Basement Jack 2009

Well here comes my first poor movie review. I was really looking forward to seeing Basement Jack and boy was I disappointed.  It had both poor and good reviews on line but taking someone else's word on horror is something I can't get with, I have to see films for myself no matter how their trashed by some. The movie revolves around a serial killer who kills families and sets them up in poses after he's done.  Jack  commits these murders only during lightening storms.  This is due to Jack's childhood where his deranged mom punished him by shocking him in different ways.  When she takes him to the doctor to see what's wrong with him he's treated in what manner...electric shock therapy. No wonder Jack is a basket case.

After Jack, while a teenager, slaughters one certain family he's caught due to the plucky teenage daughter survivor, Karen. The criminal justice system however has to try him as a juvenile and due to some shady lawyer type maneuvering he's released some years later ahead of schedule. The story picks up a year after he's released and families are getting slaughtered left and right in a radius closing in on the small town where he grew up.

Even with all this going on not one cop believes Karen, whose been trying to catch him since his release, when she tells them Basement Jack is behind all the recent killings. In fact, most of them believe this skinny little twenty-something is the killer. That's one of the films flaws that you just can't overlook because every cop in it would have to have an I.Q. of about 8 to not see the obvious.

The way cops are shown in this film is to me, a former cop, pretty ridiculous. Two idiot detectives, the over the top hard core sergeant who talks to everyone like their idiots and the rookie cop who kind of believes Karen but won't act on it are old worn out stereotypes that go a bit to far to have any credibility.

The film is full of poorly written dialogue, terrible acting and horrible editing. In two kills you can actually see Jack's machete missing the victims who still amazingly spurts blood and dies. There's one specific kill where Jack's going to put his machete through a guys head whose lying face down on the stairs and before, that's right before the blade goes in the guy is dead!! How does any director miss that when cutting their film?

There are only two positives in this movie. The first is that Tiffany Shepis, my favorite horror actress, is in it. She's the only actor who does a decent job while playing a female cop.  Several of us horror geeks met Tiffany a few years ago at a horror convention and she was so cool we all made her our favorite new scream queen.The second positive is that the film ended.

Stay away from this terrible movie people, I give it a D- (it would have been an F without Tiffany).