Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Basement'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If there’s one thing that cinema as a whole loves to make use of, it’s formula. Because a century of filmmaking has shown every single director and producer out there, that it doesn’t matter what genre you’re diving into, sticking to a tried and true formula should guarantee your film some level of success with audiences everywhere. It’s simply the safest route to go when it comes to movie making and it’s why we see so many motion pictures that offer familiar elements and storylines time and time again.
 
But, sometimes there are filmmakers that come along that feel the need to buck the trends and the norms of Hollywood and I think we can all agree that the end result of such a move is often mixed. Because we’ve all seen films that are far too experimental in their own right to resonate with an audience, but, once in a while, someone hits pay dirt, and they figure out exactly how to add a fresh new twist on the tried and true formula and recently, I had the opportunity to see such a film, one that found a way to reinvent the serial killer story in The Basement.
 
Now in this particular film we are introduced to a man named Craig Owen, who seemingly has it all. After all, Craig is a successful musician, and said success allows for him to live in comfort inside a massive and beautiful home with his lovely wife Kelly. But on one average night, Craig’s life is suddenly turned upside down when he finds himself unexpectedly kidnapped by the Gemini Killer, a serial killer that’s been terrorizing Los Angeles and unfortunately for Craig, this twisted monster has big plans for Mister Owen. Because instead of providing him with a swift and brutal death, Gemini wants to play a little game, one that puts Craig squarely in the madman’s shoes and playing along with this twisted game may be the only way he lives to see another day. 

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​So, earlier I made mention of the fact that I felt as though this motion picture reinvents the serial killer sub-genre of films and I stand by that, simply because the Gemini Killer is unlike any other serial killer we’ve seen in film. Normally, these guys (and the occasional gal) are blood thirsty and calculating and chilling in every sense of the word, and they go up against someone noble and just before finding themselves in jail. But here, Gemini, whose actual name is Bill, is nothing more than a broken soul who uses murder to conduct his own twisted brand of therapy, to the point where he fantasizes about being caught through his victims and well, that’s just brilliant.
 
Because he kills not for a cause, but out of self-loathing and one could write for days on that notion alone, but how Bill goes through this process is what makes the film so delightful because it’s fascinating to watch him transform into the various characters that exist within his fantasy and it is equally as intriguing to watch Craig desperately play along when he realizes it may be his only way out and the only way this works, is with quality performances and you’ll find that in spades here as well. Because Jackson Davis is utterly brilliant as Bill ‘The Gemini Killer’ Anderson since Jackson does such a fine job of transforming into the various people that Bill has created in his mind and he is complimented nicely by Cayleb Long’s performance as Craig Owen since he brings a genuine sense of confusion and terror to the table as well.
 
But, if you’re worried that this movie makes Bill’s pain a priority over gore and scares in a serial killer flick, have no fear, there are plenty of twisted and disturbing and bloody moments to be found in this story and quite frankly, they shock you and surprise you since they pop up at the just right time; shortly after you’ve been sucked into another chapter of Bill’s painful story. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this motion picture. It was simply a charming and disturbing delight to watch and it even features a twist ending that I won’t reveal here because you need to see this one as soon as possible, because not only does it have something for every single horror fan out there, it’s simply a solid horror film when all is said and done.  

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