Jackson Davis and Cayleb Long star in The Basement, a chilling film brought to you by Uncork’d Entertainment. Tracie Thoms and The OC’s Mischa Barton also star. The Basement is now available.
The Basement is a highly original film brought to you by Brian M. Conley and Nathan Ives. From the Press Release: “Craig is abducted and wakes up in a basement. His captor, Bill, is a twisted serial killer who wishes to reenact his own capture, with Craig playing the part of Bill and Bill playing everyone else. As Bill tortures Craig, he cycles through a number of personas, all while Craig tries desperately to find a way into Bill’s pathology in order to save himself.”
What struck me is the performances in this film from both Long and Davis. Cayleb Long’s Craig has such a swift and dark descent into the madness of his own situation that you are just as horrified as he is. What is most chilling of all in Craig’s ongoing gambit of trying to play the part Bill is giving him. Cayleb Long’s sincerity in each iteration of Bill blurs the line of reality for both Craig and the audience, making you wonder just how far the human psyche can bend before it snaps.
But speaking of snapping, let’s talk about Jackson Davis as Bill, the Gemini Killer. James McAvoy needs lessons from Davis. If you are a fan of Split, get ready to become Davis’ acolyte. How this guy isn’t a superstar yet is beyond me, because his performances in The Basement is nothing short of award-worthy. Davis’ twisted Gemini Killer, Bill, is by far one of the most broken and tortured minds seen on screen. Within this 90-minute movie, Davis delivers at least a dozen true, fully-realized characters that blend seamlessly from one into another. To be entirely honest, I wasn’t sure it was the same person for the first few incarnations Davis portrays. For a minute, I thought there were at least two men working together. But as one after another of these facets of Bill’s psychosis came down the stairs, I sat back in awe of the quiet confidence this actor has.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a touchy-feely, quiet thriller. There is plenty of gore to go around, much of it even heart-breaking. Your heart reaches out to Craig as he is tortured, your pulse races when you think that this time, maybe this time, he got through to Bill’s rational side. But as he is once again subjected to atrocity after atrocity, your heart sinks, and you catch your breath with him as his captor once again ascends the stairs to morph into the next phase of Bill’s life.
The biggest problem is the movie’s subplot, which is where Mischa Barton comes in. Craig is captured running an errand or his wife, you see, and what follows is Mischa Barton’s cardboard concern as she calls the cops, then her best friend, for help in finding out what happened to him. “Finding out” only seems to consist of awkwardly sitting in silence with her best friend and blandly complaining that Craig has been cheating. Even once the movie comes to an end her demeanor never changes, and the scenes are irritating at best as they are sandwiched in between scenes of the actual movie. Was the subplot filler? Possibly. Without the Barton scenes it would have made for an impossibly short film. But that would have just made room for more dark basement goodness.
Cinematography by Kenneth Stipe definitely paints the picture for you and changes in tone just as Bill’s personalities do. My personal favorite was the “film noir” shot with the detective, be sure to keep an eye out for it. And what Stipe also is a genius at is setting the stage Julia Hapney’s extraordinary and visceral makeup and effects. Hapney and her team are certain to churn your guts and flinch on the impacts.
Be sure to check out The Basement on September 15th on your favorite streaming platforms. Take a look at the trailer below!
