The Man in My Basement
Directed by Nadia LatifCharles Blakey, a man living in Sag Harbor, is stuck in a rut, out of luck and about to lose his ancestral home when a peculiar businessman offers to rent his basement for the summer.
Where to Watch The Man in My Basement
The Man in My Basement Ratings & Reviews
- levi4201October 12, 2025Plot seemed weak. I guess I didn’t get it.
- Tony GSeptember 27, 2025good watch! Willem cant be overlooked
- Kevin WardMarch 5, 2026Really liked the setup and it feels like it lays the ground work for exploring some heavy themes, but somehow gets lost along the way. Dafoe and Hawkins good. Once a year we should just lock Dafoe in a room with another actor and turn a camera on. Hang dong, don’t hang dong, whatever. It will be compelling no matter what.
- Doc HolidaeOctober 13, 2025It was a complete waste of time. The beginning showed some promise, but once it got preachy and tried too hard to be interesting instead of actually being interesting, it completely lost me. The ending was beyond disappointing and left too much unsaid. It’s a shame because it could’ve been a good movie, wrong cast, wrong director, and a script that needed serious work. Ironically, the writer and director are the same person, which says a lot.
- jackmeatNovember 24, 2025My quick rating - 4.8/10. The Man in My Basement starts with a promising hook. A man on the brink of losing everything decides to rent out his basement to an eccentric stranger. Simple setup, juicy potential. And with Corey Hawkins opposite Willem Dafoe, you’d expect the film to mine that tension for all it’s worth. Instead, it plays like a movie with all the right ingredients but no idea what to cook. Charles Blakey (Hawkins) is down on his luck, but director Nadia Latif makes absolutely sure you don’t develop an ounce of sympathy for him. This man behaves like such an asshole at every turn that you end up watching him the way you watch a slow-moving car crash - morbid curiosity, zero emotional investment. Hawkins commits, no doubt, but the writing gives Charles so few redeeming qualities that it’s hard to care what happens to him, even as things start to get weird. There are flashes of something deeper. Latif’s use of mirrors creates a handful of genuinely creepy, layered shots that hint at a richer psychological thriller lurking beneath the surface. And early on, the film teases multi-dimensional characters and a plot with enough shadowy corners to get lost in. But that promise evaporates quickly. The story locks into a single plotline and refuses to budge, dragging its feet through scenes that feel repetitive instead of suspenseful. What starts as intriguing soon becomes a test of patience. As expected, every scene with Dafoe is a highlight. He brings that hypnotic, finely tuned strangeness he’s famous for, and his character—Anniston Bennett—feels like he’s harboring something fascinating just beneath the surface. Unfortunately, the film never lets us see it. One of the most glaring missed opportunities is the decision to hide Bennett’s past rather than explore it. Show us the memories, the people who shaped him, the emotional stakes behind his cryptic behavior, anything that would anchor the guy beyond “enigmatic basement renter with a vibe.” The breadcrumbs are there, Latif just never follows the trail. And that runtime? At 114 minutes, The Man in My Basement overstays its welcome by at least twenty. Even stretching it to 90 minutes would’ve been ambitious given how thin the story ultimately is. The longer it goes, the more you feel the narrative spinning its wheels, building toward an endgame you assume will reveal something clever or profound. Instead, you get… basically nothing. Latif chooses the “no explanation needed” route, and the result is more frustrating than mysterious. In the end, strong acting and a handful of stylish moments aren’t enough to save a script that feels lost in its own basement. Without Willem Dafoe, this would’ve been a complete misfire. Latif shows skill behind the camera, but the story needed far sharper direction.
- hamedtahaDecember 12, 2025Skip it It is okay 👍
- DaPlaya, ThomasNovember 16, 2025Clean house and watch Your a prisoner of your our mind.
- Franco MartínOctober 13, 2025The Man in My Basement doesn’t rush to hook you — it’s a slow burn that gradually tightens its grip. While marketed as a horror film, its strength lies in the grounded, realistic approach to heavy themes like power, guilt, and moral ambiguity. The horror elements serve more as a backdrop than the main event, allowing the psychological tension to simmer. Performances across the board are solid, but Willem Dafoe, as expected, commands attention. His presence adds a layer of unpredictability and depth that elevates every scene he’s in. Visually, the film is understated but effective. The color grading and filter choices are spot-on, subtly reinforcing the mood without overwhelming the narrative. It’s not flashy, but it’s purposeful — and that restraint works in its favor.
- sinriseOctober 5, 2025This movie is well written and well acted. The plot is interesting if not threadbare. The cinematography is excellent. I only gave 3 stars because the message seems to be one of the old victim culture, white men are evil colonizers, etc. Nothing we haven't heard before a thousand times. Let's just say there's a certain fatigue with that kind of narrative. Willem Dafoe is fantasic as usual. The other actors are good enough, if not mostly forgettable.
The Man in My Basement Trivia
The Man in My Basement was released on September 26, 2025.
The Man in My Basement was directed by Nadia Latif.
The Man in My Basement has a runtime of 1h 55m.
The Man in My Basement was produced by Len Rowles, Diane Houslin, John Giwa-Amu.
Charles Blakey, a man living in Sag Harbor, is stuck in a rut, out of luck and about to lose his ancestral home when a peculiar businessman offers to rent his basement for the summer.
The key characters in The Man in My Basement are Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins), Anniston Bennett (Willem Dafoe), Narciss Gully (Anna Diop).
The Man in My Basement is rated R.
The Man in My Basement is a Thriller, Horror, Mystery film.
The Man in My Basement has an audience rating of 2.2 out of 10.
The Man in My Basement has made $2,942 at the box office.