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Film: Basket Case
Year: 1982
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Writer: Frank Henenlotter
Starring: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith and Beverly Bonner
Review:
This was a film that I feel like I knew about growing up, but didn’t see it until getting the Fangoria Top 300 Horror Films issue. I then sought it out. It is one that I’ve enjoyed since that first watch. The more that I see in the genre, the more I’ve come to respect it. My most recent watch was at the Gateway Film Center for the 4K restoration. I think I might have seen it another time at the theater, but don’t fully remember.
Synopsis: a young man carrying a big basket that holds a dark family secret seeks vengeance on the doctors who caused it.
We start with a man leaving his home at night. He is Dr. Julius Lifflander (Bill Freeman). He gets spooked when he hears something rustling in the bushes. He heads back inside to call the police. He hears something outside and then the phone goes dead. There’s a shadow of a figure stalking him. He goes into his office, takes out a gun and he’s attacked. He’s torn apart with blood splattering on a manila folder.
It then shifts to a young man walking in New York City with a large wicker basket case. He is the guy from the synopsis and his name is Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck). He’s looking for a place to stay and he goes into the first seedy hotel he comes across. It is there he meets the manager, played by Robert Vogel. He rents a room and heads up. I should point out here that there is also a man that is in the lobby who’s a drunk, O’Donovan (Joe Clarke). He sees the wad of money that Duane has.
Duane meets his neighbor on his way, Casey (Beverly Bonner), as she goes into her room with a John. She is a prostitute. He then goes into his room and speaks to the basket. He goes to get hamburgers, pouring them into the case when he gets home. Duane then pulls out the blood stained file and finds the names of three doctors. The first is Dr. Lifflander. He checks in a phone book to see if he is listed, but he can’t find the next person who is Dr. Kutter. The other is listed though.
The other doctor is Harold Needleman (Lloyd Pace). Duane goes to his office and gets friendly with the woman at the front desk, Sharon (Terri Susan Smith). She thinks that he’s there to fix the typewriter. Instead, she figures out that he’s an old family friend of the doctor. She lets him in. This meeting spooks Needleman. Duane doesn’t press it though and leaves. He has other plans when he drops off the basket later.
Dr. Needleman in his fear calls Dr. Judith Kutter (Diana Browne), she blows him off, wanting to forget what happened. The truth of what is in the basket that Duane carries is deadly. Inside is his brother, Belial. They’re out for revenge on the doctors who separated them years ago.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that this film is low budget. It is also fun. I’m glad to revisit this one now that I appreciate movies like this. I’ll say here that this isn’t great. There is charm here and things that work for me. It is still absurd in the best way possible as well.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I want to start by saying that even though there are plot holes this still has an interesting idea. We are playing with the idea that conjoined twins could have a mental connection. Duane and Belial could talk with their minds. After they were separated, Duane says later that it seems like Belial has gotten stronger with it. He’s no longer able. That makes me think that the power is coming from Belial and with them separated, he’s able to fully harness it. This doesn’t necessarily add anything outside of care being added to the concept that I appreciate.
Then to move from there, I do love the idea that these two didn’t want to be separated. Now that they are and their aunt who took care of them has passed away, they want to get revenge. That is all Belial thinks about. Duane gets sidetracked by meeting Sharon, but that doesn’t stop him from helping. This becomes a tragedy due to jealousy and that is fitting as well.
I think then I should go over to the best part which is filmmaking. The effects of Belial are cheap, but there’s charm as this was done practically. I love it. We can tell this is done with a puppet and stop-motion to bring Belial to life. There are things that don’t make sense, but I overlook them. I’ll also credit the cinematography and framing. Not only do they hide what they can for seams on the effects. I also love that they capture 42nd Street where Duane stays. It is dirty and grimy but fits what these brothers are doing. Other than that, the soundtrack is solid and fits what was needed. Sound design is also good to capture Belial’s screams which get creepy.
All that is left then is acting performances. I’ll preface that this is amateur so no one is great. Van Hentenryck is wooden to start, but you can see where he gets more comfortable. On the average for this I’d say he’s fine. Smith works as this love interest as well as a catalyst for the conclusion. Bonner, Vogel, Clarke and all the tenants are just great characters you might run into in a place like this. Browne, Pace, Freeman and Richard Pierce are good as the villains. The latter is Duane’s father who pushes for the operations. Again, the acting fits the budget this film is working with.
In conclusion, this film is fun. It is a low budget, 80’s horror that knows what it is working with. I love the practical effects of Belial. I’ll credit the filmmaking there as we hide the seams where they can while bringing this creature to life and capturing NYC. The acting isn’t great, but I think it does well for a movie of this budget. I know that it feels like I’m coming down hard on this one. This is one that I would put on again as it is an easy watch. For that reason, I do recommend it.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10