Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Basket Case; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.00
TOTAL: 5.75 out of 10.00.
I have watched Basket Case four times to date, and I'm still unsure about it. It's one of those films that should be right in my ballpark. But for some unknown reason, I still find myself irresolute.
The story writer and director Frank Henenlotter presents the audience is a sound idea. A boy and his once-conjoined twin seek revenge against those who literally tore them apart. After splitting their father in half with a circular saw, their doting mother looked after the kids: She never wanted the pair separated. After she passes away, the deadly duo set about pursuing their revenge and head towards the city, where they take up residence at one of the city's seedier hotels. Henenlotter creates his microcosm well and populates it with sturdy characters. But it's here that it falls apart for me. One reason is the comedic element. It feels forced and a tad feeble. Take the doctors who carried out the operation. One is now a general practitioner in a clinic that appears worse than the brother's hotel, and the female doc who did the cutting is a vet. These reveals should tickle your funny bone. However, mine remained untitillated. And then you have the whole size issue with Duane's bro, which I'll get to later. I still wish Henenlotter had stuck to making a horror movie because he excels at this more than comedy.
Even Henenlotter's cinematographic eye is well-honed. There's very little wrong in his direction. He has a good sense of composition and utilises light, shade, and colour splendidly, empowering the movie with an air of creepiness. Sadly, due to the low budget, the downfall of the picture is the deformed brother. Most of the time, it's acceptable. The too-soft rubber hands lose definition when they are used to grip anything. But, we horror fans can let that slide, especially if it happens when the scene is gripping. What I couldn't let slip was the stop-frame animation. One sequence of a mediocre Harryhausen making the head with arms go on a rampage in the hotel room would've been okay. But there are two more such scenes. And they did nothing but annoy. The worst of which is the glowing eyes. You can clearly see the head's different from the previous model they'd been using. The reason is to allow the FX guys to stick two bulbs behind its eyes. When the lights flick on, it's dreadful. Even though the shot only lasts a couple of seconds, you'll remember it for the wrong reasons. And this is an absolute shame because, like Henenlotter, the FX Crew deliver some brilliant gore for the lack of cash. The face scratches look realistic, as does the body torn in half, and the head full of scalpels - though the performer's timing could've been faster in that scene. Back to the comedy, Henenlotter also attempts to throw in some sight gags, the most memorable being the toilet. After the handy head wrecks their room, the neighbours and manager rush in to see. Luckily, he heard them and hid - in the crapper. When brother Duane returns, he looks everywhere. Unable to find him, he collapses to the floor, weary and worried, at which point a hand comes up from the toilet bowl. Everybody laughs. And if you think about it, if he had a tan, he'd look like the emoticon poo brought to life. Unfortunately, in the following clip, you see him sitting on the rim of the toilet, and you realise he could never fit in; it's too shallow and small. Laughs stop. It's these little things that mess the film up for me.
The cast is well above average in their portrayals. They come across strongly and help make their characters credible. Whatsmore, nobody outshines the other. I love this in movies. Every actor and actress is as skilled as the others. It makes for greater immersion into the film for the viewer.
I would happily recommend Basket Case to every horror fan out there. It's worthy of one watch. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it more than I do: Maybe this style of humour is your bag. I will probably watch the flick for a fifth time because, though they filmed on a budget, it remains one of the better shot low-cost flicks I've had the pleasure to watch - and I do like the cinematography and story.
Get Out Of The Toilet - NOW! After you wipe yourself dry, you can read my IMDb lists - Absolute Horror and Just For Laughs to see where I ranked Basket Case.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.00
TOTAL: 5.75 out of 10.00.
I have watched Basket Case four times to date, and I'm still unsure about it. It's one of those films that should be right in my ballpark. But for some unknown reason, I still find myself irresolute.
The story writer and director Frank Henenlotter presents the audience is a sound idea. A boy and his once-conjoined twin seek revenge against those who literally tore them apart. After splitting their father in half with a circular saw, their doting mother looked after the kids: She never wanted the pair separated. After she passes away, the deadly duo set about pursuing their revenge and head towards the city, where they take up residence at one of the city's seedier hotels. Henenlotter creates his microcosm well and populates it with sturdy characters. But it's here that it falls apart for me. One reason is the comedic element. It feels forced and a tad feeble. Take the doctors who carried out the operation. One is now a general practitioner in a clinic that appears worse than the brother's hotel, and the female doc who did the cutting is a vet. These reveals should tickle your funny bone. However, mine remained untitillated. And then you have the whole size issue with Duane's bro, which I'll get to later. I still wish Henenlotter had stuck to making a horror movie because he excels at this more than comedy.
Even Henenlotter's cinematographic eye is well-honed. There's very little wrong in his direction. He has a good sense of composition and utilises light, shade, and colour splendidly, empowering the movie with an air of creepiness. Sadly, due to the low budget, the downfall of the picture is the deformed brother. Most of the time, it's acceptable. The too-soft rubber hands lose definition when they are used to grip anything. But, we horror fans can let that slide, especially if it happens when the scene is gripping. What I couldn't let slip was the stop-frame animation. One sequence of a mediocre Harryhausen making the head with arms go on a rampage in the hotel room would've been okay. But there are two more such scenes. And they did nothing but annoy. The worst of which is the glowing eyes. You can clearly see the head's different from the previous model they'd been using. The reason is to allow the FX guys to stick two bulbs behind its eyes. When the lights flick on, it's dreadful. Even though the shot only lasts a couple of seconds, you'll remember it for the wrong reasons. And this is an absolute shame because, like Henenlotter, the FX Crew deliver some brilliant gore for the lack of cash. The face scratches look realistic, as does the body torn in half, and the head full of scalpels - though the performer's timing could've been faster in that scene. Back to the comedy, Henenlotter also attempts to throw in some sight gags, the most memorable being the toilet. After the handy head wrecks their room, the neighbours and manager rush in to see. Luckily, he heard them and hid - in the crapper. When brother Duane returns, he looks everywhere. Unable to find him, he collapses to the floor, weary and worried, at which point a hand comes up from the toilet bowl. Everybody laughs. And if you think about it, if he had a tan, he'd look like the emoticon poo brought to life. Unfortunately, in the following clip, you see him sitting on the rim of the toilet, and you realise he could never fit in; it's too shallow and small. Laughs stop. It's these little things that mess the film up for me.
The cast is well above average in their portrayals. They come across strongly and help make their characters credible. Whatsmore, nobody outshines the other. I love this in movies. Every actor and actress is as skilled as the others. It makes for greater immersion into the film for the viewer.
I would happily recommend Basket Case to every horror fan out there. It's worthy of one watch. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it more than I do: Maybe this style of humour is your bag. I will probably watch the flick for a fifth time because, though they filmed on a budget, it remains one of the better shot low-cost flicks I've had the pleasure to watch - and I do like the cinematography and story.
Get Out Of The Toilet - NOW! After you wipe yourself dry, you can read my IMDb lists - Absolute Horror and Just For Laughs to see where I ranked Basket Case.
Take Care & Stay Well.