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This article contains discussions of child abuse and sexual assault.

True crime has been a very popular genre for a while now, so it's not surprising that a genuinely horrifying real-life case — which occurred in Austria and came to light in 2008 — served as inspiration for two (admittedly different) movies. So, if you've seen the 2021 Lifetime original film "Girl in the Basement," what is it about ... and how does it connect to real-life events?

Released in 2021, "Girl in the Basement" stars Stefanie Scott as Sarah Cody, a rebellious teenager who's seeing a boy named Chris (Jake Etheridge) and sneaks out to meet up with him against the wishes of her extraordinarily strict father Don. After she returns home, having been out all night, Don does something horrific; he imprisons his own daughter in the soundproofed basement of the Cody family home, unbeknownst to her mother Irene (Joely Fisher) and sister Amy...

In the documentary Girl in the Basement, fans follow the true story of Sara (Elizabeth Fritzl) and her kidnapping. In August of 1984 Don (Josef Fritzl) lured Sara then 18 at the time down into the basement where he proceeded to drug her and lock her up for the next decade. During this time his daughter was gone Don told his wife she had run away to join a cult all while being held prisoner inside her own home. Her mother accepted her then husbands made up stories and never went looking. At the time in 2009, it was deemed that Elizabeth was estranged from her mother.

What Happened To Girl In The Basement?

While in captivity she proceeded to have seven children with Don. One of which didn’t make it due to poor living conditions and lack of medical necessities. She proceeded to convince Don to let her keep three of...

Movies like Girl in the Basement offer a chilling look at the mindset of abusive parents and abductors, with empathy for the trapped victim. Similar films, like Split and Run, delve into captivity and abuse themes, showcasing the disturbing depths individuals can sink into. The harrowing stories depicted in movies like Girl in the Basement, while fictional, are often based on true crime events that shock viewers.

This article discusses films with themes of abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

Movies like Girl in the Basement are often shocking and disturbing, as they are fictional retellings of harrowing true-crime stories. In the case of Girl in the Basement, it tells the disturbing tale of a young woman kidnapped and held captive by her father for over two decades. While there, he sexually abuses her and forces her to have seven children, the last of whom dies after childbirth. Part of...

Girl in the Basement is a shocking movie based on the true story of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was held captive and tortured by her father for 24 years. The Girl in the Basement movie is a milder version of the horrifying events that actually took place, with changes made to the timeline and names of those involved. Elisabeth and her children now live in an undisclosed location under protection, receiving therapy to help them process the trauma inflicted by Josef Fritzl.

Contains discussion of graphic torture and abuse.

The unsettling Girl in the Basement is made even more horrifying because it's based on true events. Girl in the Basement is part of Lifetime's "Ripped From the Headlines" collection, about Sara, a teenager who gets imprisoned by her father, Don, in their basement. In order to cover his tracks, Don concocts a story for his wife, Irene, about Sara running away.

The Lifetime original "The Girl in the Basement" and A24's "Room" draw from the same harrowing true story. In 2008, a young woman named Elisabeth Fritzl from Amstetten, Lower Austria, escaped the cellar of her family home after being imprisoned for 24 years by her father, Josef Fritzl. During that time, she gave birth to seven of Josef's children — three of whom remained in captivity, one who passed away shortly after childbirth, and three others who were raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie, as "foundlings" put on their doorstep from their runaway daughter. Josef had told his wife, family, and neighbors that Elisabeth had left town and possibly joined a religious cult.

Elisabeth was able to break free from her underground prison after one of her children became unconscious. Josef took her to the hospital and the doctors were concerned over her poor health conditions. Josef was sentenced to...

Corey Deshon’s debut feature has echoes of horrific cases of basement imprisonment, but doesn’t quite coalesce into a clear vision

There are echoes of the Turpin case and Josef Fritzl’s basement in this tense arthouse horror shot in grainy 16mm with auteurish confidence by first-time film-maker Corey Deshon. It opens with a claim to be “more based on fact than fiction”, but actually tells an entirely fictional story about the kidnapping of a young woman (Vivien Ngô) who wakes up shackled to the floor in a garage. In front of her stands a man known only as Father (Casper Van Dien). You can tell instantly from his plaid checked shirt, beige slacks and straight-backed posture that he’s the type of Christian you don’t mess with in a horror movie: wholesome looking, but unhinged.

“We’re not violent people,” Father tells the chained-up woman, sounding almost reasonable.