Basket Case (1982)

A young man carrying a big basket that contains his deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.

Director:

Frank Henenlotter

Writer:

Frank Henenlotter

Stars:

Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Van Hentenryck	...	Duane Bradley
Terri Susan Smith	...	Sharon
Beverly Bonner	...	Casey
Robert Vogel	...	Hotel manager
Diana Browne	...	Dr. Judith Kutter
Lloyd Pace	...	Dr. Harold Needleman
Bill Freeman	...	Dr. Julius Lifflander
Joe Clarke	...	Brian 'Mickey' O'Donovan
Ruth Neuman	...	Aunt
Richard Pierce	...	Duane's Father
Sean McCabe	...	Young Duane
Dorothy Strongin	...	Josephine
Ilze Balodis	...	Social Worker
Kerry Ruff	...	Detective
Tom Robinson	...	Thief in Theater

Storyline

Charming country bumpkin Duane Bradley takes a motel room in New York with no other luggage then a basket. In a flash back-series we learn it contains his surgically removed Siamese twin who is not only physically deformed so badly the doctors hesitated to consider him a human, but is also the vindictive drive of their trip, with the purpose to kill off all those he blames. But in the reception of one of those doctors, Duane gets his first ever date, with the receptionist, and wants to start a positive life too - when the freak twin escapes, these scene is set for a grim finale.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | basket | siamese twins | date | vengeance | 

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Taglines:

The tenant in room 7 is very small, very twisted and very mad.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Basket Case - Der unheimliche Zwilling

Filming Locations:

Franklin Street, Tribeca, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Basket Case Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the shooting of Terri Susan Smith's death scene the crew became offended and walked out of the production. This would happen again during the director's next film Brain Damage.

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Goofs

When Casey enters Duane's room to drop him off after he drinks a lot she proceeds over to the basket. By the basket is the file Duane and Belial retrieved after the first kill. On it is blood that is still red. With the amount of time that has passed it should have dried up and been maroon.

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Quotes

Hotel manager: This isn't a hotel, it's a nuthouse!

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Crazy Credits

Since the crew only consisted of three or four people, many of the names in the credits are fictitious.

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Connections

Featured in Extra Weird (2003)

User Reviews

Essential 1980s horror. Cheap, nasty and LOTS of fun!

One interesting side effect of the DVD revolution is that I've been watching lots of movies I haven't seen for YEARS, and some aren't as great as I remember them to be, and others are better. 'Basket Case' was one of THE great late 70s/early 80s low (and I mean looooow!) budget horror movies, linked in my mind with such genre classics as 'Phantasm' and 'Evil Dead'. Watching it now I don't think it's QUITE as great as those two, but it's still enjoyable to watch, and along with 'Re-Animator', 'Motel Hell' and 'Dead And Buried' it's one of the essential horror movies of the 1980s. Look, it isn't perfect, the animation sequences in particular are pretty poor, but considering the lack of funds, it's creepy, bizarre and doesn't take itself very seriously, and Kevin VanHentenryck (Duane) actually gives a very good performance. Writer/director Frank Henelotter went on to make the even better 'Brain Damage' and 'Frankenhooker' (as well as two sequels which I haven't seen) but sadly hasn't made a movie in the last ten years. Henelotter mixes horror and comedy as good as, if not better than, vintage Sam Raimi and Stuart Gordon in my opinion. Why isn't he making movies?! Why doesn't SOMEONE give him a million dollars and freedom to make anything he wants?? I really, really hope he makes a comeback soon. Until then check out 'Basket Case', it's cheap, nasty and LOTS of fun!