The Terrifying True Story Behind Girl In The Basement

Creepy television movie, "Girl in the Basement," has details so horrifying, it can't possibly be true. However, the film is part of the Lifetime's Ripped From the Headlines series and has devastating connections to real life. Judd Nelson stars as Don, the reprehensible father who, not only captures his daughter, but sexually assaults her repeatedly for years. Directed by Elisabeth Röhm, who many may recognize from her stints on "Law & Order" and "Angel," the actor-turned-director had honorable intentions for the film, despite the controversial subject material.

"It's a horrible thing to be able to say that this did not just happen once," Röhm revealed to TheWrap in 2021. "The film is a call to action to put the spotlight on the monster that lives within any household, who is not confronted and goes with no accountability because the mother or children or the wife is turning a blind eye to behavior that, when it's ceded, can grow into a monster like this." Sarah (Stefanie Scott) endures years of trauma, including raising her children by her father in captivity. This element is probably the strongest connection to the case of Josef Fritzl. Finally apprehended in 2008, Austrian authorities learned that he had kept his daughter locked in his basement for 24 years before their ultimate liberation.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

The Fritzl case has a history of inspiring many fictional narratives. Most notably, the story was the source for Emma Donoghue book "Room," which later clinched an Oscar win for Brie Larson in the live-action adaptation. Like in the book and related film, "Girl in the Basement" also switches around details that make the story more palatable for audiences. The real-life story is far more insidious.

According to conjecture from the authorities, Josef Fritzl had meticulously planned his daughter's abduction for years. Some accounts reported that Fritzl had already been abusing her since age 11. Throughout that time, Fritzl had started construction on a basement dungeon that included a cellar door as well as a bathroom, living area, and kitchen. After luring Elisabeth down to the basement, her father subdued her with ether and locked her behind an electronic door. Fritzl had planned this so carefully that it would be hard to understand a specific motive. All we have to go off is the analytics from experts surrounding the case.

"Most men who fall into this pattern of offending have, I think, two things," forensic psychologist Dr. Paul Britton told 60 Minutes Australia. "They have a corrupted lust and a desire, an urge, for possessive control." A formerly convicted rapist, Fritzl had already established a pattern of violent behavior that tragically portended his actions toward his daughter.

According to 60 Minutes Australia, Josef Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie had six children in addition to Elisabeth. Convincing the rest of the family that his daughter had run away, Fritzl kept Elisabeth locked away with the upper house none the wiser. Unbeknownst to them, he would descend into the basement to assault his daughter. This transpired for years as Elisabeth gave birth to seven of Josef's children.

One died shortly after birth, but their father made the odd decision to bring up three of the children into the upper house. He claimed that Elisabeth had abandoned her children on the doorstep, and he and his wife raised them as their own. The remaining three lived downstairs with Elisabeth as she tried to make their lives as normal as possible with lessons such as reading and mathematics. But the horror continued until one fateful day, 24 years after she was imprisoned. 

Her eldest daughter Kerstin suffered from organ failure, which surprisingly resulted in Josef taking her to the hospital. Elisabeth demanded to see her, and Josef's lies soon dissolved around him. He brought up the family from the basement, trying to sell the story that his daughter had returned after learning of her daughter's illness. But after an investigation started, Josef was arrested and sent to a psychiatric detention center. Elisabeth and her children were taken into protective custody shortly thereafter, where they received treatment following their experiences.