“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” has moviegoers absolutely terrified to go down into their basements. After seeing the film in theaters, some of you might be trying to locate some other fun movies that deal with unspeakable terrors below the first floor of your house. There’s a few of them out there for you to choose from if you’re looking for more scares from the bowels of the buildings.
“The Unseen”
1980’s “The Unseen” is a film that is rarely talked about. Director Danny Steinmann helmed and wrote the film under the name Peter Foleg for some reason. Steinmann is best known as the director of one of my favorite “Friday the 13th” films, “Part V: A New Beginning.” The movie tells the tale of a group of female journalists who end up having to stay at an old farmhouse because all the hotels in the small town they’re in are booked up. Little do they know that some “thing” trapped in the basement is now running loose through the night. This movie is famous for starring Bond girl Barbara Bach in the lead role.
“The Deadly Spawn”
Another film that isn’t talked about much is 1983’s “The Deadly Spawn.” This movie takes things in a more sci-fi direction by making the monster in the basement a space alien feeding on people who make their way down. The more people it eats, the bigger it gets. Of course, there are teenagers involved who are trying to find a way to escape the horror of the alien and its offspring. The film’s director, Douglas McKeown, did his best to be unconventional by breaking some of the “rules” of horror films of the past and succeeded.
“The Amityville Horror”
The original “The Amityville Horror” had some crazy things happening down in the basement of the house. There was a hidden room behind a wall and the dog didn’t seem to be too happy when it was down there. The room had a pool of blood in it as well. In the film, a family buys a house where brutal murders had occurred. As soon as they move in, bizarre things start happening. The family starts to see and hear things, confirming their suspicions that the house is haunted or possessed. This movie was based on a true story and was directed by Stuart Rosenberg. It starred James Brolin and Margot Kidder.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street”
Probably the most well known of horror figures who dwell in the underbelly of a house or building is child-killer Freddy Krueger from Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Krueger is shown quite a bit in the boiler room hideout where the parents of the children he killed vengefully burned him to death. It’s where he appears many times in the dreams of his victims as well. Freddy was recently resurrected through a remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which stars Jackie Earle Haley, Thomas Dekker, Rooney Mara, Kellan Lutz, and Kyle Gallner. The movie marked the feature film debut of music video director Samuel Bayer.
After doing research on movies about different monsters in the basement, I wouldn’t want to go down in one either. I’m glad I live in Texas where we don’t have basements. Instead, we have attics. Let’s not even get started with attics.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
Zombies Beware! Alice is Back for ‘Resident Evil: Retribution’
‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ Not a Ghost Story
Interview with ‘Final Destination 5′ Actor Miles Fisher
Heading to the movies? Get an instant mobile coupon to use at select theaters for free popcorn!