Mr. Horror Review, “Basement Jack”

One of our favorite horror movie reviewers, Mr. Horror, gave Michele’s performance in BASEMENT JACK some very high compliments:

Karen Cook (Michele Morrow) is not the dumb, bubbly, idiotic, obnoxious, and hyper-annoying anglo girl we’re used to seeing in most run-of-the-mill indie slasher pictures.  She’s witty and sarcastic in her own way, yet at the same time scared because Jack is hot on her heels to finish what he started. But she doesn’t wear her fear on her sleeve. And she’s also really effing brave, which is shown firsthand in one of the movie’s premier moments where she meets Jack at his favorite stomping grounds, and the two have an epic battle. One of three scenes which add a high element of suspense, action, and intensity to the movie. I think with a few more chunks of cash, this picture could’ve been tightened up enough to possible be a studio release, and the possible beginning of a new slasher series. It’s that good!

Read the review in it’s entirety or find the transcript below:

Plot:Involves a tortured serial killer who invades homes in order to observe happy families; hoping to replace in his head the memories of an abusive childhood by the hands of a demented mother. But when an electrical storm rolls into town, lightning triggers the killer’s bloodlust. He kills, and then he sets up the victims like a mannequin populated Happy Home Display in a department store.

Cast: Michele Morrow, Eric Peter-Kaiser, Tiffany Shepis, Lynn Lowry, Steve Felty, Kyle Sanders, and Sam Skoryna.

My Thoughts:Great slasher material.

Review:”Basement Jack” is an indie slasher movie that really delivers on every level that it should. The pic follows the story of a tortured boy named Jack, who was raised in a screwed up household by a screwed up mother. His mother, like in most slasher movies where someone grows up to be a psycho-killer, was a psychotic bible-thumper suburban-type, who believed in punishing her son with electricity, in any form. Tasering him, allowing him to be struck by lighting, etc. He then grew up to become a serial killer nicknamed “Basement Jack”.

He gained the title due to his penchant for hiding out in the basements of the homes of his potential victims, and waiting days, sometimes weeks to strike and wipe out the entire family. But Jack isn’t some freakish-looking old grizzled slobben killer, like we see in most indie slasher films where the villain is some hick with mommy problems. The film keeps things more urban, and makes Jack a psycho-killer-teenager type, who dresses in black and lurks in the shadows to get the drop on his victims. This works to make the movie a lot more viable in many areas, and also gives it something to work with when it comes to plot twists and such.

Jack is still on a rampage, and has yet to be caught. However, he has a “one-that-got-away”, in a girl named Karen Cook. Jack is tracking Karen, slaughtering family after family as he inches closer to finally finding her. Jack also has a nasty habit of striking during powerful storms, which gives him a drop on his victims. Now, with Karen having arrived in a new town, and a major storm brewing, it’s almost certain that Jack will strike again, and this time claim Karen as one of his victims.

Can Jack be stopped by Karen, the police, or anyone for that matter, before he strikes again? The strongest point of this movie is the Jack character, who is played really well by Eric Peter-Kaiser. Jack is a well-put together villain, and when I say well-put together, I mean in the sense of his backstory, and mythology. The characters is not only given a dark and demented look, but also a twisted backstory. And to top it all off, his mannerisms, timing as far as his murders are concerned, and his weapon of choice, all culminate to make him a pretty good antagonist for a low-budget slasher picture.

You also have to give credit to Brian Patrick O’Toole for giving Jack a backstory that’s part cliche, and part unique. We’ve seen the abusive christian fundamentalist parent thing done plenty of times in horror before. But the fact that his mother used electricity as her means and method of instilling discipline in her child, added a unique, and also ominous element to the character, and the film overall. Another character who makes this film work is Karen, who is played by Michele Morrow. Karen is not the dumb, bubbly, idiotic, obnoxious, and hyper-annoying anglo girl we’re used to seeing in most run-of-the-mill indie slasher pictures.

She’s witty and sarcastic in her own way, yet at the same time scared because Jack is hot on her heels to finish what he started. But she doesn’t wear her fear on her sleeve. And she’s also really effing brave, which is shown firsthand in one of the movies premier moments where she meets Jack at his favorite stomping grounds, and the two have an epic battle. One of three scenes which add a high element of suspense, action, and intensity to the movie. I think with a few more chunks of cash, this picture could’ve been tightened up enough to possible be a studio release, and the possible beginning of a new slasher series.

It’s that good! “Jack” does have it’s slight faults though. For example, even though the cops in the movie are a pretty diverse bunch, including an appearance by Noel G. (Street Kings), they still have the same old rap. They don’t believe Karen’s story about Jack, they think she commited the murders, and they don’t catch on fast enough to what’s going on before Jack shows up and hacks them all to pieces. Yep, if there’s one cliche in slasher movies that never changes, it’s the worthless ass cops. Who are more than likely to get you killed then keep you alive.

I should also point out that “Basement Jack” has many ties character wise to “Evilution”, another November release which comes from Black Gate Entertainment. Both movies have Nathan Bexton as the caretaker/landlord of a creepy apartment complex. His character is having a pretty cool mystique built around him in his own right, and is sort of becoming a wildcard character similar to The Cryptkeeper from “Tales From The Crypt”, or to a lesser extent, The Ghoul from the “Creepshow” movies. “Basement Jack” finishes up strongly as well, and overall, is certainly a slasher pic worth checking out at your local video store.

Positives:Good performances by Morrow and Peter-Kaiser, Jack is a brilliantly-created antagonist, blood, gore, and graphic violence levels are high, and the film has a high overall level of suspense and entertainment value. In addition, the villain/heroine friction between Karen and Jack really adds a cool element to the film, and offers up some of it’s best sequences and moments. A solid overall script and story as well.

Category: Press