Touches You

Absolutely brilliant

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

"Don't Look in the Basement" (how's that for a gimmicky title?) has an attractive young nurse taking a job at a remote insane asylum that is known for its experimental approaches to psychiatric treatment (such as letting the patients simulate their own delusions, no matter how demented or dangerous). Upon her arrival, she is notified that the head doctor was murdered by one of the inmates, and is geared to run the asylum with the help of the head nurse, but finds herself receiving increasing hostility from the patients.Also known as "The Forgotten," this deceptive and dreary grindhouse flick was apparently a staple of drive-in horror in the mid-1970s, and has been put through the shredder by audiences online. The truth is that this is actually not nearly as bad a film as many reviews would lead you to believe.Make no bones about it, this is a low-budget production on all counts— it looks as though it were filmed inside a large farmhouse haphazardly made up to appear as a hospital, and the special effects are definitely minimalist, but there is something about the low-budget awkwardness that makes this film strangely effective. The narrative is admittedly slow-going early on and the film does feel a bit like a psych ward drama throughout the first forty minutes or so, but some well-played sequences and decent and sometimes disturbing performances from the inmate cast and the foxy, likable heroine elevate the proceedings from potentially dull to surprisingly engaging. Add to that a clever narrative twist that may or may not be easy to read between the lines, which may be the film's greatest asset.Overall, "Don't Look in the Basement" is an effective and atmospheric low-budget horror offering that aspires to greater heights than its budget could clearly afford. In spite of this, the quirks resulting from the production's monetary shortcomings add a raw edge to the film, and it boasts a decent cast of unknowns playing up the hysterics of a '70s psychodrama. What the film does well, perhaps inadvertently, is weave a drab and unsettling atmosphere that infects the entire production, up to its uncompromisingly gruesome conclusion. 7/10.

Super sexy Rosie Holotik plays Charlotte Beale, a psychiatric nurse who goes to work at the isolated Stephens Sanitarium. She gets there to find that the Dr. Stephens who (loosely) ran the place was murdered by one of the patients. Geraldine Masters (Annabelle Weenick), who seems to have inherited the supervisory position, has her misgivings about Charlottes' presence, but agrees to take her on as an employee anyway. Among the unbalanced people Charlotte meets are the gentle giant Sam (Bill McGhee), the desperate-for-love Allyson (Betty Chandler), former military man Sgt. Jaffee (Hugh Feagin), and possessive "mother" Harriet (Camilla Carr).This is actually a pretty good, if overly talky, effort from regional filmmaker S.F. Brownrigg. The low, low budget merely enhances the overall atmosphere. This is a grim, gritty film that goes far based on the personalities of the characters and the performances. Holotik is appealing, but it's Ms. Weenick who takes the acting honours. Things get appropriately gory, especially in the disturbing ending. One great scene takes place between Dr. Masters and the Sargeant, as she insists on asserting her authority.We know early on that we're going to be in for something amusing. Dr. Stephens, who had an unorthodox way of treating mental illness, is just foolish enough to give Judge Oliver W. Cameron (Gene Ross) an axe in order to work through his aggressions. People who saw this film back in the 70s must have gotten a real sense of deja vu if they ended up seeing "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning". One of the major delights is the refrain spoken by the cackling old lady Mrs. Callingham (Rhea MacAdams).Deliberately paced and very moody, "Don't Look in the Basement" (a.k.a. "The Forgotten") is an affecting exploitation-horror flick.Seven out of 10.

Don't Look in the Basement has attained a certain level of infamy on the basis that it was one of the 72 films that made the video nasty list. For those not in the know, this was a list of films considered obscene by the authorities in early 80's Britain. It does have to be said, though, that like many others from that list this one has no right being on any list of movies considered extremely shocking. Don't Look in the Basement has no real reason to have been labelled a video nasty but I am pleased for it that it was because it has given it a lasting fame of sorts. Its original title 'The Forgotten' is actually a more meaningful title though, seeing as it's about people locked away in a hospital for the insane. It seems likely that it was given the 'Don't' moniker to tie it in with other similarly titled horror flicks from the time. In actual fact, there were four of these on the video nasty list, so perhaps the censors back in the day took eccentric exception to use of the word 'don't' at the beginning of film titles…The story revolves around an experimental asylum for the criminally insane, where the chief doctor encourages the inmates to act out their fantasies and allows them to roam the facility unchecked. This ends in disaster though when one of them puts an axe in his back. The following day a new nurse turns up for duty and shortly afterwards a series of murders begins.The first time I saw this film I was pretty unimpressed. I was expecting something completely different though. I certainly wasn't prepared for an oddball flick populated by a selection of very strange characters. The story is basically a 'lunatics taking over the asylum' narrative but it has something definitely quirky and interesting about it that I picked up on having seen it again with a clearer mind. The budget is clearly very small but the scuzziness of the production values adds somewhat to the overall effect. This is much better for the fact it is so rough and ready with threadbare sets. Even the basic acting adds to the strangeness seeing as the inmates are supposed to be out of their minds anyway. It is a character-driven movie and they are a real selection box of oddness, each has his or her own quirks. Although I could have done without the extremely annoying frizzy haired character called Danny who screams and giggles in an incessantly irritating way. Otherwise there were some interesting ones, including a strange old woman who spoke in strange riddles, an ex-soldier who thinks he is still fighting a war, an axe-wielding character called The Judge, a Popsicle loving man with the mental age of a child, a woman with severe relationship issues and another who nurses a baby doll.The mystery/thriller/horror side of the story almost takes a back seat a lot of the time. But it increases in relevance in the final third. Things are wrapped up ultimately with a pretty neat twist that I didn't see coming. At the end of the day this is probably among the most interestingly different of the films to make the video nasty list. It's not for all tastes but for fans of 70's American exploitation movies it's one to see.

"Don't Look in the Basement" is a strange, but somewhat enjoyable little film about patients in a sanatorium who begin to take control away from the staff. We first see a patient kill his doctor (Dr. Stephens), I believe by accident. What appears to be another staff member, named Geraldine Masters, comes over and takes care of the situation just as we see a young woman approach the sanatorium. The young woman is named Charlotte, and she just got a job there as a new nurse. Over time, she see's that the way in which Geraldine runs the asylum, and is less than impressed. None of the doors have locks on them, so the patients are free to roam the house and enter any of the rooms. As the film goes on we learn each of the character's and why they are inside the asylum, leading to an interesting twist..'Don't look in the Basement' is a pretty dated film for our times, and was shot on clearly a lower budget than most horror films from that era. It focuses a lot on the characters of the asylum, and that is where the movie does well in. Each character is mentally troubled, and the film explores each of their personality traits in depth. The actors who portrayed those characters did an amazing job, surprisingly enough they are all unknown and haven't done much since this came out. All of the characters had their own quirks and stories which was fun and creepy to watch.It drags on a bit though, which is where it fails. You have to have a lot of patience to sit through a film like this, and for me it depends on my mood on that given day. If I'm in the mood to really watch it, I'll embrace it and sit through the entire feature. It's definitely a lower moving film, but worth a watch. Interesting to note; a lot of other horror films (such as Friday the 13th 5 (1985) and Alone in the Dark (1982)) have taken various plot points from this one. Check it out.6/10