Basket Case (film)
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| Basket Case | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Frank Henenlotter |
| Produced by | Edgar Levins |
| Written by | Frank Henenlotter |
| Starring | Kevin Van Hentenryck Terri Susan Smith Beverly Bonner |
| Music by | Gus Russo |
| Distributed by | Analysis Film Releasing Corporation |
| Release date(s) | April, 1982[1] |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35,000 |
| Followed by | Basket Case 2 |
Basket Case aka House of Freaks is an American comedy horror film, written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, that was released in 1982. It has two sequels, Basket Case 2 (1990) and Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1991) by the same director. It is notable for its low budget and over-the-top violence. The film gained an audience in the 1980s due to the advent of home video.
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[edit] Plot
Naïve Duane Bradley (Hennenlotter regular Kevin Van Hentenryck) arrives in New York City carrying a basket containing his monstrous parasitic twin, Belial, who is so inhumanely malformed that the few people who know of his existence doubt he can even be considered a human. After their mother died giving birth to them, the conjoined twins' father loathed the sight of them and referred to them simply as "the child and the monster". Embittered by the death of his beloved wife, he turns to three doctors who are his last hope of separating the twins so that Duane can have a normal life and Belial will hopefully die. Surviving the operation, the twosome track down and murder the three doctors responsible for separating them.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kevin Van Hentenryck | Duane Bradley |
| Terri Susan Smith | Sharon |
| Beverly Bonner | Casey |
| Robert Vogel | Hotel manager |
| Diana Browne | Dr. Judith Kutter |
| Lloyd Pace | Dr. Harold Needleman |
| Bill Freeman | Dr. Julius Lifflander |
| Joe Clarke | Brian 'Mickey' O'Donovan |
| Ruth Neuman | Aunt |
| Richard Pierce | Duane's Father |
| Sean McCabe | Young Duane |
| Dorothy Strongin | Josephine |
| Ilze Balodis | Social Worker |
| Kerry Buff | Detective |
| Tom Robinson | Thief in Theater[2] |
[edit] Special effects
The special effects for Belial consist largely of a puppet in some scenes and stop motion in others. When Belial's hand is seen attacking his victims, it is really a glove worn by Henenlotter. The fullsize Belial puppet is also seen in the scenes where Belial is seen with an actor or where his eyes glow red. The famous Belial rampage sequence used stop motion animation. [3]
[edit] Releases
The film is available on DVD, published by Something Weird Video.
[edit] References
- ^ Basket Case (1982) - Release dates
- ^ Basket Case (1982) - Full cast and crew
- ^ This info is provided in the segment "In Search of Hotel Broslin" in the special features of the Basket Case DVD
