150 Word Review: 'Basket Case' (1982)
Sibling rivalry
Basket Case is a gory grindhouse treasure that works because of Kevin Van Hentenryck's wide-eyed performance as a horny young nerd named Duane and the mysterious wicker basket he lugs around—the actual prop itself. It's a perfectly normal-looking hamper, but instead of folded laundry or picnic sandwiches inside, it’s home to Belial, Duane's monstrous co-joined twin, to whom he is telepathically linked.
Belial is a ridiculous rubber goblin, a ball of twisted flesh with a pair of powerful arms and a mouth full of sharp teeth whose screams sound like a goat possessed by Satan. Duane and his sibling are new to sleazy 1980s New York City, hunting for the doctors who separated them against their wills. This is midnight movie master Frank Henenlotter's debut, a lurid tale of revenge that spends most of its micro-budget on fake blood and asks: Who doesn't carry their secrets around in a basket?
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