Basket Case (1982)

Directed by Frank Henenlotter

Provocateur Frank Henenlotter is widely known and beloved by fans of exploitation and horror films, despite having only directed a half dozen movies over a 25 year period. That’s a short enough list to marathon in a day (hmm why would I bring that up?) but the influence of Henenlotter’s work can be seen to this day in schlock cinema and Basket Case is a great example of how a movie can be schlocky, goofy, over the top, and still be shocking and stick with you. Basket Case is the tale of a young man named Dwayne who ventures into THE BIG CITY from a small town upstate, carrying only a suspiciously large was of cash and an even more suspicious large wicker basket. After checking into a seedy hotel, Dwayne begins a terrible mission involving some local doctors, a dark and mysterious past, and whatever the hell is in that basket. 

If you haven’t seen Basket Case then I will not spoil what is in the basket, unlike every other summary of the movie you’ll find, but I will say that it does not disappoint. The effects here are pretty good for the time, dated but in a charming way, and there’s plenty of fun gore to make up for the minor hiccups in the visuals. Aside from the visuals there’s a whole Hotel full of weird, colorful characters that make the world a little more out there. Combined with the weird grittiness that peeks out ever so often, this is a neat look at what NYC was like before it got cleaned up. What’s really interesting to me about Basket Case is that when you break down the story to it’s basic parts it’s actually quite serious, particularly the ending which I think is still shocking and uncomfortable. I love that about movies like this, that combination of camp and grit that you don’t see as much anymore. I guess I’m not the only person who likes this movie, because it was restored by MOMA. As in the Museum of Modern Art. And no, that isn’t a joke. If gore and weird plot lines are your thing, give Basket Case a look!