FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Aaron1375 This is a film that if you watch it today and you have seen a more than a couple of horror films, you are going to know exactly what is going on. By the title of the film and by the description on the box I figured out what was going to happen before I even saw a minute of the film, and if it is not obvious then it will be during the first five minutes of the film. There are no real surprises to be had here, suffice to say. It does play out somewhat interestingly in areas and there are a couple of pretty good kills, but it is simply too obvious what is going on and how it is going to play out. I see the original title of this one is apparently, "The Forgotten" and perhaps that would have made for a better title, because as I have said, you read the description for this on and you will probably figure out what is going on or if you do not, you will still know how it is all going to go after you watch about five minutes of it with its title of, "Don't Go Into the Basement". Still, there are a couple of surprises as I was not quite expecting the way it ended and there was even a rather funny scene involving a phone repair guy, so I would say while not a particularly good film, it is not terrible either.The story has a house for those who are crazy in the middle of nowhere. At this facility, the doctor in charge allows the patients to roam free and employs some very questionable methods to help his patients. A nurse there has had enough as the only one she seems to like is Sam, a man who has the innocence of a child. The others are getting on her nerves and after she is threatened by one of the patients she is ready to leave! The doctor doesn't take this news well, and he takes what is coming to him next even less well as he is hit with an ax. A new nurse is soon seen coming to the place and a new doctor has taken over saying the previous one has been killed. Well the new nurse is quickly warned to leave the place by one of the patients, but she sticks with it, but things begin to unravel quickly as the patients start losing control!Like I said, it has its moments, but just not enough for me to really say it was an okay film. Some things were cool in it, but at other times things going on were a bit perplexing, such as the new nurse being unable to find the exit to the house. The people being treated did okay for a low budget film my favorite being the super sexed up woman who simply wanted the love of a man and was stuck in a place where the guys all seemed to pass on her despite her being rather attractive. The one dude who would just scream and grab stuff was my least favorite as he just seemed to be doing a stereotypical crazy person. One thing that also surprised me was that during the course of the entire movie, no one told the nurse to no look in the basement...I was kind of expecting that within the first few moments she arrived.

Red-Barracuda 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.

Toronto85 "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

Ben Larson This film is more commonly known as Don't Look in the Basement, and was one of the video nasties banned in Britain, but released uncut in 2005, and it appears that a remake of this film with the original title is coming out this year with Debbie Rochon in the lead. The gore in the film is tame by today's standards, so maybe they will ramp it up. Nurse Charlotte Beale (Rosie Holotik) takes a job in a private insane asylum in backwater Texas. A far cry from the Playboy Mansion.The doctor in charge (Michael Harvey) had some strange ideas. He thought that he could help patients take out their aggression on a log with an ax. Too bad he turned his back.Bill McGhee, as Sam, the lobotomized patient who just wants someone to float his boat, does an incredibly good job.