pseawrig This is one of those movies that you watch and think who in the h*ll dreamed this up. It's super low budget, but super creative too. Just really freaking weird! If you like David Lynch or John Waters movies, you will love this sick little gem. It's a film that you'll never forget . . . no matter how hard you might try. If you can watch it with Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder, it's even better!

intp SPOILER WARNING: This review reveals the ending.Had seen this once as an early Vhs rental, probably in the late 1980's or early 1990's and barely remembered it. Just watched it again via purchased SWV Dvd, which is an excellent quality print. For a low-budget movie, this was amazingly well-done. The acting was good and the story moved along at a crisp and economical pace. The special effects are understandably crude given the minimal budget this was made on, but still reasonably effective for what they were. Even the minor characters are sharply drawn and memorable. The lead three characters (Duane, Belial, and Duane's girlfriend Sharon, played by Terri Susan Smith) were all strong.A tragic story that really could have ended only one way, I guess, although there was a plausible 'happy ending' scenario, if Duane had killed Belial so he could be with the girl. But their tie was too strong for that, and both of them were just too messed up. And I guess in a sense they did both 'deserve' to die for the terrible things they did, but they were still sympathetic characters nevertheless for the hell they had to go through, and at least Duane was trying to do 'the right thing' most of the time.Looking forward to watching the various Dvd extras and also listening to director's commentary. Hennenlotter is definitely talented, but his creative output has been sparse. This was definitely worth the purchase price.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Oddly enough I never got around to watch "Basket Case" before now late in 2016, even as being an avid horror fan. Why? Well, I just never had the chance to watch it, and just happened to come across all three movies this year.I had heard about "Basket Case" for sure, and was under the impression that it was sort of an important movie in a way to the horror genre back in 1982. However, watching it today in 2016 I don't really see why this would be all that important. Perhaps I was just misinformed.Taking into consideration that the movie is from 1982, it does still prove to be adequate entertainment. Just bear in mind that the special effects were limited back then.Storywise, then I will say that "Basket Case" was interesting, because it had a certain bizarre element to it which director Frank Henenlotter managed to utilize quite well.The acting in "Basket Case" was adequate, I can't really claim to think that it was impressive on any account. But Kevin Van Hentenryck did manage to leave an impression of sorts, with the odd portrayal of the Duane Bradley character.As for the special effects in the movie, well let's just say that I am sure it was fairly scary and impressive back in 1982. But when you look at it today, you can't help but be amused and laugh at it. The creature, Belial, while its concept design was quite interesting, it looked awfully fake and laughable on the screen.For a horror movie, then "Basket Case" wasn't really all that scary, perhaps because most of the movie was laced with a faint comedy aspect as well. The movie is labeled as a Horror Comedy here on IMDb as well."Basket Case" certainly is entertaining enough for what it turned out to be, and it is certainly also a watchable movie. However, it is not really an outstanding movie, nor is it a movie that supports more than a single viewing. There just wasn't enough contents to the story for it to support multiple viewings.I am rating "Basket Case" five out of ten stars.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com The 1980s saw an explosion in the horror genre after a number of independent films were made and distributed. Films like The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Halloween (1978) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) all worked a pushing the boundaries of peoples' morbid curiosities. Within that decade, there were productions that were critically acclaimed, universally bashed and others that received the cult labeling. Basket Case (1982) border lines the cult label. It has few elements that show that there was thought put into making the film as good as it was, the problem though was that it wasn't good enough. Some of it is very silly to a point where it's not acceptable.When Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his deformed conjoined twin are separated in their early double digits, they decide to head out and seek vengeance on the doctors that operated on them. However, this is the only clear goal that the audience receives. Director and writer Frank Henenlotter included a back-story to the two main leads but only one of them has a motivation. Later on, it's stated by Duane that he only followed his brother and accepted the plan that his brother had conceived. Viewers will also learn that their father wanted Duane's brother killed after the operation - yet he never was. So who decided to not follow through? I don't understand.It also turns out that the only struggle the two mentally disturbed brothers have is that when Duane ends up finding a girl he likes, his brother gets angry. So if this is a problem, why hasn't Duane done anything about it yet? The rest of the cast in this film is virtually nonexistent of professional quality. Every female has pounds and pounds of makeup on their face, any other male actor isn't memorable and the dialog ranges from boring to annoying. Along with that are numerous other issues that aren't covered completely. For example, the police investigate the murderous duo and then it's totally dropped. Another would be that these guys kill in public, using their real names. So much for subtlety.Duane's twin is a whole different thing. First, the feeding process is already confusing. Duane's twin looks like Slimer's pale nongreen cousin from Ghost Busters (1984), and if that's the case and he is somewhat human, how does he go to the bathroom? Also why does he have rows of sharp teeth? Plus, the doctors stated when he was attached to Duane, that he wasn't attached to any vital organs. So how is that after he was removed he still lives? Apparently he has powers that are not explained because he also has strength that is difficult for one to harness with such a small mass. This creature also has no charm, all he does is yell with a scream so ear blistering it's frustrating to watch. Some words would've been nice. On the plus side though, the shape of the character is unique and the way he was animated looked good.There were even some scenes that involved him being animated by stop- motion animation. It wasn't as smooth moving as to how Art Clokey or Ray Harryhausen would animate but it still was enjoyable to see. The sounds (besides Duane's twin screaming) are also enjoyable because of how disgusting they sound. This bodes well with the gore scenes, which are also quite brutal. They may not be cringe inducing but are nonetheless bloody as all get out. Bruce Torbet's cinematography is nice in some scenes, like when he gets a shot of the Twin Towers. Other than that it isn't all that special. Gus Russo's music to the film also works in some places by having a tune that sounds creepy but it doesn't last long. On the whole, it's not that scary or funny. It could've been though with such a interesting character.The movie has a cast as bland as its music, camera work and poor script. Unfortunately, even with the heavy violence, some thoughtful practical effects and somewhat memorable villain, it can't lift itself above mediocrity.