They say that horror films run in cycles. The first major
one involved the classic Universal monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula and the
Wolf Man. The second came during the fifties when we had radiated monsters that
turned miniscule pests into giant sized terrors. The early sixties provided us
with two forms of horror, the drive in low budget films that included the Poe
tales from Roger Corman and the imported Hammer horror films more often than
not starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Then a lull came along with
only THE EXORCIST on hand. All of that changed in the late seventies and early
eighties.
The invention of the VCR ushered in a new wave of horror
films. Once again the budgets were low but the creative levels were high. Video
renters couldn’t get enough of horror films. Directors who went on to become
famous were making many of these movies, cutting their teeth on combinations of
editing techniques and gushing goo. It was a time when horror fans were
delighted. Then Hollywood became aware of the money to be made. Suddenly it
changed from creative output to franchise material. Many were good movies but
it became all about how long a series could run.
Fortunately fans can still partake in the classics of the
time period, those 70s and 80s slashers and creature movies that made you force
your parents to allow you to traipse down the horror aisle as the local video
store. One such movie has now made its way to blu-ray format in the best
offering of the movie ever seen. That movie is Frank Henenlotter’s BASKETCASE.
The movie tells the story of two brothers, Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck)
and Belial. Joined together at birth Belial was a malformed creature attached
to his brother’s side. When years later a medical team separates the pair,
Belial survives and communicates with his brother. Together the two run away
with plans of revenge against the medical staff who forced them apart.
After an initial murder we find the pair walking the streets
of New York in the 42nd Street area, notorious for the sleaziness of
the times. Porn theaters, hotels with hourly rental rates and greasy food
joints abound. Checking into a hotel with Belial in a wicker basket, Duane
begins his search for the staff.
As their story unfolds Duane meets and falls for a young nurse
named Sharon (Terri Susan). With his attentions deviated from their goal Belial
is enraged. The malformed monstrosity is not one to take lightly, especially
when angered. Whether the pair will carry on with their plans for revenges or
if Duane will find some sense of normality isn’t revealed until the end of the
film. The fact that the film generated 2 sequels answers part of that question.
Both of those films are available on blu-ray now as well.
To start with the movie provides us with a new monster,
something that had disappeared from the film landscape for some time. After
years of radiated creatures we now had one born for no apparent reason other
than that he simply was. It would be a few more years before the genetically
altered creatures arrived and Belial is not one of those. The effects used to
create Belial were practical effects, puppets and the like, giving him a more
sinister appearance than any computer generated creature has had. That added to
the terror aspect of the character, making him frightening, something you’d
hope to never encounter. And at the same time there is an amount of sympathy
imbued in the character, a monster not by choice but by birth. In this way he
becomes the new Frankenstein in a modern world.
As I said earlier the movies from this time period had some
of the most miniscule budgets ever known to man. Many were shot on the fly, no
permits sought out for locations, shot in actual buildings rather than sets and
using actors who were lacking on so many levels. But all of that combined to
give films like this one a charm all their own. Hentenryck’s delivery of lines
leaves much to be desired but it also makes his performance as an innocent in a
nasty world more believable. The side actors also offer lines in the worst way
possible but who cares? This is a creature feature and no one is looking for
Shakespeare.
Henenlotter has delivered the goods with this film, his
first feature length movie. Many directors their first time out try to dazzle
us with their techniques, film angles, effects laden shots and more.
Henenlotter just wants to tell us a story and frighten us at the same time.
That makes for a much more enjoyable film. The seediness of the area the film
takes place in is embraced by Henenlotter, a world most of us will never visit
but we get a glimpse of here from someone familiar with it. It is a world that
suits Duane and Belial Bradley and their story.
Arrow Video has done their standard amazing job with this
one. To begin with their presenting the film in a digital 4k format making it
the cleanest possible version you’ll find of the film. In addition to that
they’ve loaded the film with a ton of extras sure to make any fan foam at the
mouth. Those include a brand new audio commentary track with Henenlotter and
Hentenryck, “Basket Case 3 ½: An Interview with Duane Bradley” a look back at
the character with Henenlotter, “Seeing Double: The Basket Case Twin” a new
interview with Florence and Maryellen Schultz the twin nurses from the film, a
brand new making of featurette with interviews of producer Edgar Ievins,
casting person/actress Ilze Balodis, associate producer/effects artist Ugis
Nigals and Belial performer Kika Nigals, “Blood, Basket and Beyong” a new
interview with actress Beverly Bonner, “Belial Goes to the Drive-In” a new
interview with film critic Joe Bob Briggs, an outtakes featurette, “In Search
of the Hotel Broslin” an archive featurette, “Slash of the Knife” a short film
made by Henenlotter in 1972, “Belial’s Dream” a brand new Basket Case inspired
animated short by filmmaker Robert Morgan, behind the scenes of “Belial’s
Dream”, trailers, TV spots, radio spots, an extensive still gallery, a
reversible sleeve with original artwork by Sara Deck and for the first pressing
only a collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold.
Whew! That’s an exhaustive amount of extras for a movie that probably costs
less than all of these combined!
Fans of the film will rejoice at the opportunity to revisit
Duane and Belial once more. They’ll revel in every blood soaked moment that
appears on screen. Those who have never seen the film will discover just how
great it truly is, enough so that they might decide to gather the entire set of
three films. In any event this edition from Arrow shows once more how dedicated
they are at offering the best quality version of the films they carry. A fan
couldn’t ask for more.
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