Basket Case
Review by Peter Syslo

Here is another exploitative movie for this week’s reviews. I remember my sister telling me about BASKET CASE (1982); she had watched it at a party with a group of friends and she told me about how strange, cheesy, disturbing, and funny the movie was. This conversation happened in or around 1985 and after 22 years, I finally had the pleasure of seeing the film. I wasn’t disappointed at all; somehow, it was the right time for me to see the movie. I think that if I saw it a few years back, I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much. In short, I think that BASKET CASE is the right balance of silliness, horror, social commentary, and nostalgia – a recipe of that time period, which always turns out to be fulfilling.

BASKET CASE is the creation of writer/director Frank Henenlotter, who has a cult following from the BASKET CASE films and FRANKENHOOKER (actually, I just saw that he is working on a new film for 2008). BASKET CASE stars Kevin Van Hentenryck (Duane), Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Robert Vogel, Diana Brown, Lloyd Pace, Bill Freeman, etc.

The story is about a young man named Duane, who carries around his deformed, separated twin, Belial, in a picnic basket. They travel to New York City , in search of the doctors who performed the separation surgery and along the way, they meet up with a few interesting characters. One thing leads to another, feelings are hurt, people are killed, and women are violated. It all leads back to Belial, who can’t stand it when Duane falls for a woman or pays attention to someone else, and it all ends with a nod to classic monster movies of yesteryear.

I really enjoyed BASKET CASE; it was everything that I thought it would be. Most of the time, I like my horror to be more on the serious side, with a strong story and interesting characters, but once in a while I do enjoy an offbeat film like this. Not to contradict my previous statement but this offbeat film actually does have a pretty strong story and truly interesting characters. One of the things that I like about it is that, while it is weird and just over-the-top, there are also elements of sadness, truth, and despair within the picture. Again, it sort of harkens back to the classic monster movies like FRANKENSTEIN or KING KONG. In a strange way, it evokes the simultaneous feelings of disgust and empathy for Duane and Belial – the story is told with rich character development.

Regarding other elements of the film, it is shot really well, with a lot of interesting camera angles from Belial’s point-of-view; it definitely has the charm and atmosphere of movies from this time period. The acting is perfect for the film – all of the characters have their distinct quirks and the performances really are believable. Belial’s look and effects are also perfect for the film – I know he is meant to be funny, in a way, but he is actually a little creepy (especially in the way that he yells). His effects are also a testament to low-budget filmmaking; there are ways to make something effective without spending millions.

Cutting to the chase: BASKET CASE is a fun, creepy, and classic monster movie (my sister was right). I admit, the overall idea and the film are slightly disturbing but that adds to the experience of the whole process (a scene with Belial violating a naked woman comes to mind). Even though it is a wacky premise, the film is grounded solidly in really good storytelling, with a little heart. If you like low-budget exploitation films or you like the “classic” type of monster movie then you may like it. If you enjoy scaring off your in-laws when they come to visit, you might like it, as well. But, if you are a die-hard, mainstream horror-fan, then it may not be your thing. However, if you want to keep an open mind, Frank Henenlotter is a legendary figure in horror and his films are definitely worth checking out – I’ll surely be viewing s ome of his other work, especially his upcoming film.