Summary:
A young man travels to New York with his deformed Siamese-twin brother in a basket with plans for vengeance on the doctors that separated them against their will.
My Thoughts:
If I were to pitch this movie to you- you knowing absolutely nothing about the film before this- I would say that it’s a John-Waters-esque schlock horror film. The John Waters (“Multiple Maniacs”) aspect comes not from its crudeness or crassness, but the from the total eccentricity of all of the characters and the uniqueness of the world. Every person we meet in this movie is bizarre, and the world in which this film takes place is absolutely lunacy (much like Waters films). In the same way, the film isn’t incredibly well shot, nor do the creature effects look incredibly scary or amazing (we can tell it’s just a rubber dummy)- technical craft comes second to story and shock value- again, like Waters. But somehow, the way this story plays out, the way it develops the characters and the issues they’re wrestling with, helps this film transcends the schlocky material it focuses on. The plot of this movie is silly and ridiculous, and the movie itself knows that full well, in turns making Belial, the deformed Siamese brother of our protagonist, terrifying and absolutely hilarious. While this movie starts out as a schlock-slasher, it turns into a study of loneliness and isolation, the feeling of separation and even self-destruction. I went into this movie expecting a laugh, and I was rewarded with plenty; what I didn’t expect was a rather emotional hook at the end.
This isn’t a hotel! It’s a nuthouse!
Now, first and foremost, I want to say that this film is definitely not for everyone. If you’re like me, you like horror films (see my Halloween series for 2018: 31 Nights of Thrills), to the point that horror movies are pretty much always in my heavy rotation. I’ve a big place in my heart for low budget horror movies. Why? Well, horror films are often the easiest place for up and coming filmmakers to get a good start- Peter Jackson with Brain Dead and Bad Taste, Sam Raimi with Evil Dead- Heck, even James Wan with Saw if you’re looking for a more contemporary example. The point is fear is a quantifiable emotion, one that is easier to twist than many other emotions- if a director is trying to get an emotional response, fear is a pretty easy emotion to mess with. One of the reasons I have such a huge love for low budget horror films is the behind the scenes stories that come from those productions- no, they don’t necessarily add much to the movies themselves, but context helps everything. If you watch Evil Dead for the first time, you’d probably think to yourself that was a creepy film, and move on. But if you know the story: that Sam Raimi rented a cabin in Tennessee and he and his buddies filmed for months in the freezing cold with a budget of $350,000, which he raised by himself, and then you hear about the all the problems the set had: loosing actors and actresses, etc… you begin to look at the film through a new light. For me, at least, I find myself in wonder at how the production came to fruition, and how wonderful it is that we have a film that still stands the test of time today.
Basket Case is one of those low budget horror films that I’m surprised made it through production, but I’m incredibly glad it did. Just reading about some of the things that had to deal with now, I’m surprised this film ever saw the light of day. They had so few crewmembers that many of the names in the credits are made up, so it looked like the crew was more professional. They had to shoot a streaking scene in the middle of winter without permission, so they had their lead actor wait in a van until the coast was clear and then run naked through the streets multiple times until they got the footage they needed. The director’s crew quit on him after he shot one of the more controversial scenes in the film… Context gives everything more meaning. Sure, the technical aspects of this film are a little shaky at points, but the story is worth watching, the message he’s trying to send is there, and it’s really funny to boot.
Verdict:
This movie feels like a mix between at Lovecraftian nightmare and a Cronenberg wet dream. The story is pure unadulterated pulp, but as I mentioned above, it transcends itself. Yes, this is ridiculous, and the film knows it. Belial is hilarious and terrifying and the content of this movie is sometimes so over the top that I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. I can’t emphasize enough that not everyone will enjoy this movie, as it panders to a rather specific crowd, but if your like me and you enjoy a little dark/gore humor, then this movie might be right up your alley. It might even surprise you at the end when it hits you in the feels. This film is about as close as we’ll get to a schlock horror masterpiece.
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