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Basket Case (20th Anniversary Special Edition)
Average Customer Review : 4.0/5 based on 64 reviews
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List Price : $9.99
Price : $7.99
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Editorial Reviews
Here's a sick little movie for you--a creepy-funny shocker that's become a semi-cult classic since its release in 1982. It's a cheesy, low-budget horror flick about a small-town geek who arrives in New York City's Times Square carrying his mutant, telepathic twin brother in a big basket (hence the movie's title, get it?). They were once Siamese twins, and now they're seeking gory revenge against the doctors who surgically separated them against their will! Talk about brotherly love! The "normal" sibling has to keep his brother well- fed, and the basket-dweller's appetite runs the gamut from hamburgers to hookers. There's plenty of lowlife "meat" to be found in the seedy motel where the brothers live. Not exactly mainstream fare, as you might already have guessed, but director Frank Henenlotter handles the gruesomeness with resourceful ingenuity. The movie even gathered enough horror-buff momentum to spawn two lesser sequels in 1990 and 1992, which is all the proof you need to add this dubious trilogy to the gross-out hall of fame. --Jeff Shannon
Spotlight Reviews
Not at all what I thought it would be... (2008-12-26)
Customer Review : 2
Once again I have the familiar feeling that Amazon reviews have led me badly astray, this time with the movie Basket Case. The term "cult classic" is really starting to take on a new meaning for me, and that would be "proceed with caution", or perhaps "Warning, this might suck even if the majority says otherwise".
The tale begins with Duane Bradley, a upstate New Yorker who ventures into Manhattan and takes up residence in the first seedy hotel he finds. Suspense begins to build right from the get-go when you notice that Duane is constantly carrying a large wicker basket with him, and it builds even more when he begins communicating with whatever is inside of it about some sort of plan they have...We soon find out that the basket contains Duane's hideously deformed siamese twin Belial, a twisted mess of flesh who communicates with Duane telepathically about their plot to kill the doctors that surgically separated them against their will. However as Duane begins to show interest in girls, Belial becomes jealous, angry, and fearful that he's about to be ditched. So the movie is basically about the brother's killing spree, and sometimes it centers around the building tension between them as Duane dates a girl, it can't seem to decide which it wants to focus on.
This is supposedly a horror-comedy, but I did not find it scary or the least bit funny (Other than the occassional chuckle at the horrible stop motion scenes). In fact, I simply found Baset Case to be gross and actually a bit depressing. Watching a horribly disfigured siamese twin agonizing over seeing his "normal" brother going on and enjoying life's pleasures while he lives his life out as freak stuffed in a basket really isn't my kind of thing. Things began to shape up a little bit when the revenge aspect of the movie was fulfilled, but the crappy ending that ensued really left me with that all-too-familiar "I just wasted 90 minutes of my life" feeling.
Even if you're just looking into this movie because you like gore, you might walk away feeling short-changed because there isn't a lot of it, and it doesn't look too impressive when it makes an appearance anyway. Overall, I got almost no entertainment out of this movie. In fact with all these glowing reviews calling this classic, I'm almost beginning to second guess my fascination with the horror genre. I recommend only to, and I stress, only the most hardcore fans of all things weird, violent, and gross.
Basket Case Rocks (2008-12-12)
Customer Review : 5
I love Basket Case, I want to have all 3. Is there a way I can get a frequent buyer discount so I can get the other 2?
Basket Case Movie Review from The Massie Twins (2008-11-01)
Customer Review : 3
The first five minutes of Basket Case will determine whether or not the film is for you. You'll either be laughing uncontrollably, or be terribly annoyed. And while neither act is what the director was aiming for, Basket Case's jokiness, bad dialogue, daffy characters, and bizarre violence makes it a cult classic among low-budget horror films. It is one of the rare trashy films that is so poorly constructed it provides above-average entertainment.
Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) hides a horrifying secret - in a locked wicker basket that he constantly keeps at his side. Checking into a seedy hotel in Times Square, he plots a series of visits to various doctor's offices scattered around the city. As he visits each one, he unlocks the basket to allow a terrifyingly grotesque creature to scurry out, searching for addresses, paperwork, and brutally bloody revenge.
The mystery monstrosity in Duane's basket is no secret at all (given away by theatrical posters, DVD cover art and more) and is the remains of his Siamese twin brother Belial. A twisted lump of scar tissue, cartilage, and deformed flesh, Belial was removed by merciful doctors at the behest of their father, who hoped for a normal life for Duane. Not realizing that Belial could survive the torturous operation, and that Duane abhorred the separation, the duo remained conspiratorially in cohorts, growing up to plot revenge against the doctors involved. Communicating through telepathy and eager for blood, Belial is unleashed upon a city not ready for the horrors of this "Basket Case."
Basket Case is one of the pioneers of exploitation horror, complete with nudity, bloodshed, hilariously absurd dialogue, and silly creature effects. Low budget and not afraid to show it, the film tops its competitors of the day with memorable characters, an eerie story and the outlandish rubbery head of Belial. No character is normal in the film - everyone reeks of abnormalities, from eccentric behaviors and nonsensical dialogue, to extravagantly unpredictable actions.
To avoid showing Belial's obnoxiously unrealistic head studded with stubby, clawed hands, the camera oftentimes follows his point of view - close to the ground and with jerky movements. Flashbacks tell his tale, and plot holes abound. The unintentional laughs are hard to avoid as the screaming monster steals women's underwear, chows down on hamburgers, and leaves one of the doctors with a face full of scalpels. It's gruesome, gory, and way over-the-top; and so bad that it's good. There's time for an unlikely love story, moments for lines such as "you're cute when you slobber," and unabashed, awkward nudity. If unwarranted, uncensored cheesiness is your ticket to entertainment, Basket Case doesn't disappoint. And based on the fact that it inspired two sequels, director Frank Henenlotter's unique horror film is most certainly a cult classic.
- Mike Massie
awesome (2008-10-18)
Customer Review : 5
This is a classic B Rated movie. This movie is pretty funny and weird. If you like old cult classics this one is for you!
Pretty much a guilty pleasure for me (2008-08-21)
Customer Review : 4
The movie opens up with a man being stalked in his own home. After dieing a somewhat gruesome death. We are introduced to Duane Bradley(Kevin VanHentenryck)who is carrying a basket and renting a hotel room. The basket has a wild surprise inside.
The Basket Case is a pretty good horror comedy with a revenge theme. If you take it a little bit serious, the revenge theme actually works out. I enjoyed the movie most when it revealed some background to the main characters. It gave the movie some life and made the plot a lot more reasonable.
I will admit that I didn't care too much for the death scenes. Honestly, I think they sucked. No real imagination whatsoever but I loved the comedy. I found myself laughing way too many times to even come close to disliking this movie. Despite the fact it's not scary in the slightest and the suspense factor is very low.
Too many laugh out loud moments for me plus the ending was good too. Even though I did enjoy this. I haven't watched the sequels and I never will. This movie did it for me but it didn't truely capture me. I don't care to ever see what happens next. I think this movie will mostly appeal to those who live and die by horror comedy. Don't even bother with this if your horror must be serious all the time.
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