Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Frank Henenlotter
Starring: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Robert Vogel, Diana Browne
Those who feel like outsiders often gravitate towards the horror genre
because it's far more sympathetic to those who don't fit in than
mainstream cinema. The icons of Hollywood are the beautiful people
whereas the icons of horror are the weirdos, the monsters, the "freaks."
While horror is often exploitative, it's equally empathetic, but its
portrayal of outsiders is often mistaken for cruelty. The classic case
is Tod Browning's Freaks, which was considered the height of bad taste and banned in many
countries. But Browning's film is thoroughly sympathetic to its
"freaks." In Freaks it's tellingly the blonde bombshell
and the bodybuilder who are the villains, the sort of people a certain
Austrian painter was hailing as superior specimens at the same time
Browning's film was on release.
Frank Henenlotter's 1982 zero budget monster movie
Basket Case is equally sympathetic to its monster, even if
it does ultimately cross the line and target innocent victims. It's one
of those rare horror movies that can be held up by those whose politics
lean to either right or left. The former might view it as a pro-life
movie, while for the latter it could be considered to proffer an
anti-eugenics message.
The "monster" in question is Belial, a deformed conjoined twin whose
sibling Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) was born a healthy, "normal"
boy. The birth resulted in the death of their mother. At 12 years old,
the twins are separated when their father, who has resented Belial since
the death of his wife, hires a trio of quack doctors to perform an
impromptu dining room table surgery. Belial is discarded in a trash bag
but retrieved by Duane. After murdering their dad, the twins are taken
in by a sympathetic aunt.
Eight years later Duane arrives in New York City with Belial concealed
in a wicker basket. The brothers have a plan to track down the doctors
who literally tore them apart and take violent revenge. Things get messy
when Duane falls for Sharon (Terri Susan Smith), the goofy
receptionist of one of the doctors, leading Belial to become violently
jealous.
Basket Case's initial reception mirrors the film's theme of how the general public reacts to
something they simply find horrifying and are unable to see the humanity
within. Critic Rex Reed labelled it "The sickest movie ever made," a
quote Henenlotter proudly added to his film's poster. Struggling to find
a distributor, Basket Case was saved from obscurity when
Texan b-movie buff Joe Bob Briggs arranged for it to have its world
premiere at a rundown drive-in in his home state. Word of mouth spread
and it became a midnight movie favourite. While it wasn't officially on
the UK's "Video Nasty" list, it was often seized by police during raids
on British video stores.
Is Basket Case icky? Certainly. But nasty? Hell no, far
from it. Henenlotter's film is as warm-hearted as horror gets. There's
an affinity for freaks, weirdos, eccentrics and outsiders on display
here, and not just concerning Belial. Upon arrival in New York, Duane
checks into a crummy hotel near the then notorious Times Square, which
is captured in all its wonderfully sleazy detail here. It's the sort of
establishment where the bad guys in Charles Bronson movies are always
hiding out, the kind of place that strikes fear into suburbanites who
live in terror of the city. But here it's filled with affable oddballs
who instantly accept Duane as one of their own, save for the old codger
who attempts to steal his bankroll. There's a hooker with a heart of
gold who becomes a matriarchal figure to Duane, a dotty old neighbour
who gives him a warm welcome on his arrival, and even the hotel manager,
resplendent in his traditional uniform of a stained white vest, is a
decent skin who looks out for his tenants.
Basket Case portrays the much maligned denizens of 42nd
Street with as much heart as the following year's
Angel would for their Hollywood Boulevard cousins.
Basket Case is ultimately a tragedy however, as just when
Duane seems to have finally found a place where he can fit in, the same
can't be said for poor little Belial, who grows increasingly angry as
his twin makes new friends. A combination of hand-puppetry and stop
motion, Belial is quite the creation. Out of context it looks frankly
ridiculous, but the film does such a good job of humanising Belial that
you view him as a living, breathing human, albeit one cursed with the
sort of looks that inspire horror in anyone who stumbles across the
little guy.
In a flashback to the aftermath of operation that caused all this, we
see a young Duane free his twin from a refuse sack, and there's
something surprisingly touching about how Belial reaches out a deformed
hand. It's a moment as moving in its own way as anything in the same
year's blockbuster hit E.T. Basket Case ends on a note that recalls
King Kong, but in this case it's not beauty that kills the beast, rather
society's obsession with beauty and revulsion at "ugliness."
Basket Case is on bluray and
4K UHD from April 29th, and streaming on Arrow Player from April
30th.