Synopsis
The tenant in room 7 is very small, very twisted and very mad.
A young man carrying a big basket that contains his deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.
1982 Directed by Frank Henenlotter
A young man carrying a big basket that contains his deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.
The perfect midnight movie—a cult classic ripe with sleaze, a basket dwelling maniac, and Frank Hennenlotter’s magic touch of low budget cult craft mixed with dark humor draped in a crusty layer of scuzz. Basket Case made its way from the grime crime streets of 1980’s New York City to the box on the video store shelf that I was more curious about than any other, with Belial peeking out at me while I wondered what exactly was in that basket.
When I’m in a shitty mood worrying about things like nuclear war and my teeth rotting out while bleeding out of my ass as a result of nuclear fallout, one of the movies I try to change my terribly realistic…
Basket Case and I go way back to the days of VHS, so watching this on blu-ray is nothing short of amazing. It makes me fondly reminisce about the days of complaining about DVDs, until I started actually buying them and realizing they looked a hell of a lot better than VHS and feeling like a bit of an idiot for trying to hold on to the old format (and, not to mention that a lot of the VHS releases of Basket Case were cut).
Who knows, maybe the next time I watch Basket Case it will be inserted directly into my retinas while simultaneously inserting large doses of nostalgic euphoria.
What I love most about Frank Henenlotter's film is…
A tale of love gone both right and wrong within and without a family. How monsters are defined, not born. How good intentions sometimes cannot divert disaster. Why letting your ex-conjoined twin talk you into a campaign of murderous revenge is more than likely a terrible idea, with lasting consequences beyond what may or may not have been intended. A warm and lovingly rendered portrait of early 1980's NYC Times Square Culture, from low-rent hotels with stairwells full of trash to adult theatres that show Kung Fu Triple Features to grimy bars that are a home away from home to seedy doctor's offices with poor lighting. Basket Case is not a film that offers any answers to how we should be with ourselves, our families, our loved ones, our neighbors, but it is one which honors the difficulties in mediating the tensions within all of our relationships, and does so with honesty and compassion.
74
Basically the grind-house splatter version of Ted. Loud, exhausting sleaze, even at a mere 90 minutes, yet packed with audacious low-budget effects and a staggering commitment to the material. Our lives would all be better if we collectively decided to chill the fuck out and watch rollercoaster rides like this every once and awhile. So many marbles were lost in the making of Basket Case, and I couldn't be happier.
an absurdly gross and grimey no-budget splatter movie about conjoined twin brothers (one a normal upstate dork, the other a murderous meatball attached to his abdomen) forcefully separated from each other by (and getting revenge on) their abusive father and a collection of new york's filthiest medical professionals that eventually transitions into a weird, bleak midnight movie melodrama made under the same conditions as some of the best NYC gutter trash guerilla filmmaking of the 70s, and that to my surprise is actually fairly emotionally invested in the humanity of the giant shrieking meatball monster that shreds peoples faces to a bloody pulp. almost as sad as it is seedy.
Damn y'all Arrow Video sure made me hella sexy in 4k! I'm feeling pretehhhh pretehhhh pretehhh good about myself right about now. belial rockin that 4k on fleek... ok for reals though this restoration is one of the best I've seen from Arrow so far.
This film has always been a favourite horror film of mine. I remember blind buying the Something Weird DVD back in the mid 2000's when I worked at a music/DVD store. I was riding that 50% discount and buying horror DVDs like crazy back then. This film though... This one was different. Ultra bizarre, extra absurd and insanely wacky. This was the film that began my journey into the more unconventional and obscure horror realm.…
This beautifully odd sleazefest is always a fun one to revisit. I don’t know why but I suddenly got the urge to watch it again tonight and, to absolutely no surprise, it’s just as good as it’s always been.
Siamese twins, one normal and one deformed, seek revenge against the doctors who separated them. I think this is one where the less you know going in the better so that’s all the plot detail I’ll give. This movie sjust gets so many things right. It’s gory, funny, violent, dark, and well-paced. The effects range from good to cheesy but they are all enjoyable as long as you are willing and able to suspend belief for the duration of the running…
Basket Case contains what is possibly the most substandard lead performance of the 80s — almost Tommy Wiseau in The Room level shoddy. And the supporting performances aren't exactly a step up. A film filled with inappropriate musical queues, far too much screaming, excessive sleaze and preposterously delivered lines; I had a great time with it, ultimately because, above all else, it’s more tragic than anything & the authorship’s passion truly shines through. And Belial is one of the most memorable creatures in cinema history.
2019 Cult Movie Challenge
Week 1: Jan. 1-Jan. 7
Frank Henenlotter Week
A truly iconic exploitation sleazefest that introduced our favorite deformed siamese-twin killer, Belial, to the unsuspecting public.
Low-budget and proud of it, this unique splatter film launched Frank Henenlotter’s career, gifting us with more weirdness as the years came. With a budget small enough that the main character Duane actually carried it in his pocket as a movie prop, Henenlotter still was able to fill the movie with some very enjoyable gore effects and of course, Belial himself.
Belial is such a unique monster in both story and design. He’s a freak that was literally tossed into the garbage 🗑, that can’t do or experience the same things…
There's something maniacally impressive about a movie where the only good performance comes from a screaming flesh basketball.
This was my first time viewing of this cult classic and to be honest I'm not sure why it's taken me so long. A real imaginative oddity of a horror movie, from the creepy credits sequence it set's a more serious tone than I was expecting.
Kevin Van Hentenryck plays Duane, a mulleted young man who checks into a seedy Manhattan hotel carrying a wicker basket which he is very protective over. The locals who live in the hotel take an instant interest in this quiet stranger but their real curiosity lies with what's in the basket? Is it a cat or some other pet? No, it's Duane's twin brother Belial, a stop motion monstrosity, formerly conjoined, the brothers were…
"Am I just paranoid, or am I just..." -Green Day (NIF)
What a bizarrely touching story, and perhaps the creepiest low budget monster ever.
In Basket Case, a man and his formerly conjoined twin ("siamese twins") who he carries with him in a basket, seek revenge on the man who forced them to separate. Along the way they'll encounter a wild array of New York type people, eat a couple dozen cheeseburgers, find the neediest and most trustworthy woman in history, and kill some nosy people while screaming bloody murder.
Kevin Van Hentenryck kills the lead role in this film and shows the full monty to boot. The tone is so strangely comic yet horrifying, I love it. The key is the freaky-ness of Belial, the monster, who will haunt my waking day-mares ....probably forever.
P.S. The prostitute, Casey, sounds exactly like Aziz Ansari. That's not a joke it's just a weird thing I noticed and couldn't un-notice.
Definitely an interesting movie. The guerilla footage and ham sandwich budget really do a lot for this one. Not a horror classic by any means, but definitely worth a watch for its gimmick.
What really amazed me the most is beyond all the exploitation elements this movie does have a heart. I felt so bad for the poor little monster, he never had a chance.
This is one of those no budget films where every single actor is on point to bring their personality, it takes a talented director to do that.
Don’t know why I waited so long to see it, this is one that lives up to its legacy. I can see my rating go up on a rewatch.
I think there’s a good movie somewhere in Basket Case. I didn’t dislike watching this movie by any means. I just think the amateur feel of this movie is it’s biggest detriment. None of the actors are particularly good. It came out in 1982, yet it looks like a 1970s film. And there were just some random cuts that I wouldn’t have expected from a more experienced filmmaker. Exposition isn’t delivered in the best way. There are a few things that do not make sense in the first half. They eventually get explained at around the halfway mark. It doesn’t change the fact that most will be confused on first viewing. Our main character lets out his secret while drunk…
Was für ein Schrott, ein Trashfilm der extravaganz. Entweder man mag es, oder eben nicht. Die Grundidee lutscht sich nach 30 Minuten aus und macht am Ende nicht mehr wirklich Spaß sondern langweilt eher. Schade!
zdegenerowany syjamski brat bliźniak, wyrastający swemu bratu z biodra jako zniekształcona kreatura i posiadający ze swym bratem psychiczną więź i odczuwający zwykłe męskie potrzeby (dziewczyna brata staje się obiektem pożądania), mści się za swoją krzywdę i brak akceptacji, podrzędny hotel NY nie daje rady, sekwencje poklatkowe łażącej narośli, slasher, body horror, --1st-- pełnometrażowy debiut reżyserski
A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.
Kevin Van Hentenryck stars as a normal-looking person who seeks vengeance for the unwanted surgery that separated him from his deformed conjoined twin brother.
Duane Bradley arrives in New York City with a locked wicker basket. After he gets a…
If the filmmakers are to be believed, this bizarre, filthy little masterpiece cost $35,000 to make. Dollar for dollar, the greatest film ever made. Every scene is as entertaining as possible. Gory, funny, weird, stupid, cool shots of sleazy Times Square street life in the early '80s. No redeeming social value. Didn't learn a thing. Loved every minute of it. The star is a sculpture in upstate new york now. Seems chill.
10/10.
This was fun, but not as much as expected for me. I think it would be a lot more fun with a group of friends. The effects are cheap, but often good for what they are working with. The story is just plain bonkers and I love how they committed to it.
I’d like to say it was the quarantine that made me notice how thicc the hotel manager was, but it wasn’t the quarantine at all....... that was just me.
Omg I love this movie. This movie was made with a low budget in the 80s and those are always some of the best horrors. The creature is animated using stop motion which is incredible and the practical effects in this movie are hilarious. 10/10 made me laugh but it’s intent was to make you cry.
This is low-budget 80’s horror gold! Which is of course the greatest film genre. I live for these cheesy practical effects.
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