The 1982 debut feature of filmmaker Frank Henenlotter is a gruesome cult indie-horror drama of brotherly love and righteous vengeance shot on location in the seedier sections of New York City. Kevin Van Hentenryck stars in this low-budget exercise in grotesquery and gore as Duane, the "normal" brother sent by his deformed, formerly-conjoined twin Belial to take revenge on the doctors who separated the two and left the blobby, grotesquely misshapen sibling to die. Henenlotter was reared on the cheap horror films of Herschell Gordon Lewis and other independent exploitation directors of the 1960s and ‘70s, and Basket Case is in many ways his tribute to the grindhouse horror films that he loves, a cheapie monster movie with creative twists and DIY special effects that are created with a mix of puppets, models, and stop-motion animation. Most of the effects shrewdly take place just offscreen, with spurts of blood and a gnarly hand dragging the character out of view to feed our imaginations. Henenlotter adopts a loving B-movie attitude and brings a genuine sense of tragedy to the character of the snaggle-toothed Belial in this cult classic that offers an inspired twist on the Cain and Abel story. Newly remastered for its Blu-ray debut, this special edition features a wealth of extras, including new and archival audio commentaries with Henenlotter, cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, bonus short films, image galleries, and a booklet. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Basket Case
Arrow, 91 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $39.99 Volume 33, Issue 3
Basket Case
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