Review by Mari Lynne Rupp
Starring Eric Peter-Kaiser, Sam Skoryna Lynn Lowry and Tiffany SHepis.
The gist of it is, A young serial killer preys on families during lightning storms, lightning being his trigger from his abusive past.
It's nothing new. There's nothing new in this, but it's so completely well written, acted, and filmed, you don't feel like you're being spoon-fed the same slasher formula. It's a fresh take on an old synopsis, and everyone involved has such enthusiasm for this project, it shows through on the final product. Tiffany Shepis, who plays a supporting character, rather than a lead with lots of screen time, gracefully tones down her character and gives lead female Michele Morrow the spotlight, who uses it well, and gives her character a well-deserved spot in Scream Queen status. She does a fantastic job bringing Basement Jack survivor Karen Cook to life. After her family has been slaughtered, she tries to move on, but the murders continue to occur wherever she is during lighting storms. Tired of running, she begins to track him with rookie cop Chris Watts help.
This film IS unique in that you don't see EVERY SINGLE KILLING. Just as Basement Jack is about to close in on his victims it cuts to a flashback of Jack's childhood and his overprotective and demented mother doling out one of her "punishments", giving us the usual insight that socio/psychopaths usually suffer from abuse/trauma in their childhoods....Then it's brought rudely back to the present, and all we are left with is pictures of the after-carnage...Kind of like we're brought into the killer's mind as it blanks out while the body continues.
Aptly directed by Michael SHelton, who also worked on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "My Bloody Valentine", and written by Brian Patrick O'Toole, who also produced "Dog Soldiers", this is worth at least 8/10. If you find yourself getting tired of the slasher genre, but crave some blood and guts, I highly recommend "Basement Jack" to refresh your palate.