It's time for a new scoop of the 31 Flavors of Horror, and it's also Saturday, meaning it's my One A Week Review. What better way to celebrate both of these occasion than with the 42 St. Grindhouse superstar, Belial the deformed, murderous Siamese Twin in his debut, Basket Case, which was just released on Blu-Ray. I was lucky enough to get to review this for DVD Snapshot, but this is a fun, sleazy, playful flick I revisit every few years.C'mon, you know you want to!
Bonus: if you ever wondered what happened to the beautiful leading lady Terri Susan Smith, she now works as an artist who creates amazing, one-of-a-kind stone bowls.
31 Flavors of Horror #8:
Basket Case
Official Synopsis:
Carrying a mysterious wicker basket
wherever he goes, Duane Bradley checks into a flea-bag hotel in New
York's Times Square. What's in the basket, you ask? Why, it's Duane's
hideously misshapen Siamese twin brother, Belial! Together, they're
in town to hunt down and wreak havoc on the sleazy surgeons who
separated them...
With memorably gruesome scenes – such
as the screaming woman with the scalpels stuck in her face – and
some disturbing stop-motion animation, Frank Henenlotter's Basket
Case is one of the most beloved, cheerfully demented cult
classicks of all time. And now, for the very first time, Basket
Case has been remastered in high Definition, making Belial look
even ghastlier than ever before!
So go ahead and open the basket... if
you dare!
Our Take:
Calling this a “Cult Classick,” as
they do in the official synopsis, isn't really a typo. Basket Case
revels in it's cheap “grindhouse”aesthetic. Everything on-screen
is dilapidation and peeling paint. If nothing else, the footage of
seedy circa-1980 Times Square would make this a must watch.
This horror-comedy hybrid is about two
forcibly separated but psychically linked Siamese twins. Duane is
(Kevin Van Hentenryck) normal looking and naïve, but Belial is a
deformed, tiny monstrosity with disturbing eyes and outsized claws.
They gleefully go about “The Big Apple” tracking down the doctors
that split them up to get revenge. As Duane would like to be free to
pursue a girl and Belial requires constant attention and a wicker
basket, there's a running theme about striking out from one's family
and claiming independence. (Just because that family member is a
murderous, lumpen head with arms cleaved from the torso doesn't mean
a general audience can't relate to them.)
No one is going to mistake this simple
story for a quality production, and that's okay. As an example of
grindhouse cinema, a cult hit, and creative independent cinema,
Basket Case has earned it's place as a “classick.” Yet
it's also an entertaining film in it's own right. The vibrant Beverly
Bonner has a natural presence, but most of the acting is as stiff as
the stop-motion animated Belial. There's a genial glee and DIY spirit
that infuses the entire film.
The overdone gore, casual nudity, cheap
effects, even the humor (exaggerated stereotypes, subtle names like
Dr. Kutter and Dr. Needleman) has, in it's own way, stood the test of
time. With a remastered blu-ray edition that allows you to make out
every detail, from stains on shirts to the texture of the Belial
puppet, you can both enjoy the film and appreciate the work that went
into it. Frank Henenlotter clearly had talent and an unstoppable
drive to make the film, and the ingenuity is marvelous. His future
films (2 sequels to this, Frankenhooker, Bad Biology,
Brain Damage) feature an obsession with the body along with a
naughty, outsider's sense of humor.
Basket Case is definitely not to
every taste. It's campy and amateurish. Heck, it's just plain weird
in places, and even if you don't like it you have to appreciate it...
but how can you not like its gory, trashy fun?
Audio & Video:
Even Frank Henenlotter, in his new
interview, addresses the obvious question: “Why Basket Case
in HD?” This film, shot on 16mm, has been cleaned up, and it looks
terrific. Detail that didn't pop out in either VHS or DVD versions is
crisp here, and now that we can better make out Belial's speckled
texture, he's somehow creepier. The special features are either in
1080p or 480i standard definition. However, this is as good as this
material can ever be expected to look, and it looks better than it
should.
Meanwhile, the audio is mono here, and
also sounds a bit cleaned up for the main feature. It sounds as good
as can be expected.
Special Features:
-New video introduction by Frank
Henenlotter (which is about the only thing I don't remember included
on previous DVD releases)
-Audio Commentary by Henenlotter,
producer Edgar Ievins, and actress Beverly Bonner
-Rare outtakes and behind-the-scenes
footage from the director's personal collection: Beautiful, damaged,
aged 16mm footage that's oddly hypnotic.
-From the 2001 DVD release, a video
short: In Search of the Hotel Broslin, where Henenlotter
visits the locations where Basket Case was filmed.
-2 trailers, a TV spot and 2 radio
spots, along with a gallery of Advertising and behind-the-scenes
photos.
Conclusion:
The passage of time and increasingly
sophisticated film audiences threaten to make Basket Case an
obligatory example of grindhouse cinema, but the DIY ingenuity and
just plain weirdness make it a fun surprise for any B-movie fan.
Overall Picture:
Movie: B+
Video: B
Audio: C
Extra Features: C
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