6.1/10
13,419
139 user 111 critic

Basket Case (1982)

Not Rated | | Comedy, Horror | 2 April 1982 (USA)
Basket Case Poster
A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely 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 | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

Watch Now

From $3.99 (SD) on Prime Video

ON DISC

Photos

See all 55 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Basket Case 2 (1990)
Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.3/10 X  

Duane and his basket-bound mutant brother are taken in by a secret home for wayward freaks with journalists hot on their tail.

Director: Frank Henenlotter
Stars: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Judy Grafe, Annie Ross
Next »
Basket Case 3 (1991)
Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.6/10 X  

Duane recovers from his delusional breakdown to find his freakish basket-bound brother Belial will soon become a father. But not everything is joyous as the once tight knit brothers no longer seem to trust each other.

Director: Frank Henenlotter
Stars: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Annie Ross, Gil Roper
Next »
Brain Damage (1988)
Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

One morning, a young man wakes to find that a small, disgusting creature has attached itself to the base of his brain stem. The creature gives him a euphoric state of happiness but demands human victims in return.

Director: Frank Henenlotter
Stars: Rick Hearst, Gordon MacDonald, Jennifer Lowry
Next »
Frankenhooker (1990)
Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A medical student sets out to recreate his decapitated fiancée by building her a new body made of Manhattan street prostitutes.

Director: Frank Henenlotter
Stars: James Lorinz, Joanne Ritchie, Patty Mullen
Next »
Tourist Trap (1979)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X  

A group of young friends stranded at a secluded roadside museum are stalked by a masked assailant who uses his telekenetic powers to control the attraction's mannequins.

Director: David Schmoeller
Stars: Chuck Connors, Jocelyn Jones, Jon Van Ness
Next »
Street Trash (1987)
Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X  

A liquor store owner sells alcoholic beverages to homeless people, unaware of what the bottles actually contain: toxic brew.

Director: James M. Muro
Stars: Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Vic Noto
Next »
The Stuff (1985)
Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

A delicious, mysterious goo that oozes from the earth is marketed as the newest dessert sensation, but the tasty treat rots more than teeth when zombie-like snackers who only want to consume more of the strange substance at any cost begin infesting the world.

Director: Larry Cohen
Stars: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris
Next »
Society (1989)
Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

An ordinary teenage boy discovers his family is part of a gruesome orgy cult for the social elite.

Director: Brian Yuzna
Stars: Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Evan Richards
Next »
Pieces (1982)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

Young co-eds are being dismembered by a mysterious murderer on a college campus. The killer is attempting to put together a human jigsaw puzzle made from body parts.

Director: Juan Piquer Simón
Stars: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Braña
Next »
Demons (1985)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A group of random people are invited to a screening of a mysterious movie, only to find themselves trapped in the theater with ravenous demons.

Director: Lamberto Bava
Stars: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny
Next »
Re-Animator (1985)
Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A dedicated student at a medical college and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue when an odd new student arrives on campus.

Director: Stuart Gordon
Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton
Next »
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

Angela Baker, a traumatized and very shy young girl, is sent to summer camp with her cousin. Shortly after her arrival, anyone with sinister or less than honorable intentions gets their comeuppance.

Director: Robert Hiltzik
Stars: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Van Hentenryck ... Duane Bradley (as Kevin VanHentenryck)
Terri Susan Smith Terri Susan Smith ... Sharon
Beverly Bonner ... Casey
Robert Vogel Robert Vogel ... Hotel Manager
Diana Browne ... Dr. Kutter
Lloyd Pace ... Dr. Needleman
Bill Freeman Bill Freeman ... Dr. Lifflander
Joe Clarke ... O'Donovan
Ruth Neuman Ruth Neuman ... Duane's Aunt
Richard Pierce Richard Pierce ... Duane's Father
Sean McCabe ... Young Duane
Dorothy Strongin Dorothy Strongin ... Josephine
Kerry Ruff Kerry Ruff ... Detective
Ilze Balodis Ilze Balodis ... Social Worker
Tom Robinson ... Thief in Theater
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Charming country bumpkin Duane Bradley takes a motel room in New York with a basket and a backpack. In a flash back-series we learn the basket 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, the scene is set for a grim finale. Written by KGF Vissers

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | grindhouse film | psychotronic | grindhouse | cult director | See All (117) »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Comedy | Horror

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1982 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Basket Case (¿Dónde te escondes, hermano?) See more »

Filming Locations:

Franklin Street, Tribeca, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA See more »
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Basket Case Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The centerfold on O'Donovan's wall is of Mary and Madeline Collinson, Playboy's first twin Playmates. See more »

Goofs

When Duane is sleeping Belial opens his basket and looks at him, the basket lock latch disappears/reappears. See more »

Quotes

Dr. Julius Lifflander: No, no, I think we're making a big mistake. We're rushing things. We shouldn't even be here.
Dr. Harold Needleman: Where's the boy now?
Duane's Father: He's upstairs in bed asleep, he can't hear us.
Dr. Julius Lifflander: We need to think this over. Talk it over.
Duane's Father: We don't have time, it must be done now, while my sister in law's away.
Dr. Julius Lifflander: I'm not sure, I've got second thoughts.
Duane's Father: Bullshit, second thoughts! I've had twelve years of doctor's second thoughts!
Dr. Julius Lifflander: I don't know, I just don't know!
Duane's Father: Well you'd sure as hell know if it were your own son we were talking ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

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

Connections

Featured in Bloodworks: The Deformities of Gabe Bartalos (2014) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the differences between the BBFC-18 VHS and the uncut version?
See more »

User Reviews

 
So sleazy you'll want to take a shower afterwards!
26 August 1999 | by Casey-52 – See all my reviews

I first saw this horribly grainy movie back when I was around 12 years old. It was such a traumatizing experience, I thought I would wet my pants in the Dr. Needleman death scene! Then I discovered the Something Weird digitally remastered version this year and I absolutely love it now! I now realize it was meant to be funny in many places; it gets more campy with every viewing (that's not bad) and the over-the-top gore effects help it hold that position. Like the title of this review says, you seriously might think of steering clear of New York City after watching this movie. The only two movies I can think of that make New York look like a filthy, dirty abyss would be the ones mentioned in the other reviews, TAXI DRIVER and HARDCORE. To rebutt a fellow reviewer's point: Casey the prostitute is not hairy, but is on the chunky side! This movie is highly recommended as campy viewing at best. If anyone actually watches this movie while taking it seriously (it obviously doesn't want to be), of course they won't like it! But this is required for fans of cult movies, horror movies, and any of those who love the offbeat. Me included!
22 of 28 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 139 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Comedy Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular comedy titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed