Nishitha Dutta
Lifetime’s ‘Girl in the Basement’ is the grim and scary tale of Sara, a teenage girl who is just about to celebrate her 18th birthday. As soon as she comes of age, she wants to move away from her controlling and abusive father, Don. But her life is turned upside down when Don imprisons her in the basement of their home. While he tries to manipulate his wife Irene into believing that she ran away, he would sneakily visit and torture her in the basement. After twenty years pass, the harrowing case is finally exposed to the family. ‘Girl in the Basement’ is a poignant tale of a young girl in a fight against her own father. In case you’re looking for more details about the movie, we have got you covered!
Girl in the Basement Filming Locations
‘Girl in the Basement’ was filmed around September-October 2020. This spine-chilling thriller movie was shot in Georgia. Considering the steadily expanding entertainment industry in the place, it is only reasonable that the movie was filmed there. Let’s take a look at more details!
Atlanta, Georgia
‘Girl in the Basement’ was shot in the historically rich and creative city of Atlanta. The city’s appeal is credited to its balanced ratio of nature to artificial structures. It teems with spectacularly sweeping skylines but is also home to lush, green foliage and a variety of animal species. Atlanta has even been giving tough competition to Los Angeles because of its remarkable history of producing numerous film and TV projects.
The city’s skyline has featured in major shows like ‘The Walking Dead‘ and FX television series ‘Atlanta.’ A string of Marvel’s top superhero franchises like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,” Captain America,’ and ‘Ant-Man’ were also filmed there. Actor Stefanie Scott from ‘Girl in the Basement’ posted a picture of her fake pregnancy belly, calling it her first ever experience of wearing something like that. The photo was taken in an Atlanta production studio during the filming of the movie.
Girl in the Basement Cast
The cast of ‘Girl in the Basement’ is led by Stefanie Scott, who plays Sara Cody, a teenage girl tortured by her father. Judd Nelson essays the role of Sara’s dominating father. You may recognize the actor from the iconic movie ‘The Breakfast Club.’ Golden Globe nominee Joely Fisher portrays Sara’s mother. Joely is widely acclaimed for her role in the ABC sitcom ‘Ellen.’ Emily Topper (‘Black Balsam’) also stars.
Is Girl in the Basement Based on a True Story?
Yes, ‘Girl in the Basement’ is based on a true story. In fact, the plot has been gleaned from several real-life incidents that have tainted humanity and the world that we live in. The film happens to be actress Elisabeth Röhm’s directorial debut, who stated that it comes from several records of afflicted young women. These accounts deal with sexual assault, incest, and false imprisonment. Röhm said she intended to tell a story that isn’t just a movie but a movement.
One of these real-life stories is The Fritzl case that happened in the town of Amstetten, Austria. The matter reached the public in 2008 when a woman named Elisabeth Fritzl filed a report to the police. It stated that she had been imprisoned for 24 years by her father, Josef Fritzl. During the two decades of imprisonment, Elisabeth gave birth to several children sired by her father. In the Lifetime documentary called ‘Beyond the Headlines: Surviving Child Abduction and Imprisonment,’ two real abduction survivors also share their stories similar to the events in the film. The first story is about Lori Poland, kidnapped when she was three and left in an outhouse in 1983. The second story is about Katie Beers, caged for 17 days by a family friend in 1992.
According to actor Joely Fisher, the movie narrates the story of a monster, and the only way to defeat him is by openly talking about it. She further mentioned her three daughters in an interview and vowed to step up like a “warrior” if something dangerous happened to her precious children. Hence, ‘Girl in the Basement’ is a realistic account of numerous people who mercilessly ended up being victims of confinement, torture, and rape. It gives a voice to all those whose stories need to be heard.
Read More: Best True Crime Netflix Documentaries
