History Film / GirlInTheBasement

!! contains examples of:

* When Chris comes to the house to check if there's been any word about Sara, Don lies to him, saying that Sara ran off with a childhood friend to Florida, and even feigns sympathy by promising to let him know if she calls. Clearly, he did to break the young man's heart while also creating a reason for him to not stop by anymore.

* MoralEventHorizon: Don crosses this line when he rapes Sara for the first time, showing the audience that there is no limit to the kind of abuse he is willing to inflict upon Sara.* MoralityChain: Thomas is this to Don. His presence stops Don from going through with his plan to fill the basement with gas to kill Sara and the two older children. It is also because of Thomas that Don is persuaded to take Marie to the hospital when she is suffering from a very severe asthma attack.

* PervertDad: Played with. While he does rape Sara rountinely throughout the film, it is clear that Don does it as a means to punish and discipline her, not because he has some sick attraction to her. That said, he thinks Marie, his daughter/granddaughter, looks pretty with makeup. Sara, noticing how the man is looking at Marie, tells her children to go and get dinner ready before quietly demanding Don to not touch their daughter.

* MoralityChain: Thomas is this to Don. His presence stops Don from going through with his plan to fill the basement with gas to kill Sara and the two older children. It is also because of Thomas that Don is persuaded to take Marie to the hospital when she is suffering from a very severe asthma attack.

''Girl in the Basement'' is a 2021 [[{{Thriller}} Crime Thriller]] MadeForTVMovie that premiered on the Creator/{{Lifetime}} Network as part of the RippedFromTheHeadlines series. Directed by Creator/ElisabethRohm, the film stars Creator/JuddNelson, Creator/StefanieScott, Creator/JoelyFisher, and Creator/EmmaMyers.

* BreedingSlave: It’s unclear if this was a part of Don's plan, but Sara is forced to give birth to several children after he being routinely rapes her during her imprisonment.

** Instead of just saying that Sara is still missing, Don tells Chris when he comes by the house that Sara ran off with a childhood friend to Florida, simply to break the young man's heart and to keep him from coming back to the house.

''Girl in the Basement'' is a 2021 [[{{Thriller}} Crime Thriller]] MadeForTVMovie that premiered on Creator/{{Lifetime}} Network as part of the RippedFromTheHeadlines series. Directed by Creator/ElisabethRohm, the film stars Creator/JuddNelson, Creator/StefanieScott, Creator/JoelyFisher, and Creator/EmmaMyers.

Based on [[RippedFromTheHeadlines true events]], the film tells the horrific story of Sara (Creator/StefanieScott), a vibrant teen girl who was looking forward to her 18th birthday so she could move away from her controlling father, Don (Creator/JuddNelson). Her entire world takes a dark turn when her father imprisons her in the basement of their home.

* AbusiveParents: Don. After imprisoning Sara in the basement, he spends the next twenty years abusing her with beatings and sexual assaults. He routinely rapes her throughout her captivity, which inevitably gets her pregnant multiple times, resulting in her giving birth to several kids in the basement. Meanwhile, he is mentally abusive towards Amy, so much so that she tries her best not to be around the family home as much as she can.
* AloneWithThePsycho: In her first year of captivity, Sara is left completely defenseless against her father's gruesome punishments, which include aggressive beatings and sexual assault. This becomes averted when she eventually gives to birth to several children after being raped by him multiple times during her captivity.
* AndIMustScream: Upon being locked in the basement with no way out, Sara is reduced to screaming for help while begging her father to let her out. Even after being informed that the room is soundproof, she still tries to shout for help during the next few days of captivity, but eventually against gives up when it becomes clear that no one will hear her
* ArchnemesisDad: Don is this to Sara. He imprisons the poor girl in the basement, so he would be free to "discipline" her without interference from Irene and Amy.

* [[BarefootCaptives Barefoot Captive]]: Sara was not wearing any shoes during the first month of her imprisonment in the basement, as she was relaxing at home when her father lured down into the basement.

** For Sara, the first instance she shows visible anger towards Don is when she sees him making inappropriate looks and compliments towards their daughter. Her response to this is to tell her two kids to get ready for dinner before quietly, but firmly telling Don to not touch their daughter.

* BigLittleBrother: Because he grew upstairs with the opportunity to be in the sun, play sports, and eat a lot of food, Sara's younger son Thomas grows big and strong, even though he is a couple years younger than his two older siblings, whose growth was stunted due to malnourishment and the lack of Vitamin D. Don would use this as a way to taunt Michael when he tried to stand up to him.

* BreedingSlave: It’s unclear if this was a part of Don's plan, but Sara is forced to give birth to several children after being routinely raped by him during her imprisonment.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Once she learns that Don had lied to Chris about Sara running with a childhood friend, Amy finally projects her suspicions to her father, who merely shouts at her. She lashes back, saying his aggressive behavior is what drove Sara away.

* DisposingOfABody: After causing Sara to have a miscarriage by beating her in a fit of rage, Don would later takes the body out of the basement, and bury it in the backyard.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Don sees Sara as a problem for being a normal teenager who wants to have a life of her own and isn’t afraid to stand up to him. His solution: Lock his daughter in the basement, so he can physically and sexually abuse her, which results in her giving birth to several children, all while keeping her imprisoned for 20 years.
* DomesticAbuse: According to Amy, Don had once put Irene in the hospital for two days after striking her. And this is before he trapped Sara in the basement so it is possible that he abused her and Sara sometime in the past, hence why she herself wants to put distance between herself and father for as much as she can, and why Sara was so defiant towards Don.

* FlippingTheTable: Sara literally does this when she has a complete breakdown when her two kids shout out her for seemingly not doing enough to get them out of the basement.

* HopeSpot: A few throughout the film. Sara’s first attempt involves knocking her father aside as he enters the bunker so she can run out, only to be stopped by the door behind the bookcase. She gets another one when the rain washes away part of the ceiling so she can signal for help. Unfortunately, the only neighbor who notices this goes to the house to tell Don instead of investigating the light source himself.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Sara endures two of these at the hands by her father. The first time happens after she tries to attack him with a makeshift weapon, only for him to stop the attack before tossing her into a pillar, stomping on her arm, and proceeding to rape her as punishment. The second time, he kicks her in the stomach repeatedly for trying to signal for help, when she was pregnant with their child.
* ParentalFashionVeto: Upon seeing Marie wearing makeup, Sara immediately says that she is not allowed to wear makeup. After seeing Don make creepy eyes at Marie, Sara puts her foot down further demanding Don to not touch their daughter and to take the make up with him.

* AbusiveParents: Don. After imprisoning Sara in the basement, he spends the next twenty years abusing her torturing her with beatings and sexual assaults. He routinely rapes her throughout her captivity, which inevitably gets her pregnant multiple times, resulting in her giving birth to several kids in the basement. Meanwhile, he is mentally abusive towards Amy, so much so that she tries her best not to be around the family home as much as she can.

* DisposingOfABody: After causing Sara to have a miscarriage by beating her in a fit of rag, Don would later takes the body out of the basement, and bury it in the backyard.

* AndIMustScream: Upon being locked in the basement with no way out, Sara is reduced to screaming for help while begging her father to let her out. Even after being informed that the room is soundproof, she still tries to shout for help during the next few days of captivity, but eventually against gives up.
* ArchnemesisDad: Don is this to Sara. He imprisons the poor girl in the basement, so he would be free to "discipline" without the interference of Irene and Amy
* AwfulWeddedLife: During her imprisonment, Sara plays the role of Don's wife after she gives birth to their kids. Because of how Don treats Sara, her two oldest kids view their relationship to be like this, with Marie even suggesting to that the two should get a divorce when they get out of the basement.

** For Don, it’s a number of things: Disobeying his orders, not cooperating with him, or whenever he sees Sara attempting to escape or try to signal for help

* BigLittleBrother: Because he grew upstairs with the opportunity to be in the sun, play sports, and eat a lot of food, Thomas grows big and strong, even though he is a couple years younger than his two older siblings, whose growth was stunted due to malnourishment and the lack of Vitamin D. Don would use this as a way to taunt Michael when he tried to stand up to him.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Don has shades of this in how he treats Sara. In his head, his actions towards Sara in the film (which include beatings, rape, incest, pregnancy, starvation) is all just his method of teaching her how to respect him as a parent.

** Unlike Don, who was an abusive asshole to his children, Sara has nothing but love for her children, who she considers to be her whole world.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Amy, once she learns that Don had lied to Chris, finally projects her suspicions to her father, who merely shouts at her. She lashes back, saying his aggressive behavior is what drove Sara away.
* CallingParentsByTheirName: During her captivity, Sara is instructed to call her father by his name from now on. Once she starts having children, she has gotten into the habit of doing this, especially because calling him dad would clue her children to the truth about their conception.
* ChildByRape: Sara's three children Marie, Michael, and Thomas are are products of Don raping her during her captivity.

* DisposingOfABody: After causing Sara to give birth to a stillborn baby, Don takes the body out of the basement and buries it in the backyard.

* DomesticAbuse: According to Amy, Don had once put Irene in the hospital for two days after striking her. And this is before he trapped Sara in the basement so he could abuse her as well.

* ExtremelyProtectiveChild: Michael becomes this to Sara once he learns the truth about the circumstances they are in because of Don. Notably, he lashes out at Don for repeatedly bagging on Sara's appearance.

* FlippingTheTable: Sara literally does this when she has a complete breakdown.

* GoGoEnslavement: On her 18th birthday(in the basement), Don gifts Sara red lingerie, which he told her to put on. Once he's sees her wearing it, he tells her she looks nice. He would force her to wear the lingerie whenever he is about to sexually assault her. At one point Sara would willingly wear it so she could lower his guard down enough so she could attack him, which he sadly saw through.

HairTriggerTemper: Don has one, though he has
* HatesTheirParent: According to Don, Sara has spoken about running away from home since she was 11 years old, implying that she has a hatred and fear of her father for quite some time. Amy also clearly has an extreme dislike of her father, as shown in the beginning of the film, where she would rather spend spring break at her college dorm instead of at home, despite Irene suggesting she should stay longer. She makes it clear to her father that she blames him for Sara running away.

* MamaBear:

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: After being caught for sneaking out and being grounded, Sara decides to take her sister’s advice to lay low and not upset her father, as she will be out of the house once she turns 18. A few months later he asks her to help him move something to the basement. Little did she know this one good deed would lead to her being trapped in the basement for twenty years.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Sara endures two of these at the hands by her father. The first time after she tries to attack him with a makeshift weapon, only for him to stop the attack before tossing her into a pillar and crushing her arm. The second time, he kicks her in the stomach repeatedly for trying to signal for help, when she was pregnant with their child.

* ParentalNeglect: Don is this pretty much to Michael and Marie. He isn’t shown being present for the births of Sara’s children, and barely gives them enough food, especially once he loses his job. On their last day of captivity, he spent the whole day celebrating Thomas’ baseball game while Marie is suffering an extreme asthma attack
* PerpetualFrowner

* RageBreakingPoint

* RapeDiscretionShot: Just as Don rapes Sara for the first time, the camera cuts to outside the door, with Sara’s face being shown in the tiny window of the door.
* ReluctantFanserviceGirl: For her birthday, Don brings Sara red lingerie to wear. He would force her to wear it before he would rape routinely her. The first time she tries it on, Sara looks particularly uncomfortable wearing it, though she is more likely thinking of what her father was going to do to her.

* SexSlave: Don pretty much reduces Sara to being this, choosing to punish her misbehavior by raping her. As noted above, she was forced to let him sexually abuse her in order to have anything during her captivity. It's not exactly clear however if he is actually sexually attracted to Sara or if he is simply doing it because as a method to put her down.

* WouldHurtAChild: Sarah was still an underage teenager, and Don felt no qualms with abusing her both sexually and physically when she wouldn’t cooperate with him.

* BreakTheCutie: It takes some time, but Sara's spirit starts to deteroriate after Don's starts to routinely rape her during her first year of captivity.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Amy, once she learns that Don had lied to Chirs, finally projects her suspicions to her father, who merely shouts at her. She lashes back, saying his aggressive behavior is what drove Sara away.

* AbusiveParents: Don. After imprisoning Sara in the basement, he spends the next twenty years abusing Sara mentally, physically and sexually. The number of time he rapes her results in her giving birth to several children, who he treats almost as bad. Meanwhile, he is very mentally abusive towards Amy to the point that she tries her best not to be around the family home as much as she can.
* AloneWithThePsycho: After being imprisoned in the basement by her father, Sara is left without any protection from her father's gruesome acts towards her. This becomes averted when she eventually gives to birth to several children after being raped by her father throughout her imprisonment.
* AndIMustScream: Upon being locked in the basement with no way out, Sara is reduced to screaming for help. Even after being informed that the room is soundproof, she still tries to shout for help during the next few days of captivity.
* ArchnemesisDad: Don is this to Sara. He imprisons the poor girl in the basement, so he would be free to abuse her without any interference from his wife and older daughter.
* AwfulWeddedLife: During her imprisonment, Sara plays the role of Don's wife after she gives birth to kids. Because of how Don treats Sara, her two kids view their relationship to be like this, with Marie even suggesting to Sara that the two should get a divorce when they get out of the basement.

* ChildByRape: Marie, Michael, and Thomas are all products of Don raping Sara throught her imprisonment.

* AndIMustScream: Upon being locked in the basement with no way out, Sara is reduced to screaming for help. Even after being informed that the room is soundproof, she still tries to shout for help during the next few days of

* HatesTheirParent: According to Don, Sara has spoken about running away from home since she was 11 years old, impling that she has a hatred and fear of her father for quite some time. Amy also clearly has an extreme dislike of her father, as shown in the beginning of the film, where she would rather spend spring break at her college dorm instead of at home, despite Irene suggesting she should stay longer. She makes it clear to her father that she blames him for Sara running away.

* AwfulWeddedLife: During her imprisonment, Sara plays the role of being Don's wife after she gives birth to kids. Because of how Don treats Sara, her two kids view their relationship to be like this, with Marie even suggesting to Sara that the two should get a divorce when they get out of the basement.

** For Sara, the first instance she shows visible anger towards Don is when she sees him making inappropriate looks and compliments towards their daughter. Her response to this is to tell her two kids to get ready for dinner before quietly, but firmly tell Don not to touch their daughter.
** For Michael, he flips out when Don keeps talking disrespectfully about Sara's appearance.

* BreedingSlave: It’s unclear if this was a part of Don's plan, but Sara is forced to give birth to several children after being routinely raped by her father during her imprisonment.

* CallingParentsByTheirName: During her captivity, Sara is instructed to call her father by his name from now on. Once she starts having children, she has gotten into the habit of doing this, especially because calling him dad would clue her children into the truth about their conception.

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: It's clear that Don doesn't want Sara dating anyone, viewing her as like his property.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Don sees Sara as a problem for being a normal teenager who wants to have a life of her own and isn’t afraid to stand up to him. His solution: Lock his daughter in the basement, so he can physically and sexually abuse her, which results in her giving birth to several children, and keeping her imprisoned for 20 years.

* ForcedMiscarriage: Sara endures a painful one after Don delivers a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown for trying to signal for help.

* GoGoEnslavement: On her 18th birthday, (in the basement), Don gifts Sara red lingerie that she is forced to put on whenever he is about to rape her. She uses this to her advantage at one point, wearing the outfit willingly to get her father to lower his guard so she could attack him, though her attempt fails.

* HatesTheirParent: According to Don, Sara has spoken about running away from home since she was 11 years old, revealing that she has a hatred and fear of her father for quite some time. Amy also clearly has an extreme dislike of her father, as shown in the beginning of the film, where she would rather spend spring break at her college dorm instead of at home, despite Irene suggesting she should stay longer. She makes it clear to her father that she blames him for Sara running away.

* MoralityChain: Thomas is this to Don. His presence stops Don from going through with his plan to fill the basement with gas to kill Sara and the two older children. It is also because of Thomas that Don is persuaded to take Marie to the hospital when she is suffering a very severe asthma attack.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: After being caught for sneaking out and being grounded, Sara decides to take her sister’s advice to lay low and not upset her father, as she will be out of the house when she is 18. When he asks her to help him move something, she complies and helps him carry a bin down into the basement. Little did she know this one good deed would lead to her being trapped in the basement for twenty years.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Sara endures two of these at the hands by her father. The first time after she tries to attack him with a makeshift weapon, only for him to stop before tossing her into a pillar and crushing her arm. The second time, he kicks her in the stomach repeatedly for trying to signal for help, when she was pregnant with their child.
* ParentalFashionVeto: Upon seeing Marie wearing makeup, Sara immediately says that she is not allowed to wear makeup. After seeing Don make creepy eyes at Marie, Sara puts her foot down further demanding Don not to touch her and to take the make up with him.
* ParentalNeglect: Don pretty much to Michael and Marie. He isn’t shown being present for the births of Sara’s children, and barely gives them a lot of food, especially once he loses his job. On their last day of captivity, he spent the whole day celebrating Thomas’ baseball game while Marie is suffering an extreme asthma attack

* SecretOtherFamily: Due to him routinely raping her throughout the years, Sara gives birth to several children who are trapped in the basement. Don juggles between being down in the basement with Sara and the kids (which he uses as his time to “relax), while keeping Irene and Amy from figuring out what was going on in the basement.

* SexSlave: Don pretty much reduces Sara to being this, using her to satisfy his sexual urges. It's not exactly clear however if he is actually sexually attracted to Sara or if he is simply doing it because as a method to put her down.

* AbusiveParents: Don. After imprisoning Sara in the basement, he spends the next twenty years abusing Sara mentally, physically and sexually. The number of time he rapes her results in her giving birth to several children, who he treats almost as bad. Meanwhile, he is very mentally abusive towards Amy to the point that hse tries her best not to be around the family home as much as she can.

* AbusiveParents: Don. After imprisoning Sara in the basement, he spends the next twenty years abusing Sara mentally, physically and sexually. The number of time he rapes her results in her giving birth to several children, who he treats almost as bad. Meanwhile, he is very mentally abusive towards Amy so much that she tries her best not to be around the family house as much as she can.
* AloneWithThePsycho: After her father tricks her into coming down into the basement, Sara is left without any protection from her father's gruesome acts towards her. This becomes averted when she eventually gives to birth to children after being raped by her father throughout her imprisonment.
* AndIMustScream: Once she realizes that her father has imprisoned her in the basement, Sara is reduced to screaming for help, not knowing that the room is soundproof.
* ArchnemesisDad: Don is this to Sara, as he imprisoned her in the basement so he could be free to abuse her without any interference from his wife or older daughter.
* AwfulWeddedLife: During her imprisonment, Sara plays the role of being Don's wife after she gives birth to kids, who view her relationship to be like this. Marie even suggests that Sara should divorce Don.

* BeardOfEvil: Don sports a full beard.

** For Sara, the first instance she is shown angry at Don is when she sees him making inappropriate looks and compliments towards their daughter. Her response to this is to tell her two kids to get ready for dinner, so she can quietly, but firmly tell Don not to touch their daughter.

* BigLittleBrother: Because he grew upstairs with the opportunity to be in the sun, play sports, and eat a lot of food, Thomas grows big and strong, even though he is a couple years after his two older siblings, whose growth was stunted due to malnourishment and the lack of Vitamin D. Don would use this as a way to taunt Michael when he tried to stand up to him.

* BreedingSlave: It’s unclear if this was a part of Don's plan, but Sara is forcede to give birth to several children after being routinely raped by her father throughout her imprisonment.

* CallingParentsByTheirName: During her captivity, Sara is demanded to call her father by his name from now on. Once she starts having children, she has gotten into the habit of doing this, especially because calling him dad would clue her children into the truth about their conception.