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Basket Case (1982)

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Overall Rating 57%
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Ranked #3,476
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Connections: Basket Case

Charming country bumpkin Duane Bradley takes a motel room in New York with a basket and a backpack. In a flashback sequence we learn the basket contains his surgically removed Siamese twin - who is not only so physically deformed the doctors hesitated to consider him a human, but is also the vindictive driver behind their trip, with the purpose of killing off all those he blames. But in one of those doctors' offices, Duane gets his first-ever date, with the receptionist, and wants to start a positive life. When the freak twin escapes, the scene is set for a grim finale. --IMDb
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Review by bluemeanie
Added: March 31, 2006
Just today I gave a lecture at a local junior college on the progression of horror films over the years, covering German expressionism through the last significant horror breakthrough, which came with "The Blair Witch Project". As a treat, two weeks ago, I let the kids in the class choose a film that we would watch at the conclusion of the lecture -- some film that they all felt was one of the greatest horror films ever made. With 25 kids in the class, I got all kinds of results, from "Halloween" to "The Exorcist" to "The Ring". Alas, four kids in the class -- and this turned out to be a majority -- voted for "Basket Case". The whole idea was that we would watch the film and then I would discuss comparison between the film and other filmmakers and just kind of dissect the film for the students in the class. I had already seen "Basket Case" a couple of times and I certainly did not expect anyone in the class to vote for it as their favorite horror film of all time, and here is why...

IT IS TERRIBLE! The back of the DVD cover calls it a mix of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Eraserhead", which could not be further from the truth. It has nothing in common with either of those films. "Basket Case" tells the story of two Siamese twins who were separated. One is normal. One is not. The normal one carries the not-so-normal around in a basket and unleashes him on the people that did them wrong. Released in 1982, this film pretty much sums up the worst of 1980's horror. The film features terrible performances, mediocre effects, and one of the worst scripts ever written for a horror film. In short, it is a failure of epic proportions.

When the film was over, I couldn't stop laughing for about ten minutes. Most of the kids in the class looked shocked that "Basket Case" had been the film selected. I then decided it would be more fun to have the four kids who chose it to come up and explain why they liked it so much. Only two fessed up to voting for it. They came up and then proceeded to explain their motives for enjoying the film. They said they liked how gory it was, and I immediately directed them to Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive', which neither of them had seen before. I finished my lecture by bashing their ideology behind liking such a wretched film (as any good critic would do), and gave them a list of better horror alternatives that "Basket Case'. In short, avoid the film. 1/10.
Shakes #1: Shakes - added July 6, 2008 at 7:03pm
I dig this flick! I think it's hilarious. I also recommend Henenlotter's Brain Damage. Anyway, that part where Belial flips out and starts trashing the room in claymation.. that shit was funny as hell!!! This low-budget film isn't supposed to be outstanding but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining to watch. To each their own. And yeah, the sequels were awful. 5/10.
Tom Moore #2: Tom Moore - added August 24, 2009 at 5:16pm
Great movie. Everything is so sleazy, the actors are so natural, and the effects are so bad, it creates its own sort of charm. I was never bored.
Tristan #3: Tristan - added October 25, 2009 at 10:23pm
Laughably bad, but we had a good time watching it. It was entertaining, to say the least.

5/10
benloveshorror #4: benloveshorror - added August 3, 2010 at 9:31pm
The sequels are actually better. I was bored while watching most of the first Basket Case. 3/10
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