As someone who began his love of horror movies through the VHS and DVD era plus late-night UK treastial TV screenings the work of Frank Henenlotter has fascinated me & fellow genre fans for decades with his directing debut the horror comedy Basket Case from 1982.
When the Leif Garrett lookalike Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) arrives in New York at the kind of flop house that Charles Buckowski would appreciate with a large bankroll and a locked wicker basket which is transporting the lumpy mass that happens to be his brother Belial who is seeking murderous revenge on the less than ethical doctors that separated them from each other.
Basket Case, shot on 16mm with a final budget of $35,000 is a film that the director didn’t think would have the success it had with fans of cult cinema which includes Joe Bob Briggs who helped champion the film for Midnight Movie audiences who may or not be sober during its screenings.
The film is a wild campy OTT horror comedy that’s enterally rewatchable but what makes the movie stand out for me is how it now serves as a snapshot of early 80s New York in all of its sleazy glory of 42nd Street and the now highly desirable Tribeca which it certainly wasn’t during Basket Cases production.
When it comes to the acting the lead Kevin Van Hentenryck it’s a good performance he plays Duane as an out-of-state young man who has lived a sheltered small-town life as a mailman but now when he’s in the big city and wants a girlfriend and wants to right a wrong for his brother it’s those quiet scenes between them that makes Kevin acting stand out in this film he has strong feelings of loyalty to Belial.
The supporting cast that make up the residents of the Hotel Broslin are a collection of oddballs in various forms of sobriety and down on their luck but again share a sense of looking out for each other with Beverly Bonner as Casey who opens Duane’s eyes to the city.
Basket Case arrives on UK 4K for the first time and also on Blu-Ray again from Arrow Video with the film being restored from its 16mm print by the Museum Of Modern Art it’s the best-looking home video release I’ve seen of this film & thankfully uncut in all its gory glory.
The disc contains tons of extras from Arrow’s previous releases that fans of the film will enjoy watching from several interviews & audio commentaries with its stars, directors, producers and crew members who talk about their experiences on the film.
There’s also the feature-length documentary which appeared on the Second Sight franchise box set that covers the entire Basket Case trilogy, short movies, featurettes, a visual essay from Travis Crawford alongside galleries, trailers, TV/radio spots & outtakes.
Basket Case is a film that has many things in common with Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead in terms of its handmade look the production design and the monster alongside a confidence in the direction inspired by the kinds of movies that they grew up watching.
Basket Case Available On 4K & Blu Ray From Arrow Video April 29th 2024
The Film Collective Scotland 
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