Basket Case
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Basket Case
Plot
The poor social skills of a young yokel turn out to have a horrifying explanation in this low-budget splatterfest, which marks the debut of Frankenhooker director Frank Henenlotter. The film begins with a bloody prologue and the arrival of young Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) at a broken-down New York hotel full of drunks, hookers, and assorted weirdos. An upstate native with few big-city survival skills, the earnest Duane seems slightly off. He flashes lots of bills at the hotel manager, carries a large wicker basket with him, and seems bewildered at the variety of characters on display. Once he's alone, Duane's own behavior becomes bewildering as he talks incessantly to some unseen presence and drops prodigious quantities of fast food into his basket. After Duane visits a surgeon's office and the doctor gets rendered into a mangled corpse, all becomes clear; Duane is half of a pair of Siamese twins who were separated against their will in a brutal operation a decade earlier. Belial, his lumpen, beachball-sized brother, secretly survived the procedure and now wants to exact revenge on those who separated him from Duane. Things go according to plan except for one thing: Duane falls hard for coy, busty Sharon (Terri Susan Smith), the receptionist of one of the nefarious doctors. That doesn't sit well with the malformed Belial, who's as attracted to Sharon as he is jealous of Duane's romance with her. Although no sequel appeared for several years, Basket Case was eventually followed by Basket Case 2 and Basket Case 3: The Progeny; Hentenryck and Belial also make a cameo in the director's Brain Damage. ~ Brian J. Dillard, RoviReview
This quirky, inventive little comedy-shocker was only the first of many efforts from writer/director Frank Henenlotter, and it's certainly his most modestly budgeted outing. The gory auteur gets around this problem throughout much of the film by using suggestion rather than explicit special effects and focusing on the clash between Kevin Van Hentenryck's wholesome if offbeat Duane and the assortment of freaks who surround him in his bowery abode. With this fish-out-of-water framework in place, the director slowly teases out his revelations about evil twin Belial, culminating in an extended flashback that is among the film's most cheerfully creepy segments. The lumpy little guy himself is often shown only in flashes, jumping out of his basket on attackers or attached to his victims' necks. Unfortunately, Henenlotter stretches his budget with a pair of extended sequences that utilize stop-motion animation of a quality several steps below that of your average Christmas claymation extravaganza. Far more effective are those scenes that go for lots of blood and just a little Belial, or those that use puppetry, stationary poses, and offbeat humor. (One sequence involving indoor plumbing proves particularly amusing.) Although Beverly Bonner makes a strong impression as Casey, the hooker with a heart of gold who befriends the bewildered Duane, the rest of the acting is what you'd expect from a low-budget horror film. Playing Duane like a particularly winsome autistic child, Van Hentenryck exhibits a strange kind of charisma, but it's hard to tell whether he's a master thespian or just inexperienced. Lucky for him, Henenlotter has learned a lot from the schlock horror of the '50s and '60s, and fashioned a vehicle that renders all such questions of quality and skill moot. ~ Brian J. Dillard, RoviCast
- Kevin Van Hentenryck - Duane Bradley
- Sean McCabe - Young Duane
- Terri Susan Smith - Sharon
- Ilze Balodis - Social Worker
- Beverly Bonner - Casey
- Tom Robinson - Thief in Theater
- Robert Vogel - Hotel manager
- Chris Babson - Casey's Date
- Diana Browne - Dr. Judith Kutter
- Maria T. Newland - Patient
Credit
Frederick Loren - Art Director, Ilze Balodis - Casting, Nancy Archer - Continuity, Jerome Horowitz - First Assistant Director, Frank Henenlotter - Director, Frank Henenlotter - Editor, Tom Kaye - Executive Producer, Arnie Bruck - Executive Producer, Ken Clark - Hair Styles, Gus Russo - Composer (Music Score), David Maswick - Composer (Music Score), Ken Clark - Makeup, Ugis Nigals - Makeup, John Caglione, Jr. - Makeup Special Effects, Kevin Haney - Makeup Special Effects, Jonathan Sinaiko - Camera Operator, Bruce Frankel - Camera Operator, Bruce Torbet - Cinematographer, Mort Tashman - Production Manager, Edgar Ievins - Producer, Peter Thomas - Sound/Sound Designer, Emily Webster - Sound Editor, Frank Henenlotter - Screenwriter, J.J. Clarke - Gaffer, Buster Muro - Key Grip, Linda Schubell - First Assistant Editor, Ray Sundlin - Production Executive| Basin Street Revue (1955 Film), Basilischi (1963 Film) | |
| Basket Case 2 (1990 Film), Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1992 Film) |
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Basket Case
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Basket Case (film)
| Basket Case | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Frank Henenlotter |
| Produced by | Edgar Levins |
| Written by | Frank Henenlotter |
| Starring | Kevin Van Hentenryck Terri Susan Smith Beverly Bonner |
| Music by | Gus Russo |
| Distributed by | Analysis Film Releasing Corporation |
| Release date(s) | April, 1982[1] |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35,000 |
Basket Case is an American horror film, written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, that was released in 1982. It has two sequels, Basket Case 2 (1990) and Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1991) by the same director. It is notable for its low budget and over-the-top violence. The film gained an audience in the 1980s due to the advent of home video.
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Contents
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Plot
Dr Julius Liflander (Bill Freeman) tries to leave his home/laboratory, but he gets scared by the movement of the surrounding trees. Back home, he locks himself up and tries to call the police. A huge hand attacks him and kills him viciously.
Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) arrives to New York from the northern small town of Glen Falls, to the ugly Hotel Broslin. Anthony (Robert Vogel), the hotel manager, mocks him and asks for twenty bucks a night. Duane is loaded, pays in cash and is given room 7. On her way up, Josephine (Dorothy Storngin) chit-chats about the old guest in his room. Once inside his room, Duane unlocks his basket and feeds it a huge quantity of hamburgers. Duane reads a thick volume of medical papers, where he appears as a patient. At night, Belial, the body in the basket, tries to talk to him, but Duane only wants to sleep. We know that Belial can leave the basket on his own. Casey (Beverly Bonner) warns Duane that Bryan "Mickey" O'Donovan (Joe Clarke) was peeping through the keyhole because he saw the wad of bills which Duane had.
Duane takes the basket to see Dr Harold Needleman MD (Lloyd Pace). Sharon (Terri Susan Smith) is the receptionist. She tries to make small conversation with Duane, who sees Dr Needleman under the name of Duane Smith. Duane rejects Sharon at first, but then he asks for her number and sets on a date. Needleman looks at the huge scars on the right side of Duane's body. When Needleman gets rid of Duane, he tries to contact Lifflander and when he can't, he phones Dr Judith Kutter (Diane Browne), who falsely denies of knowledge of Glen Falls. Meanwhile, Duane goes to the cinema to see a boring film, and he dozes off. A thief (Tom Robinson) steals the basket, and is attacked by Belial when he opens the basket. After Sharon has left, Duane leaves and opens the box. Belial is free to terrorize and kill Needleman, and also takes Needleman's address book.
Duane buys a television set for Belial, so that he can go out with Sharon. They kiss, but as Belial has a telepathic link with Duane, he gets frantic and messes up room 7. All the guests and the receptionist run to see what happens and they enter the room. O'Donovan realises where the cash money is. Apart from the mess, nothing strange appears on the room. They all leave, but O'Donoval comes back to take the money. He is attacked and killed by Belial on room 8. Duane feels sick because of Belial's terror, so he comes back running to the Broslin Hotel. The police is already there. A detective (Kerry Buff) registers room 7, asking Duane about a dog, but finds nothing. Belial had hidden on the toilet.
Duane takes the basket to a bar, where he gets drunk. Casey keeps him company. Duane says all the truth to her, but she doesn't believe him. Duane talks about their mother, who died giving birth to them. He and Belial were brought up by their aunt (Ruth Neuman), because their father (Richard Pierce) would like to kill them both, especially Belial. A social worker (Ilze Balodis) visits them, as Aunt has asked for custody. She is terrified when he sees a younger Duane (Sean McCabe) with Belial at his right side of the body. Father thinks that Belial is not even a person. No doctor dares to try to separate both twin brothers, as it would mean the death of Belial, but finally, three doctors perform the surgery. At night, Duane is woken up. He picks Belial up from a rubbish bag put out with the rest of the rubbish. That night, when Belial recovers, kills Father by cutting him in half. Aunt will keep on taking care of the brothers. After this story, back at the Broslin Hotel, Casey puts Duane to bed and leaves. Back in her room, Casey realizes that Belial is there, caressing her. She screams and wakes all the guests up. Belial is gone fast. He has stolen Casey's sexy underwear, and takes it with him to his basket.
The boys go the Dr Kutter who is a vet. A dog barks to the basket.After going inside the office Duane opens the basket, and Belial kills Dr. Kutter. Belial and Duane make there escape as the two receptionists come in and find Dr. Kutter with 5 knives in her face and covered in blood.
Sharon visits Duane after she comes to know that Dr Needleman is dead. They try to make love but Belial doesn't want Duane to have or sex, or be in love, or be independent. Duane gets angry with Belial for the first time. Belial hesitates in killing Duane.
Duane dreams of himself running naked through the city. Sharon is sleeping naked. Duane touches her on her dream and then he starts making love to her. Suddenly, he wakes up. He realises that it was not a dream: Belial is making love to her. By that, Belial is killing her with lots of blood spilled all over the place. Duane is so angry with him that he tries to kill him. Duane takes Belial back to the hotel. He and Belial die because they fall through the window because of the fight.
Cast
- Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley
- Terri Susan Smith as Sharon
- Beverly Bonner as Casey
- Robert Vogel as Hotel manager
- Diana Browne as Dr. Judith Kutter
- Lloyd Pace as Dr. Harold Needleman
- Bill Freeman as Dr. Julius Lifflander
- Joe Clarke as Brian 'Mickey' O'Donovan
- Ruth Neuman as Aunt
- Richard Pierce as Duane's Father
- Sean McCabe as Young Duane
- Dorothy Strongin as Josephine
- Ilze Balodis as Social Worker
- Kerry Buff as Detective
- Tom Robinson as Thief in Theater[2]
Special effects
The special effects for Belial consist largely of a puppet in some scenes and stop motion in others. When Belial's hand is seen attacking his victims, it is really a glove worn by Henenlotter. The full size Belial puppet is also seen in the scenes where Belial is seen with an actor or where his eyes glow red. The Belial rampage sequence used stop motion animation.[3]
Release
Basket Case was released theatrically in the United States by Analysis Film Releasing Corporation beginning in April 1982.[4] It played as a midnight movie for several years after this.
The film was first released on DVD in the United States by Image Entertainment in 1998.[5] This version is currently out of print. The film was re-released on special edition DVD by Something Weird Video in 2001.[6]
It was released on Blu-ray September 27, 2011.
It is currently available for instant streaming on Netflix.
Reception
Basket Case received fair ratings, earning 79% at Rotten Tomatoes out of 22 reviews.[7]
External links
- Basket Case at the Internet Movie Database
- Basket Case at AllRovi
- Basket Case @ www.hotelbroslin.com
References
- ^ Basket Case (1982) - Release dates
- ^ Basket Case (1982) - Full cast and crew
- ^ This info is provided in the segment "In Search of Hotel Broslin" in the special features of the Basket Case DVD
- ^ "Company Credits for Basket Case". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083624/companycredits. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ "Basket Case". dvdempire.com. http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=3254. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ "Basket Case". somethingweird.com. http://www.somethingweird.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=19108&substring=basket+case. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes
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