MEET BELIAL WITH BASKET CASE

 Basket Case follows Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck), a seemingly ordinary guy in his early 20s who hides a dark secret in a large wicker basket he carries with him. Inside is Belial, his formerly conjoined, deformed brother who was forcibly removed from Duane. Both are furious about this, and so head to NYC to punish those responsible. In between murders, Duane starts up a cute romance with Sharon (Terri Susan Smith), a sweet receptionist at a doctors office.

Basket Case is the directorial debut of schlock master Frank Henenlotter. The film was made for $35,000 and was shot on 16 mm. Most of the kills aren't great, except for the final one. The real draw here is Belial, who is an impressive, freaky creation. He actually has a personality, and it's hard not to feel sympathy/empathy for the little guy and his plight (He has a definite Quasimodo or Phantom type vibe). Belial also has some homosexual tendencies as can be seen by his feelings for his brother, and the jealousy he displays when Duane starts to get closer to Sharon.

Kevin Van Hentenryck is handsome, young, and mostly likable despite being complicit in Belial's murders. He cares deeply about his brother, and the two share a telepathic connection. Memorable supporting roles include Robert Vogel as the manager of the transient hotel Duane and Belial stay at (He has some entertaining reactions to the situations he finds himself in during the film, and is quite likable), and Beverly Bonner as Casey, the kind prostitute next door.

Basket Case isn't all that well paced (as can be evidenced by an extended flashback near the start of the third act), and the plotting is minimal. That said, it's very entertaining and cheesy. The film is also an equal opportunist when it comes to nudity.

In the end, Basket Case is far from being a bad film, despite having it's fair share of flaws. It's surprisingly memorable and lots of fun, it's definitely worth a watch for Belial alone. With memorable, likable, sympathetic leads and some nice performances, Basket Case makes the most out of its meager budget and emerges as a schlock classic.

3.5 STARS