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.

---

Plot Keywords:

doctor | basket | siamese twins | date | vengeance | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Horror

---

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

When Duane checks into the Hotel Broslin he takes out a wad of cash. According to Frank Henenlotter, the film's director, this was the film's entire budget.

---

Goofs

During the bar sequence, Duane refers to his brother, calling him Duane, instead of Belial.

---

Quotes

Josephine: Your brother? What is he? A midget?
Duane Bradley: No, he's deformed!

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

References Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)

User Reviews

Basket Case was a funny, scary, and shocking low-budget horror film from Frank Henenlotter

After first glancing at the article of this movie in the book "Cult Movies 2" some 25 years ago, I finally watched Basket Case today having bought the VHS from a used video store about a month ago. It concerns conjoined twins Duane (Keven Van Hentenryck) and Belial (which is a mixture of a puppet and stop-motion animation) and their revenge against the doctors that tore them apart. There's also a romance between Duane and one of the doctors' receptionist, Sharon (Terri Susan Smith). Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, Basket Case is obviously low-budget and amateurish with cheesy moments to spare especially whenever Belial attacks someone. But it can also provide some genuine scares and shocks especially when Belial encounters Sharon. So on that note, Basket Case comes highly recommended. P.S. One of the players, a Dorothy Strongin who played Josephine here, died in my current hometown of Baton Rouge, LA, on May 25, 2006.