There are plenty of basement problems that exist in spades in the real world. However, movies don’t often go for the most obvious and simple basement problems. It’s far more common for a movie to create a brand new type of basement problem that you simply won’t be able to see anywhere else.
Here are five of the most interesting basement problems in TV and movies.
1. The Sopranos: Exploding Water Heater
In The Sopranos, Tony Soprano uses his basement to avoid having anyone listen in on his conversations because of the loud air conditioning unit. However, the FBI’s attempts to listen in on his conversations stop abruptly when his water heater explodes, causing water damage all across the basement.
It’s not at all common for a water heater to explode, which means you shouldn’t worry about this basement problem happening to you. However, in this case, an expert would have to come in and pump all the water out, then clean up any remaining damage and replace the water heater.
2. The Goonies: Sinkhole and Basement Stonework
One of the main plot points of The Goonies occurs when Chunk is chained in a basement with Sloth. However, after becoming friends, they break out, causing damage to the stonework along the way. At a later point, they also collapse an underground cave, causing a sinkhole.
These two things are, of course, very unlikely in your daily life, although you could end up with stonework damage in your basement if you don’t maintain it. An expert could come in and assess the stonework damage, then help fill the sinkhole to make it less of a hazard.
3. Ghostbusters: Blown Containment Unit
The Ghostbusters work out of a firehouse, but the bottom floor of the firehouse is mostly a containment unit. When an EPA inspector tells an electrician to cut the power, the containment unit explodes, causing massive amounts of damage across the lower level of the floor.
Of course, such widespread damage is unlikely to occur in your home; you’re probably not dealing with a containment unit like the Ghostbusters. In this case, the Ghostbusters would need to call in an expert who can help them assess for foundational damage and install a backup generator for next time.
4. John Wick: Basement Weapons
When John Wick wants to get his hands on the best weapons, he doesn’t hesitate. He actually hid some of his weapons in his basement underneath the concrete. When it came time for him to get those weapons back, he took a sledgehammer to the concrete to uncover the weapons.
More than likely, you’ll never intentionally tear up the floor of your basement without a good reason. After checking for foundational problems, a basement repair expert could repour the concrete and make it appear good as new.
4. Home Alone: Furnace Monster
When Kevin enters his basement in Home Alone, he immediately sees the furnace as a possessed monster. It appears as though the furnace has truly turned into a demon, which is clearly upsetting for him and could have very much injured him.
Furnace possession doesn’t happen in real life, although there are definitely some problems that might make you think you’re dealing with a basement possession. Most of these problems you could solve by replacing the furnace altogether.
Conclusion
There are some basement problems that are more common and some that aren’t. True, you’re unlikely to ever run into these problems, especially in their original context. However, you may end up with some basement problems if you don’t put time and effort into avoiding the problems in question. Make sure you pay attention to managing your basement problems so you don’t end up like one of these movies.
