basketcase

Directed by Frank Henenlotter. Starring Kevin VanHentenryck , Terri Susan Smith , Beverly Bonner , Robert Vogel, and Diana Browne.

Basket Case is about a couple of former siamese twins by the name of Duane , and Belial. Duane is your average guy ( albeit pretty messed up in the head). His brother Belial is a hideously deformed being that is most comfortable in his basket , and looks a bit like a large discarded wad of chewing gum.

The two were surgically separated against their wishes by three unethical doctors when they were twelve , and they're both still pretty pissed off about it. Years after the operation , they decide to go to New York in search of the doctors so that they can

First off , they need a place to stay. Duane wanders into a seedy Times Square hotel by the name of The Hotel Broslin with Belial safely locked in his favorite basket. The place is an absolute dive , and is packed to the gills with the dregs of society. After serving a voracious Belial some meat patties , the two begin their murderous spree. Belial is also able to communicate telepathically with Duane , and read his thoughts and feelings.

This normally works to the pairs advantage. That is until Duane falls for a beautiful secretary, and Belial gets jeolous. He destroys the hotel room in a fit of rage , and from here on in things totally spiral out of control until the films shock ending.

This is a very entertaining ultra low budget film. Most of it was shot in a real run-down Times Square hotel on the condition that Henenlotter wouldn't reveal its name. This was because the owner feared prosecution by the health department as the place was in bad shape , and rat infested. This is a great showcase of New Yorks seedier side. Parts of it reminded me a hell of a lot of Taxi Driver. The effects were pretty basic , consisting of puppets and claymation , but the crude animated sequences featuring Belial really added to the surreal feeling that this movie had. The whole thing was pretty pacy , and it only really lagged in a few places.

This had a lot of pretty funny scenes too. Probably my favorite was when Duane sees a neighbour from the hotel in a seedy New York bar. They end up having a whole bunch of drinks....after a while she asks him "what's in the basket (which is of course sitting on the bar)?. Duane ends up spilling his guts about his hideously deformed brother who lives in the basket. He tells the woman that they were siamese twins , to which she replies "that's funny , you don't look oriental".

I watched this again just after terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center , and so ironically the weirdest thing in the movie this time around was a wide shot of the towers from the air, and also Duanes girlfriend suggesting that the tour the World Trade Center.....pretty eerie stuff that makes a strange film even stranger. This movie is basically a monsterous version of the old saying 'You can choose your freinds , but you can't choose your relatives'.