Don't Look in the Basement (1973)

"Get out, get out, and never come back." - Mrs. Callingham

aka: The Forgotten
A nurse realizes that her new job at an asylum is really weird.
Starring: Rosie Holotik, Annabelle Weenick, Bill McGhee, Gene Ross, Betty Chandler

Link to IMDB

Charlotte

A young nurse named Charlotte is arriving at the Stephens Sanitarium for a new job, but a recent accident at the asylum has caused a problem.
The head doctor was unintentionally killed by a patient, and the new doctor in charge, Dr. Masters, is skeptical about hiring new staff during this crisis.

Charlotte proves to be an asset, so Masters lets her stay and become part of the "family." It's called this because the patients here are allowed to roam around freely and everyone lives together like siblings, with Dr. Masters as the mother, instead of restrained like prisoners.
The main patient we meet is Sam, a big guy with the mind of a child, but there's an assortment of other strange people here and they seem friendly for the most part.



A whole bunch of nothing happens for quite some time, although some seeds of suspense are planted.
Dr. Masters seems to be hiding something, and Charlotte begins to get spooky vibes when one of the patients warns her to escape while she can, but she brushes it off as crazy talk.

Dr. Masters                                 Sam    

Eventually, things do start to get more exciting when it seems that there's a killer at the asylum, and all the patients become increasingly disturbed. Charlotte has no idea what's going on (which means neither do we,) but as she tries to uncover what Dr. Masters is keeping secret, she gets caught-up in the madness and begins to feel like she might be going crazy herself.

If this movie wasn't so boring for the first half it might be more enjoyable, but it takes forever for the story to get rolling. Much of the movie is people sitting in the most boring rooms imaginable talking about how bonkers they are. And even that simplicity feels jumbled.

Something weird happens

The final 30 minutes becomes a bit more enjoyable with the addition of some delirious chaos, and there's a surprising twist to the plot that caught me off guard. But overall, this is a pretty tedious movie that is far too goofy and sloppy to deliver any real mystery or thrills.

Does the movie deliver on the Don't...
0 out of 10
We don't even know that there is a basement until the very end, and we spend about 10 seconds down there.

Be sure not to miss:
- Ray, the telephone repairman, is probably the best character in the whole movie, and he only has two small scenes.
- "I do taste like strawberries!"
- The end credit montage is unintentionally quite funny.

Internet review:
"A dull and lifeless exercise in trashy tedium." - Afracious

Should I watch it?
Don't.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Don't Look in the Basement gets...