Today I Watched... Basket Case (1982)

OR... What's in the Basket?

In the middle of November, the Cork Film Festival takes place, and one of the showings in this year’s line-up was the 1982 cult classic horror film Basket Case directed by Frank Henelotter. Henelotter is known for his campy exploitation films from the 1980s, like Basket Case, Frankenhooker, and Brain Damage. Although I personally had not yet seen any of his work, I knew many people who absolutely adored Henelotter’s films. I even remember receiving a list of horror movies that I “needed to watch” from a nurse during my hospital stay in 2018, and Basket Case was top of the list. To me, that was a sign that I just had to watch this movie.

On Saturday the 12th, I headed to the Gate Cinema at 8 pm, suffering from tonsillitis, but still committed to seeing this enigmatic film. Going in, all I knew about the film was a picture of the titular basket case (named Belial), and that it was a campy classic. I got popcorn, my ticket scanned, and went to Screen 3. The first thing I noticed was that the majority of the audience was between the ages of 26-35. I think I might have been the youngest person there, and these people seemed to be big fans of this movie, from what I heard when eavesdropping in on their conversations. Before the movie started, a man from the Cork Film Festival came up to introduce the film, and told us about how he came to know of this movie because of the amount of trailers for Basket Case that were on VHS tapes that he would rent as a child. A few people around me laughed in what I assume was agreement; they too have a similar story to tell about Basket Case. The whole experience reminded me of last December, when my friends and I went to a screening of the original Scream at the Gate Cinema for its 25th anniversary. Scream was a film I was terrified of, mostly from the countless pop culture references to it that I experienced growing up, and particularly from seeing the trailer for Scream 4. It was also the franchise that got me into horror because of that very reason, because I was so terrified yet intrigued; I could never stop thinking of Ghostface and the terror of him hiding in my house. I felt like I could understand and relate to everyone’s excitement and joy to be viewing this film on the big screen, even if I hadn’t yet watched it.

The first thing I noticed was that there was no ad reel before the film, which I should have expected, but going straight into the opening threw me off, and that was probably the best feeling to have when watching this strange film. Straight away the audience were laughing and reacting to the film. If I had just watched this at home, I think I would not have viewed some of the scenes as comedic; I may have viewed it incorrectly as overdramatic seriousness, instead of intentional humour. The experience of having this audience around me, that had viewed this film multiple times, created an atmosphere that I certainly won’t forget. The production of this film was obviously cheap, and the actors were not professionals. I had even checked beforehand to see if I recognized anyone who starred and the majority had very little to no other documented roles, but this aspect heightened the campiness of the film. The plot of this movie is pretty simple: two conjoined twins (albeit one basically being a giant lump of flesh with a face) had been separated against their will at a young age. Now fully grown, Duane Bradley and his “little” brother (pun intended) Belial have decided to exact revenge against the doctors who had performed on them years ago. In the meantime, they stay at a cheap hotel in New York City, and Belial causes a lot of noise and physical disturbance for the residents. The acting is over the top, and I love it. Nobody acts or talks like a real person would, and the just-as-extreme practical effects harbor this insane and hilarious atmosphere. The character of Belial is perhaps the most memorable part of Basket Case. Created using a mix of puppetry and stop-motion, Belial is captivating, with an adorably ugly face, and a way of communication that is only belligerent screams.

One of my favourite scenes, partially for how strange it was, is a long scene of Duane and his hotel neighbour Casey drunk in a bar, where Duane spills the details about Belial. Casey just thinks this kid is insane, while Duane is not holding back on details, about the surgery and how they are planning on getting revenge on those doctors. Both actors are, as usual with this movie, over the top and laughing every line. It is so bewilderingly unusual, it feels like a scene from something by David Lynch. I can definitely imagine that being involved in creating this film must have been fun, considering how creative they had to be with their minimal budget. I even read that many of the actors were crew members who decided to help production by taking on roles in the film.

After the final scene, involving the main character Duane being attacked by his once-conjoined twin Belial, and implied to have been killed, the credits rolled and I left the theater feeling grateful that I went, with a sense of excitement to watch more 80s b-movies. I know that Basket Case is a trilogy, and considering how this one ends, I’m fascinated to see how the story can progress. That list I mentioned in the beginning has a few other of these outrageous and hilarious gore flicks, like Brain Dead, The Blob, and Society. For now, however, I think I’m gonna prioritize the Basket Case sequels, and the rest of Frank Henelotter’s eccentric filmography.