Basket Case (1982)

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

Cast

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | grindhouse film | psychotronic | grindhouse | cult director | 

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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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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Basket Case (¿Dónde te escondes, hermano?)

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

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

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Goofs

When the guy steals Duane's basket at the movies he kicks the lock off, including the latch, but in the next shot, when Duane runs into the bathroom, part of the latch is still connected to the basket.

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Quotes

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

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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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Alternate Versions

The Australian version, released on the Roadshow Home Video label, is uncut, and is the same as the American unrated version.

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Connections

References Jiang hu yi kuang long (1973)

User Reviews

One of my all-time favorites.

A young man carries his deformed, mutant, Siamese twin brother around in a wicker basket on the streets of New York. The loud, yellow, stumpy creature is named Belial and, according to his brother, looks like "a squashed octopus". In the past, they've remained completely sheltered from the world by their compassionate but overprotective aunt. Now, after her recent death, the two decide to hit the big city for the first time and exact their revenge on the doctors that separated them during childhood. What's not to love about this movie? The story and script are thoughtful, scary, and darkly humorous. The character development is flawless: you actually begin to feel sympathy for the grotesque, rubbery entity and his bemused companion. The special effects and gore sequences are extremely well-done, considering the film's microbudget. Also, while the acting is indeed notably bad, that just adds to the camp value of the film.