by Colleen Wanglund, MoreHorror.com

Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, a master of the low-budget B-horror movie, BASKET CASE (1982) tells the story of Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck—a Henenlotter regular) a naïve young man who carries around a basket containing his deformed brother Belial. Duane and Belial were conjoined twins whose birth caused the death of their mother. At around the age of twelve the twins were separated against their will at the urging of their father. Now Duane has brought Belial to New York City to find the doctors who performed the surgery and exact their revenge.

Belial is kept hidden because of his severe deformity. It was hoped by the boys’ father that Belial would die after the surgery, but he survived. The brothers have a telepathic connection and are extremely close. Things complicate matters for Duane when he meets Sharon (Terri Susan Smith) whom he likes…a lot. Belial is not happy about this development, thinking Duane will leave him.

Duane also meets Casey (Beverly Bonner—another Henenlotter regular) a hooker with a heart of gold. One night while drunk, Duane tells Casey about his past and his brother but she doesn’t believe it—until she sees Belial for herself.

If you like your horror low-budget then BASKET CASE is for you….although I’d be surprised if more than just a few fans haven’t seen it yet. The plot is a basic one but the splatter and gore are over-the-top (I expect nothing less from Frank Henenlotter). There’s a scene in the movie involving Belial and Sharon that is NOT to be missed.

The acting is bad and the special effects are clearly of the very low budget variety, including a rushed stop-motion sequence in which Belial tears apart the hotel room being rented by Duane. However this all makes for some fun viewing and laughs even though the movie itself is supposed to be quite bleak based on the ending. Personally I loved it.

If you’re one of the few who haven’t seen "BASKET CASE" yet I suggest you pick up a copy courtesy of Something Weird Video.