Couple moves into a designer home unaware that someone else is there with them. Who is it and why are they there? This movie had an an awful lot of plot holes and really wasted a lot of time in the beginning but the ending wasn't half bad. Still, hard to recommend.
17 Reviews
If You Are Ever in a Lifetime Movie...
Stoshie24 August 2020
...and you temporarily injure the bad guy, don't stop to take away any gun or knife or weapon he or she has. Just run. It's a rule. And it's the best tactic.
By the way, if any viewer didn't know who the bad guy was in this movie the minute they appeared on screen, well, shame on you.
By the way, if any viewer didn't know who the bad guy was in this movie the minute they appeared on screen, well, shame on you.
Delilah and Her Samson
lavatch11 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"Secrets in the Basement" (a.k.a., "Designs for Revenge") was a by-the-numbers thriller with especially slow pacing. The premise was clever in the occupation of new, high-tech Florida home by Sean and Delilah Brenner. But the underdeveloped characters and lack of engaging interactions were major liabilities.
One of the film's shortcomings was that Delilah Brenner was not a very sympathetic character. A brilliant interior decorator, she made a cost-cutting error with "cheap mouldings" that led to the injury of her client in an ensuing fire. She has subsequently tortured herself with remorse for the human failing.
The revelation of the role Delilah played in the fire was too slow, and her guilt in what was clearly an accident seemed strained and unconvincing. The plan of her tormentor in the basement was also too slow in unfolding
My favorite character was the kind Barbara Forlan, the bestie of Delilah. Barbara arranged for Delilah and Sean to purchase the home without knowing that the tormentor was residing in the basement. Unfortunately, Barbara paid the ultimate price for her loyalty to her friend.
By the end, the film moved into the horror genre with a mad dash through the house culminating in the outdoor pool. It was as if Delilah finally met her Samson in the fatal confrontation. It seemed like there was just as much anguish for the audience as there was for Delilah as the filmmakers strung things out with far too much dithering and not enough action.
One of the film's shortcomings was that Delilah Brenner was not a very sympathetic character. A brilliant interior decorator, she made a cost-cutting error with "cheap mouldings" that led to the injury of her client in an ensuing fire. She has subsequently tortured herself with remorse for the human failing.
The revelation of the role Delilah played in the fire was too slow, and her guilt in what was clearly an accident seemed strained and unconvincing. The plan of her tormentor in the basement was also too slow in unfolding
My favorite character was the kind Barbara Forlan, the bestie of Delilah. Barbara arranged for Delilah and Sean to purchase the home without knowing that the tormentor was residing in the basement. Unfortunately, Barbara paid the ultimate price for her loyalty to her friend.
By the end, the film moved into the horror genre with a mad dash through the house culminating in the outdoor pool. It was as if Delilah finally met her Samson in the fatal confrontation. It seemed like there was just as much anguish for the audience as there was for Delilah as the filmmakers strung things out with far too much dithering and not enough action.
pathetic
dlbartdlb11 April 2021
Really pathetic.silly script/ridiculous plot. Over-acting by damsel in distress. Any real husband would have had her at a psychiatrist 10 minutes into the movie. Don't know how they got funding for this movie. By the way cheap wiring will cause a fire but the type of molding isn't going to make much difference....they all will burn pretty fast.
REPEATS WHAT SHE SAYS...REPEATS WHAT SHE SAYS.
AshleyPahFifer11 April 2021
Was having the Delilah character say everything twice a time filler or what? (I also noticed several of her acting credits has the word "as" duplicated next to her name...which made me laugh.) If she's not repeating everything twice...repeating everything twice...she's doing a llloooot of heavy breathing. I don't know how the poor girl didn't hyperventilate...or did she? (Or did she?)
14 minutes in....
CpOhUeRnToNiExY-125 April 2021
LMN is my guilty pleasure, but wow. I can't continue....it's like they're reading off of script cards. I've never seen two adults more impressed with a house app. It's 2021 for Gods sake!!!
Dumbfounded husband..."uh, gee, that's like...really neat. Like, uh....can I, uh...get it downloaded to my phone?"
Stupid wife.....walking around like a fish with her mouth hanging open. "Like, oh my god....like, is this, like...my kitchen??" "Like, what we don't have a basement?" "Are you sure that we, like, don't, like...have a basement?" "Babe, are you...like.....sure, we don't, like, have....a like basement?"
Not even 15 minutes in....annnd I'm like, done.
Dumbfounded husband..."uh, gee, that's like...really neat. Like, uh....can I, uh...get it downloaded to my phone?"
Stupid wife.....walking around like a fish with her mouth hanging open. "Like, oh my god....like, is this, like...my kitchen??" "Like, what we don't have a basement?" "Are you sure that we, like, don't, like...have a basement?" "Babe, are you...like.....sure, we don't, like, have....a like basement?"
Not even 15 minutes in....annnd I'm like, done.
Watching now...ready for it to end
CranberriAppl29 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes I like that Lifetime has the villain openly terrorizing the protag because then there's less time wasted on trolling the audience. But this movie dragged on. It literally should not have taken to the 90 minute mark for her to realize who was responsible. As someone else mentioned, this movie tries to be similar to Gaslight from the 40s (except it's not the husband and the movie with Boyer/Bergman is actually good). Delilah tried to kill herself and in the process endangered others including another victim we learn about later.
First off, it seems to me like a creepy smart house is not what Delilah needs. She has moments where she thinks she's losing her mind (and we eventually learn the cause) and yet she lives in a talking house and is alone for most of the movie? Doesn't seem like the best investment for them until she's better. This house is so cold looking. It's actually something I noticed with Lifetime movies. They all look so empty and unlived in, as if they need it to be easy to change from one production to the next. Reminds me of reality tv where they rent McMansions but then can't afford to truly furnish them. If you watched Lifetime in the 90s, this was not the case.
Sean the hubs (who thankfully isn't the cliche bad guy here) goes to the hospital and discovers that Barbara is dead thanks indirectly to the villain. Did I miss where they found out she was even in the hospital? This movie has some dumb plot points. The nurse revealing to him that Barbara was dead all the while saying "I'm not supposed to do this," irritated me. If I were a nurse, I might just assume that it's some undercover agent of the nurses credentialing board or something. Like a secret shopper. I know it was just a way for him to coincidentally stumble across the villain's wife, but still. The wife is assumed dead, but we see her hand move at one point.
I'm watching the villain monologue and I'm waiting to learn how the house plays into this ultimately. It makes no sense that from the beginning that when strange things are happening in the house that the first person you don't question is the designer. There was an episode of Eureka around SARAH (the smart house on that show) overriding her programming and trapping the characters in the house. That was a better use of a smart house than this...I guess it was a move by Lifetime to "modernize" but it was unnecessary given the ultimate plot. There's a big fight scene with the villain jumping back to life a la Wait Until Dark. Then the protag has her "I'm not your f-in mommy" moment right before she strikes the villain dead (for real this time). It's seeming to be a trend with these movies lately and sometimes it's a bit cringe.
Finally at the end...the nurse is back yet again risking her job to tell the now awake wife about her husband being dead....apparently they have been avoiding telling her and it's been days? ..please tell me this is not a cliffhanger...good grief!
First off, it seems to me like a creepy smart house is not what Delilah needs. She has moments where she thinks she's losing her mind (and we eventually learn the cause) and yet she lives in a talking house and is alone for most of the movie? Doesn't seem like the best investment for them until she's better. This house is so cold looking. It's actually something I noticed with Lifetime movies. They all look so empty and unlived in, as if they need it to be easy to change from one production to the next. Reminds me of reality tv where they rent McMansions but then can't afford to truly furnish them. If you watched Lifetime in the 90s, this was not the case.
Sean the hubs (who thankfully isn't the cliche bad guy here) goes to the hospital and discovers that Barbara is dead thanks indirectly to the villain. Did I miss where they found out she was even in the hospital? This movie has some dumb plot points. The nurse revealing to him that Barbara was dead all the while saying "I'm not supposed to do this," irritated me. If I were a nurse, I might just assume that it's some undercover agent of the nurses credentialing board or something. Like a secret shopper. I know it was just a way for him to coincidentally stumble across the villain's wife, but still. The wife is assumed dead, but we see her hand move at one point.
I'm watching the villain monologue and I'm waiting to learn how the house plays into this ultimately. It makes no sense that from the beginning that when strange things are happening in the house that the first person you don't question is the designer. There was an episode of Eureka around SARAH (the smart house on that show) overriding her programming and trapping the characters in the house. That was a better use of a smart house than this...I guess it was a move by Lifetime to "modernize" but it was unnecessary given the ultimate plot. There's a big fight scene with the villain jumping back to life a la Wait Until Dark. Then the protag has her "I'm not your f-in mommy" moment right before she strikes the villain dead (for real this time). It's seeming to be a trend with these movies lately and sometimes it's a bit cringe.
Finally at the end...the nurse is back yet again risking her job to tell the now awake wife about her husband being dead....apparently they have been avoiding telling her and it's been days? ..please tell me this is not a cliffhanger...good grief!
Almost entertaining.
tomfsloan23 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Secrets in the Basement. The movie started out ok. There was tension with the guy in basement right from the first minute. But then after the second minute it dragged on after that. I hope the actor who plays Christo (or Cristo, it's spelled both ways) uses some of his money for acting lessons. Maybe a normal wardrobe too. The entire scenario of falling into the pool was pointless. If you like the movie Gaslight, you won't like this. The drug he put in her water. Geez.
I would have enjoyed it better if the secret passage was something like a hidden rotating or sliding panel instead of a mirrored door (with blue led lights.)
As typical, getting hit in the head with a hammer on the first swing does nothing.
Dumb movie that could have been better.
I felt like I was watching something based on "The Jetsons" cartoon show
mja589 April 2021
The house in this movie freaked me out - just talk to it and it will answer your questions, etc. (Meet George Jetson.....)
Comments:
1. You will know who the culprit is fairly early on due to a very visible tattoo.
2. The reason for the culprit's actions for revenge - sad and scary.
3. Pretty violent at times - the fight with the bad guy at the end was over the top.
4. If you are in a coma, don't get out of it at the end of the movie.
Have a drink or two and you'll enjoy it.
Comments:
1. You will know who the culprit is fairly early on due to a very visible tattoo.
2. The reason for the culprit's actions for revenge - sad and scary.
3. Pretty violent at times - the fight with the bad guy at the end was over the top.
4. If you are in a coma, don't get out of it at the end of the movie.
Have a drink or two and you'll enjoy it.
Boring movie with stiff and wooden acting
lmnclips23 October 2020
Still Watching...
addiedewitt25 September 2021
So far, the premise is good. Main characters' acting is fine but the Jay character is way over the top, like he's trying far too hard. The actor looks uncomfortable. I'm guessing the baddie is Jay.....
And...why is Delilah suddenly trusting and talking to Jay as though he is her therapist or medical dr?
What...?
SusieSalmonLikeTheFish19 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I actually really enjoyed the general premise of this movie, and LMN movies are always cheesy and campy, so I was expecting it - but this one wasn't "so bad, it's good", it was just bad. Numerous issues, including a really frustrating one where the killer's wife was said by a nurse to have passed away, only for her to be completely alive in a later scene. Jay was obviously the killer from the beginning; there weren't even any red herrings thrown in, and he both looked and behaved creepily straight from the beginning. All the cringeworthy minimalism stuff wore thin in less than a second, and there was something off about the dialogue. All in all, not a good one, not even by LMN standards.
Was going to give this 8/10
lcohe-3739623 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I was going to rate this 8/10 because I really enjoyed watching and then the ending happened. It wasn't concluded well. The nurse is talking and then it ends. Very disappointing. The movie up till the last 30 seconds is 8/10!
WHY DOESN'T THIS MOVIE HAVE AN ENDING?
lorettaf-224368 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was going pretty well, despite the husbands terrible acting. In any event I was interested and then I kind of figured out that it was the famous fellow designer. So the story is moving along and when they reach the ending, the only solution is when the antagonist is killed. We dont know if the couple was going to stay in the house or not, I think her friend was murdered but the main character didn't have minute to grieve and then they show the wife wake up looking for her husband (the antagonist), and she keeps asking where he is. The nurse tries to answer her but just then the scene cuts and goes to commercial and the credits go up. What the heck?! The basically, no ending to this movie.
Boring and Overly Predictable
lololguys28 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
You pretty much know who the baddie is 15 minutes into the movie, while the characters take an hour or so in to figure it out. As others have said, there are no red herrings, just the obviously shady villain who is shown to be off the first time they are shown. The movie gets very tedious and boring very quickly because of this. Another big issue with the ending, the villain gets whacked straight in the head with a hammer, but is running around after the protagonists 10 seconds later. They didn't even think to whack him more than once or even take away his gun (!?!).
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