The career of Frank Henenlotter is one of those things that can really be classified as one of a kind. For you non-horror aficianadoes out there who might be reading this, I won't bore you with the entire filmography, in part because I don't think you'd care and in part because I stopped trying to be super horror researcher guy years ago when I realized that the world already has Uncle Creepy and really doesn't need another one. And if it does, I certainly couldn't be it. Suffice to say, Mr. Henenlotter makes WEIRD friggin' movies...this one being first and foremost.I first saw "Basket Case" a little over ten years ago, and hated it, finding the acting "crappy" and the story too "out there." Or maybe I just wasn't in the right mood that day. At any rate, after talking to a few other horror junkies, I finally decided to track down a used copy and give the flick another shot. Long story short, I'm glad I did, as the flick is a lot more fun than I remembered and one thing's for certain...check this one out, and you will never forget it. It's definitely not a movie for horror beginners (which is probably why I was so butthurt over it back in 2001), but if you've built up some solid gore tolerance and are looking for a good trashy time-waster, look no further.
In a move that is always appreciated, this movie - once again with a budget that might be slightly less than a Filet-o-Fish value meal - wastes little time getting going, giving us death scene #1 within the first five minutes. Dr. Lifflander (Bill Freeman) spends several minutes being stalked by something outside of his house before having his face ripped off by a disfigured hand. Money. Even better, said doctor delivers some truly Laurence Olivier-esque acting directly toward the camera in his final moments before screaming like a woman. Good unintentional comedy? No, it's GREAT.
From here, we cut to New York City, where an unassuming young man named Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck, and man, you have not seen cinematic charisma in action until you see this guy operate) walks the mean streets of the Big Apple carrying a wicker basket with him. These early scenes establish the sleazy underbelly of the city as its principal setting, and I'll give Henenlotter credit, he's really got a great eye for the seamy side of city life throughout this movie. After meeting some Patchuli-soaked characters and checking into a hotel (in never-ending dialogue sequence #1, which Van Hentenryck shares with the proprietor of said hotel), he buys some burgers and feeds them to whatever inhuman thing resides in his wicker basket.
The movie then gives us never-ending dialogue sequence #2. The woman in the above picture is a doctor's receptionist named Sharon, played by Terri Susan Smith in a horrible blonde wig, and - proving that there is hope for everyone - she displays romantic interest in Duane as they converse prior to his appointment with Dr. Needleman (Lloyd Pace, who kinda-sorta looks like Luigi the plumber). I should also point out that she imitates a mouse during this scene, and that this act is yet more comedic gold. Combine this with Van Hentenryck's "fighting the frizzies" hairstyle and this movie is like ten Richard Pryor albums combined.Soon enough, the movie gives us its second murder scene, as the thing contained within Duane's basket - an inhuman beast that bears a slight resemblance to Krang from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - brutally attacks and murders Dr. Needleman in an extremely bloody scene. If it made me wince, it's pretty out there. Amazingly enough, this movie only gets more extreme as it goes along.
In a Jack and Rose from "Titanic"-like sequence, Duane and Sharon begin their stirring romance (including such amazing dialogue as "I only said I wanted you to show me around the city to be with you!" "Really? I only said I wanted to give you a tour of the city for the same reason!") - which makes Duane's basket resident a very unhappy camper. It seems to be jealous of Duane's love life, and as he goes in for the kill and envelops Sharon's mouth in one of the sloppiest movie kisses ever, basket thing goes nuts, killing one of the fellow tenants of Duane's hotel building.
Here he is, folks - your star villain of "Basket Case." It has been said that Frank Henenlotter likes his dope, and I won't dispute that claim.
And just because I felt like I needed to show it for all to enjoy, Van Hentenryck and his legendary hair having a heartfelt conversation with his brother in a toilet.Yup, after the police question Duane about the dead body found in his hotel room, he pours his heart out to the friendly local prostitute (not because he wants to get laid, just because he wants to be her friend), and we get our classic past segment flashback that explains who the basket demon is. And it is indeed Duane's brother. Turns out that Duane is a Siamese twin, and the monster (named Belial) is a conjoined mass entity, at one point attached to Duane at the side, who shares a strong telepathic link with his sibling. After their separation, Belial keeps the telepathic abilities, and of course is none too happy with the doctors who performed the operation, hence why they are presently on their gruesome mission of exterminating said doctors.
Oh yeah, spoiler alert.
One more thing on this flashback - it contains a scene where the twelve-year-old version of Duane is being dragged by the doctors to the operating table and the actor playing child-Duane has to protest strongly while the doctors shove him around. And it...is...hilarious. The comedy reaches Eddie Murphy levels here. Even more amazing, it's taken us an hour to get to this point. But believe me, all the weirdness that's been contained in this movie thus far is just the pregame show. No matter how bizarre you think this flick might be during its first two acts, trust me, they top it.
Firstly, it's back to the present day for more s**ts and giggles, where Belial cops a feel on the hotel prostitute (and steals her panties, holy christ). This scene even manages to work up some genuine dread, as the simple Casio keyboard soundtrack does a fairly decent job setting up anticipation now that we know what Belial truly is. From here, the dynamic duo of Siamese twin rage make their way to the final physician on their hit list, Dr. Kutter (Diana Browne) and make quick work of her in an awesomely over-the-top sequence. How over-the-top? Take a gander.
Incredibly, the movie just keeps throwing more sickness our way, as Belial's newfound lustfulness exerts itself. Sharon shows up at Duane's hotel, and before long the two are making out forcefully. As an added bonus for him, Duane gets to grope Sharon's boobs during this scene. Just as the action starts getting heavy, Belial bursts out of his basket, and Duane saves Sharon from certain doom. Shortly afterward, Duane has a dream where he is running (naked, no less) through the curiously non-crowded streets of New York toward Sharon's apartment, eventually making his way inside and giving us the audience the opportunity to see Sharon's giant breasts for the first time. And it's cinematic mastery at its finest.Of course, in a TWIST, it's really Belial who is hovering over Sharon's naked body, as the monstrous twin is controlling his slightly more virtuous sibling via telekinesis into having the dream, or something. Belial first strangles Sharon to death, and then - are you ready for this? - has sex with her recetly-deceased body. At least that's what's implied, since when Duane bursts into the room, Belial is very slowly yet rhythmically nudging against her groin in a manner that suggests that this evil Siamese monster twin has just completed having coitus with this dead woman. "Basket Case" is some movie.
Anyway, time for this movie to hit the bricks. After Duane tracks Belial down at Sharon's apartment, he drags his pint-sized brother forcefully back to the hotel where an argument takes place between them. Belial attacks Duane, and they both go tumbling out of a window. There's a kinda-sorta touching moment where the twins look at each other while dangling from the hotel's neon sign before they both plunge to their deaths. Roll end credits.
You know...at the time of my AFOREMENTIONED first viewing of "Basket Case," I still had a fairly simplistic view of horror movies. It was too weird for me then; hell, watching it is still a bizarre, almost demeaning experience even today. This is a movie that proudly features a malformed devil child having lustful sex with a dead body. Thus, it didn't fit into my definition of what made a "good" movie (good characters, acting, screenplay, etc.) in 2001.In the ten years since, however, my definition of what makes a "good" movie has changed. Now, I define a good film as one that is able to hook your emotions. I can overlook a MOUNTAIN of flaws if a movie is able to do this simple task. Most definitely, "Basket Case" has a huge gamut of terrible qualities...but somehow, some way, I cared about it. After watching the movie a second time, I agree with the sentiments of the horror fans who consider this film to be a cult classic that Kevin Van Hentenryck, while quite the terrible thespian, actually manages to pull off being a shy, awkward, semi-relatable dude precisely BECAUSE he's so terrible at his craft. This might sound like some sort of impossible feat, but trust me, it's the truth. Almost defying itself, "Basket Case" manages to be a semi-emotional movie.
This movie was also made long before CGI and all of its soul-destroying qualities were on prominent display, meaning that we get several awesome death scenes full of stage blood and decent makeup effects. Ironically enough, the work done on Belial himself is quite atrocious. He is brought to life mainly through the art of stop motion photography, and while this sort of thing can look incredibly fluid and lifelike when given proper care, here it's stilted and awkward to the point of being laughable. Yet another thing that, in a crowd setting, would make watching this movie quite entertaining.
Which, in the end, is what "Basket Case" was at the time of its release - a goofy, gory, entertaining exploitation film. Does it succeed at this? Yes, it does. It's a movie that wants to entertain and shock. It makes no concessions or apologies for this, it doesn't try to shove any political message down your throat, it isn't interested in trying to justify its buckets of fake blood and gratuitous nudity. It is utterly pointless. And you know what? After ten years of absorbing zombie movie after zombie movie with the same "human beings are no better than flesh-eating zombies and are probably even WORSE" message...that's just the way I like it.
*** out of ****. It may be for all the wrong reasons, but damned if this movie wasn't a fun watch.
great write up, love it.
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