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Girl in the Basement is based on true events and tells the horrible story of Sara, an energetic young girl who wanted to be 18 years old desperately so she could get away from her dominating father, Don.

Here’s a summary of everything we have found so far.

Abstract of the film Girl in the Basement

Girl in the Basement, a film version based on the terrible tale of Elisabeth Fritzl, a pretty girl who was held hostage by her dad for over 25 years. The movie premiered on Lifetime’s “Ripped From the Headlines” series. 

Girl in the Basement, along with many of Lifetime’s recent releases, depicts Elisabeth Fritzl’s genuine tragedy while simultaneously adding, removing, and revising significant aspects of her experience.

With the sequence of the Lifetime network based on true story films “Ripped from the headlines,” has reached a huge milestone. It has done a great job at portraying what genuine stories are like.

Despite its faults and all the shortcomings, Girl in the Basement is a terrifying film, and the actual incident is much more tragic. The original story is filled with horrific and heartbreaking realities that will shake you to the core.

What is the plot of this film? (Spoiler Alert)

Girl in the Basement is a Lifetime original film about a suburban teenager named Sara (Stefanie Scott) who is imprisoned in the basement of her family’s home by her dad, Don (Judd Nelson). 

Don informs his spouse Irene (Joely Fisher) that Sara has run away, but that is not true. She is actually being held hostage. He terrorizes and abuses her sexually for the next twenty years. 

As a consequence, Sara gets pregnant after sexual attempts by her father and delivers several babies. Her father, Don, and mother, Irene, start to look after her youngest kid.

Despite the fact that her mother, Irene, assumes her daughter, Sara, wanted her children to be cared for by grandparents, she sent them from elsewhere in the state. 

When Sara eventually has an opportunity to flee, the rest of the world hears about her tragedy, and her family is made to confront the truth about what has unfolded and what Don had done behind their back over the years.

What’s the most bizarre aspect of it all? The portrayal of Sara and her story on Lifetime is not too far off according to what truly happened in Elisabeth Fritzl’s story.

Is Girl in the Basement based on a genuine story?

Yes! The film Girl in the Basement is inspired by the true event of Elisabeth Fritzl, a young Austrian teenage girl who was held captive by her father, Josef Fritzl, from 1984 until 2008. 

Josef took Elisabeth to the basement of their house on August 28, 1984, and smeared an ether-soaked cloth on her face; when she fell unconscious. Her father, Josef, then shackled her and confined her in the basement jail, according to Oxygen. 

Josef then forced Elisabeth to write her mother, Rosemarie, a letter in which she stated that she had fled her birthplace of Amstetten, Austria, and would not like to be discovered at any cost.

After tormenting and sexually assaulting Elisabeth on a daily basis for the next 24 years, Elisabeth gave birth to her first child in 1988. Elisabeth went on to have six additional children, whose names are Stefan, Lisa, Monika, Alexander, Michael, and Felix. 

Josef eventually took several of the kids from the cellar and informed Rosemarie that Elisabeth wanted to send them. Josef told his wife that it was all because Elisabeth needed assistance raising them. 

Three stayed in captivity with their mother, while three were raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie. Despite the fact that Michael died within three days of his birth.

Rosemarie trusted him, as well as the children were placed in their care as abandoned children. How unnerving it is that the grandpa of the children is their own father.

As the narrative progresses, it becomes increasingly unsettling.

Krestin, Elisabeth’s eldest daughter, became unwell and passed out on April 19, 2008, as Elisabeth stepped out of the basement jail. Perhaps it was the first time she returned to that dungeon-like prison after her daughter was brought to the hospital in an emergency. 

The hospital’s medical team alerted police and indicated specific concerns. As a result, police took notice. Then, Elisabeth was taken to the police station for interrogation a few weeks later.

Elisabeth then proceeded to tell them about her tragic ordeal over several hours, and his father, Don, was brought into custody and eventually imprisoned on April 26.

Josef pleaded guilty to charges of murder for his carelessness in conjunction with Michael’s loss, as well as related charges to Elisabeth’s captivity, incest, rape, coercion, and false imprisonment, only about a year after his arrest.  

Josef had no regrets or remorse, and he was condemned to life in prison in Garsten Abbey, where he is now serving his term. Josef eventually revealed that the child who died after three days, Michael’s body had been incinerated in an incinerator by him.

Elisabeth Fritzl – The actual girl in the basement

Josef Fritzl and Rosemarie Fritzl had Elisabeth Fritzl in 1966 in Austria. She was the youngest of six siblings, with three brothers and three sisters. When she was 11 years old, in 1977, her father began abusing her. 

Elisabeth always wanted to run away from home because of her father’s behavior. She began training to be a waitress when she was 15 after finishing her education.

In 1983, she escaped from the home and stayed with a friend, and went into hiding in Vienna. Within 20 days, police had located her and brought her back her to parents. 

Elisabeth eventually returned to her part-time class and completed it in order to obtain employment in a nearby city. She was waiting to turn 18 soon so she could flee again.

Why did their house have a basement that looked like a prison?

Building nuclear bunkers in the basement of a house were very common during the Cold War era, so Josef had no trouble securing permission.

In reality, the local authorities gave Josef a grant of £2,000 to help with the construction costs. Before accessing the cellar where he intended to keep Elisabeth hostage, a succession of doors had to be unlocked.

How did she manage to spend 24 years of her life in the basement?

Elisabeth had to live in hell for the following 24 years since the torment she was subjected to was never going to end, in fact, the traumas she faced were inexplicable. For others, Life moved on, but for Elisabeth, it was stagnant and filled with traumas. 

Josef used to slap and kick her on a regular basis. He used to have Elisabeth recreate violent, pornographic movie scenes. Elisabeth has suffered not only bodily but also mental distress as a result of this. She’d been alone for the first five years.

During 25 years, he assaulted her at least 3000 times, which resulted in seven children. As Elisabeth Fritzl’s children got older, they were forced to see the abuse and violence their mother faced.

Elisabeth was compelled to capture rats with her bare hands sometimes. She subsequently recounted in her writings that summer was her least favorite season due to the severe perspiration.

Josef Fritzl, her father, used to bind her with iron chains, limiting her movement to half a meter on the bedside. He then wrapped the chain around her waist to give her additional mobility.

He cut the chain after several months since it was messing things up during sexual activities, in which he was involved. Josef sexually molested her for years, raping her numerous times a day since she was freed in April 2008. 

The film rendition

The sexual crime film “Girl in the Basement” is basically inspired by the actual story of Elisabeth Fritzl, who attracted the interest of critics. Sara (played by Stefanie Scott), a teenage girl, is the film’s protagonist.

Her father, Don(Judd Nelson), kidnapped Sara and imprisoned her in their basement.

The true case of Elisabeth Fritzl was more distressing than the film adaption, Girl in the Basement

Due to the accumulated traumas, Elisabeth has undergone for years, and psychologists recommended that she needs lifetime psychotherapy. Elisabeth’s identity and name were then changed.

Her children are currently all between the ages of 17 and 35. Because they’ve had a lot of anxiety and are vulnerable to panic episodes, a few of her kids had a hard time healing. 

They were forced to follow a strict diet plan, exercise regularly, and take mood-altering medicines to go back to their everyday lives.

According to the significant news source ‘The Independent,’ Elisabeth had a formidable connection with her mum, Rosemarie, at first, but their relationship subsequently became easy, and they grew close.

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