PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’ll be honest. Upon viewing the trailer for The Basement by filmmakers Brian M. Conley and Nathan Ives, it looked as though the feature would be a direct knockoff of M. Knight Shyamalan’s 2017 award-winning blockbuster, Split (read our review here). While it wasn’t for everyone, I was a big fan of Shyamalan’s latest work, which made me that much more reluctant to see this indie version of a film I love. However, I put my preconceived notions aside and approached The Basement with an open mind. Surprisingly, this feature didn’t try to extend itself beyond its means nor did it attempt to outdo its obvious inspiration.
When his wife, Kelly (Mischa Barton: The Sixth Sense), tells him they are out of champagne, wealthy L.A. pianist/guitarist/songwriter, Craig Owen (Cayleb Long), visits a local convenience store. Noticing a newspaper headline warning of the Gemini Killer still at large, Craig makes his purchase and leaves. Approaching his Lamborghini, beverage in hand, the door to a windowless van opens and Craig is struck by a taser, dragged inside and rendered unconscious by an unseen figure.
Coming back to the land of the living, the captive finds himself alone in a cement basement and strapped to a chair with his hands tied in front of him. Suddenly, two white-gloved hands appear, gripping the wall stationed in front of the stairs behind Craig. The suspense is broken in a bizarre manner as the white glove clad figure makes an animated entrance in a full clown costume introducing himself as Billy the Clown!
Swiftly transitioning from a harmless circus performer who might be slightly off his rocker to a clown with a punch, Bill Anderson (Jackson Davis) begins addressing Craig by the name of Billy before striking him with a right cross to the jaw and giving him a lecture on smoking. The unstable clown goes back into entertainment mode before hitting again Craig for cursing. This disturbing, yet entertaining, display of insanity portrayed by Davis is captivating and serves as the catalyst that drew me in. Davis’ portrayal of an eccentric circus clown is merely the beginning of his impressive performance depicting 11 different character personalities that display surprising depth for their brief time on screen.
Taking on such a bold and challenging role, Davis succeeds in every sense of the word. While he is not perfect, I dare say that Davis’ portrayal of multiple personalities is nearly comparable to James McAvoy’s performance in Split. Though he is the highlight among an exceptional cast, Davis’ character is the obvious inspiration from its Shyamalan directed predecessor. Rather than knocking off the award-winning blockbuster, this tactic complements the originality of The Basement, which is rooted within the subplot, story execution and a very unexpected ending.
Projecting his crimes onto Craig, Bill plays out what he believes would follow if he were caught as the serial killer behind the Gemini murders by treating his abductee, Craig, as the guilty party. Transitioning from Billy the Clown to a beat cop making an arrest to a detective interrogating his prisoner, Bill essentially puts Craig through the prison system. Embodying other personalities such as a San Quentin State Prison inmate, a prison doctor, a visiting father and mother and more, Bill gives Craig the prison experience without ever leaving the basement. With every character transformation, more hints about Bill’s deranged past come to light, which Craig utilizes as his one chance at survival.
While her husband is enduring torture through a make-believe justice system, Kelly is frantically calling the local authorities who will not allow her to file a missing persons report for 24 hours. Comforted by her friend who stops by, Kelly admits that she is suspicious of her husband and fears that he might be having an affair. Through no fault of her own, most of Barton’s scenes as Kelly, while essential, become a bit dull and causes the film to feel a little disjointed at times. However, they are thankfully not overused, and it is a minor downfall of the feature.
Along with Davis’ performance, which won him Best Actor at Horrorhound Film Festival, The Basement is plotted and executed with the strategic precision of a mass-murderer who remains at large. Although this film is not perfect, it plays to its strengths with an element of simplicity. Attention to detail, clever originality mixed with blockbuster influence and subtle homage to ’90s classics such as Silence of the Lambs are what makes this film a surprising indie gem. These crafty angles are sure to be what earned this psychological horror a nomination for Best Horror Feature at Shriekfest. Look for a release of this unexpectedly captivating feature next month.
