hated the first one, but this is so much better. I like how it all comes together and explains a lot. Give it a try, it's good

This movie was exccelent,it had funny moments, and I just loved the entire movie ,watched it a couple times highly replayable, has the same feel as similar movies like session 9 and death tunnel, ,this movie was great I bought it and added it to my DVD collection, of out of print b movies fits great ,,,it's way better than part one and continues on with the story perfect, and the main cast of characters, all of them we're great ,this was really well done and over looked great story especiallly when your living it for real, hits home depending what your life experiences are great movie

I've read a lot of comments about the acting and i tend to agree, the acting was probably the best part of the film. Ive never spent any time in a sanitarium but i imagine it doesnt look like an old creeky house with junk left out in the open and books and junk left everywhere. Its as if they were so intent on making the set look like the original, no one thought to actually make it look like a clinic. All things considered, its a C- in my book.

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.

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.

Man. Was I harsh on the first one. Now, after seeing the follow-up, the original was an all-but masterpiece. When I was a kid, like nine or so years old, I saw the original horror low-budget shockfest and I was scared to death. The low-budget of it all plus the "I'm not supposed to see this, but my parents are asleep and as long as I keep the volume low" aspect was what put me over the edge. So, when I just now (about two years, too late) realized there was a sequel, I decided to spend my Friday night with a double feature of the two Don't Look in the Basements. Because it had such an impact on me, the original still sent shivers down my spine as I recalled how I felt when I was under 10 and seeing such carnage. And then, I started the follow-up, close to 40 years after the original. And boy, this was bad. It appears the new creators had no clue what the original was about. Either they only saw clips of the 1973 film, or they only read a synopsis, they made a completely different movie using some of the main characters from back then and morphed it into a literal comedy. To give the synopsis, originally there was an isolated and experimental mental hospital that saw the attempted murder of the only doctor and a new nurse tricked by a patient into believing she was the new head doctor. Mayhem ensures and patient Sam murders everyone in order to save said new-nurse who escapes. That was part one. Part two takes place in real time (approx. 40 years later) and Sam returns to a "new" mental hospital run by an enormously incompetent staff and the tone/genre completely shifts. Oh, and some murders happen with generic results. While the actors involved give their all and the film was well shot, the movie couldn't have been more different than the original. It's like them making (another) sequel to Psycho 40 years later and making it a comedic spoof of Norman Bates tripping over the stairs leading from his mother's house to the motel. Normally, I would recommend even in the slightest for fans to see a follow-up to a movie they may have loved or deemed a "guilty pleasure," but in this case, stay away, stay far away. This "movie" was a waste. And especially for those who LOVED the original, which I'm starting to. You will see conclusions to the characters you initially rooted for end up being completely destroyed here. Don't look in the basement and certainly, don't look this one up. *** Final thoughts: Okay, here's where I give my own guilty pleasure. Fine, there was one aspect I loved. One of the orderlies, the bigger one, "Bishop" - played by Scott Tepperman, was a pleasure to look at. Sure, him and the other psycho orderly were obviously inserted as comic relief, I still couldn't keep my eyes off such a hunk. At least, in such a terrible misfire, I could find pleasure in such the bear.