Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Basket Case (1982)

Basket Case'The tenant in room 7 is small, twisted, and very mad.' One of my favorite tag lines from a movie. This is a great, low bugdet shlock horror/comedy from the early 80's. It involves two brothers and their plot to get revenge. I hate to give anymore away, but this is a cult classic that has spawned a couple of sequels. I haven't seen them, but I have seen this one, and it's lots of fun. The story is definately interesting with its flashbacks and the actors will never win any Oscars, but they really help to make this movie. And then there's the seedy locations. Basically this type of film making is called "using what you got and making the most of it". And then there's the special effects....not over the top, but effective enough to fit nicely with the story. The stop motion animation was a little cheesy, but then that added to the fun of the movie for me. All in all, I had a great time watching this movie.

Something Weird Video (SWV) did a really great job with this DVD. I was a little disappointed that the movie was only available in full screen format, but the amount of extras included was truly amazing. I really enjoyed the piece where the director goes back and tries to locate certain locations from the movie. Great stuff, and pretty complete.

So, in closing, if you want to see a low budget, gory, horror/comedy schlockfest that was done really well, get this movie, if you've got the guts. And as an added bonus, get a glimpse of what times square used to look like before it got all cleaned up and 'disneyfied'. Not a lot of footage on this, but a chance to see how seedy and raw it used to be, with it's hookers, grindhouses, triple-X theaters, etc., compared to what it is now.

I'm giving the movie itself 5-stars (how could someone grow up in the 80s/90s and not rent it is beyond me!) but it's a great one. Henenlotter started strong and kept it going.

But the info I want to make known is that the transfer for BC is a brand new one coming from the previously-thought lost negative. Henenlotter himself has stated online at places like Facebook that he thought he'd lost it but came across it a couple years back buried in his storage. He is excited about this as BC has never truly been seen the way he intended it to look -transfer always came from beat up prints instead of the negative and never got the true attention he'd hoped for. This blu-ray will be a milestone for fans of Henenlotter, BASKET CASE, Belial and Something Weird Video. Here's hoping the BLOOD TRILOGY turns out as well!

Buy Basket Case (1982) Now

If you're looking for a bit of a change-up for your Friday Night Horror Movie Parties, try this one.

It's gory. It's got really cheesy 80's special effects. The actors ALL have bad hair.

However, it is an interesting idea. The two brothers are clearly deeply connected to each other (or, at least they were...). The emotional conflict between the two (particularly the more "able" brother's desire to date) is intense and understandable.

There were moments in this movie that were so funny (that I don't think were meant to be) that my husband and I just laughed and laughed. Some of the characters are over the top. There were some scenes (particularly the really bad stop-animation scenes) that made me wince in their low quality. I'm sure it was superb film quality at the time; but, now it's really bad.

Overall, it's one of those films that you probably should watch. Get a friend who won't hate you when it's over, come to an agreement that this is intentionally quite trashy, and have fun watching a truly original, truly bizarre flick.

Read Best Reviews of Basket Case (1982) Here

Basket Case is WAY out there and so sick that the mouths of those watching it fall open in disbelief. This movie was made outside of Hollywood; the sets consists of a seedy flophouse (not a Hollywood soundstage designed to look like a flophouse), a 42nd street grindhouse movie theater, and what looks like an abandoned building that is supposed to be a doctor's office. The actors and extras look like they were not saleried but worked for a chance to be on film and/or a bottle of wine. There was not much money to be spent on this movie. Instead, this horror masterpiece relied on imagination and a twisted sense of humor to make it work. The story concerns a pair of separated Simease twins. Duane, the normal (normal as in being able to walk on his own and not scare people with his looks) carries his brother around in a wicker basket. The bother looks like a big glob of putty with claws and teeth. Their goal is to exact revenge on the doctor's who separated them. There is lots of blood shed, horrendous acting by non pros, and a femme fatale with the most ridiculous hairstyle ever put on celluloid.

Want Basket Case (1982) Discount?

"Basket Case," directed by Frank Henenlotter, is one of my favorite horror films of all time. It tells the story of Duane, an ordinary young man with a bizarre secret: he carries his deformed, undersized former conjoined twin around in a basket (hence the film's title).

"Basket Case" has an appealing low-budget feel to it, and Kevin Van Hentenryck is very likeable as Duane. Belial, the deformed twin, is an oddly sympathetic character. Yes, the film contains some scenes that many will find sick and depraved, but it also contains some truly haunting images. Disturbing, sometimes funny, and curiously moving, "Basket Case" is a truly unique piece of cinematic art.

Save 42% Off

No comments:

Post a Comment