Movie Review - “Basket Case”
This was originally written for a zine which never ended up becoming a thing. So, after recently seeing Frank Henenlotter in person to premiere his new film in Philadelphia, I remembered this and decided to share it. Here is my review of Basket Case (1982). Maybe I’ll write more?
IT CAME FROM A BROKEN BRAIN!
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I first saw BASKET CASE (1982), the premiere low-budget horror/exploitation gem from writer/director Frank Henenlotter in my early 20s, and it quickly held a special place in my love for modestly-made schlock. After thinking I had desensitized myself to these types of films by watching movies like ISLAND OF DEATH (the one that initially got me into cheaply-made shockers, for better or worse) or SLIME CITY (another personal fav), Henenlotter showed me that he was definitely a contender in the field and one I should pay attention to. His output is consistently creative and entertaining, and I highly recommend his personal brand of sleaze.
A fun, unsettling and grimy film that could only come from a passionate and deranged (in the best way) creator, this bizarre little gem exemplifies the kind of cult slime fest that you can’t look away from. If you are a lover of such films you have to respect the sheer ingenuity and genuine gleeful creativity going on. Unless, of course, you’re not into deformed, blob-like detached heads moaning, screaming, writhing around, and, oh yeah, killing people.
Belial, the afore-mentioned head, travels (yes, in a basket) with his “normal”, body-having twin brother Duane Bradley (played by Kevin Van Hentenryck), on a mission to exact revenge on the doctor who separated the two bros years ago. They stay at a run-down Manhattan hotel where the other tenants begin to catch on to the fact that something ain’t right. Murder ensues. The plot is enough to hold up the film but it’s the practical effects and gore that were clearly the stand-out reasons for making it. And that’s just fine by me.
BASKET CASE begins with a bloody murder and jumps right in from there, always keeping the anticipation high about what is going to happen next – cause honestly, anything could happen. And those are my favorite kinds of films.
Henenlotter clearly wanted to make sure the audience was consistently entertained and having fun. But the best part is, not for one second do you feel he himself wasn’t having fun behind the camera. It’s all just so silly and different and horrific and fun. Did I mention fun? This movie is fun.
Practical puppets! Stop-motion! Weird naked dreams! Male and female nudity! Belial eating a bunch of hotdogs! Belial smashing a TV! What’s not to like? It really shows what you can do with a little money and a lot of creativity. It truly is a testament to a simpler time when all you needed to make a movie was a fake head and a dream.
As I mentioned, Henenlotter has a great track record with movies like BRAIN DAMAGE, FRANKENHOOKER, and the other two entries in the BASKET CASE series (yes, there is a Basket Case trilogy), all of which are definitely worth your time (There’s even more mutated freaks in the sequels! And freak-on-freak sex scenes! Score!)
What really makes the whole thing work is that the film is always self-aware enough to not appear clueless about what kind of flick it is, with plenty of humor placed throughout. It never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously.
My most recent viewing for this review was the Blu-ray edition, which apparently is the first time the movie has been properly seen since its initial theatrical release. As the director says in a new intro filmed for the Blu-ray, BASKET CASE ain’t pretty “like the new James Bond film” but, man, is it beautiful in its own unique and disgusting way.
· Forgot how genuinely horrific and creepy that cheap-looking molded puppet is. “He looks like a squashed octopus!”
· Belial does not like TV!
· Yowza, the stop-motion.
· You expect nudity in these kinds of flicks, but in this one you get a deformed head fondling/necrophilia scene and even some shriveled up peen, complete with hairy man bush. Lotta bang for ya buck.
· Great cast of characters at that hotel (including Mario Bros. era Bob Hoskins look-alike). Should have turned this into a sitcom!
· Pretty tragic ending…Glad he didn’t decide to end the story here. It only gets weirder.
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