There are a lot of lessons you may take from horror movies. However, you might never have thought to take home improvement tips from your favorite horror flicks. In fact, the very thing that terrifies you about your favorite horror movies may also be an indication of how to keep your basement more safe in real life. Consider these terrifying basements from movies to learn more about how to maintain your real-life basement.
The Exorcist: Keep Your Basement Clean
In The Exorcist, no one gets attacked in a basement. However, the horror of the entire movie technically starts here; 12-year-old Regan finds a Ouija board that allows her to communicate with the demon that terrorizes the family for the rest of the movie. The lesson here is to always keep your basement clean, and never let it become a receptacle for trash.
The Amityville Horror: Keep Your Basement Plans Up to Date
Though some have been skeptical of the claim, The Amityville Horror posits itself as a retelling of true-life events. That makes the movie even scarier when someone discovers The Red Room, which is a small room in the basement that’s not in any of the building plans and is painted a crimson red. It would’ve been much less spooky if the previous owners had simply included the room in the building plans.
Get Out: Never Underestimate Your Basement
This movie preys on your understandings of film genres, then subverts all those understandings. One specific trope that Get Out utilizes well is the idea of a beautiful, classically-designed house. When the main character enters the house, however, he discovers a wealth of terrifying things, including a laboratory for transposing consciousness in the basement. While you’re unlikely to experience this, it’s definitely a good idea to never underestimate your real basement. It may have some pressing issues you need to get fixed up, even if the house as a whole seems fine.
A Quiet Place: Maintain the Piping in Your Basement
In A Quiet Place, the main family uses their basement as a makeshift soundproofed room for their newborn baby. However, when a pipe bursts, it not only removes their safe place, but actually draws in the noise-sensitive monsters they’re hiding from. This is a great reminder that you should maintain the piping in your basement, as a burst pipe in a real-life basement could lead to mold and bug infestations.
The Grudge: Install Adequate Lighting in Your Basement
A particularly terrifying scene in The Grudge occurs in the basement, where a main character goes armed with a flashlight as his only method of light. This flashlight isn’t remotely enough for him to see his surroundings, which inevitably leads to horror. Installing proper lighting in your basement can make it safer for you in a real-world context, even if you’ve never dealt with a supernatural curse in your home.
The Evil: Be Careful Where You Build and Dig
Much of the terror in The Evil comes from the home itself. It sits over hot sulfur pits, but further inspection reveals that the basement’s trap store is actually a portal to Hell. You’re unlikely to experience a portal to Hell, but digging under your home or building a home in the wrong place can cause serious and lasting damage.
Conclusion
Sure, most horror movies aren’t trying to help you draw a direct parallel to your real life. However, sometimes they do showcase things you could be doing better in your own life. Take some cues from these horrifying basements and make sure you treat your basement with the respect it deserves.
