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{{Infobox film
| name           = Basket Case
| image          = Basketcaseposter.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Frank Henenlotter]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Arnold H. Bruck
* Edgar Ievins
* ToeKaye
}}
| screenplay     = Frank Henenlotter
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Kevin Van Hentenryck
* Terri Susan Smith
* Beverly Bonner
}}
| music          = Gus Russo
| cinematography = Bruce Torbet
| editing        = Frank Henenlotter
| studio         = Basket Case Productions
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* Analysis Film Releasing Corporation
* Rugged Films
* Creswin Distribution (<small>[[Canada]]</small>)
* Euro Space (<small>[[Japan]]</small>)
* Sinfonia Films (<small>[[France]]</small>)
}}
| released       = {{film date|1982|04|07}}
| runtime        = 91 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $35,000<ref name="Towlson 2014">{{cite book|last=Towlson|first=Jon|date=2014|title=Subversive Horror Cinema: Countercultural Messages of Films from Frankenstein to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RIgOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA185|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|page=185|isbn=9781476615332}}</ref>
}}

'''''Basket Case''''' is a 1982 American [[horror film]] written and directed by [[Frank Henenlotter]] in his [[feature directorial debut]]. Produced by Edgar Ievins, the film stars Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley, a young man who seeks vengeance on the doctors and nurses who performed an unwanted surgery that separated him from his deformed [[conjoined twin]] brother Belial, whom Duane hides in a large wicker basket.

''Basket Case'' was shot on a "cp-16" camera on [[16 mm film|16&nbsp;mm]] in [[New York City]], on a budget of around {{USD|35,000|long=no}}. The film was blown up to [[35 mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm]] for its original theatrical release in April 1982. Receiving mixed reviews upon release, it has since become considered a [[cult film]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Tierney |first=John |author-link=John Tierney (journalist) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/14/nyregion/era-ends-as-times-square-drops-slashers-for-shakespeare.html |title=Era Ends as Times Square Drops Slashers for Shakespeare |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 14, 1991 |access-date=2025-04-02 |url-access=registration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230081234/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/14/nyregion/era-ends-as-times-square-drops-slashers-for-shakespeare.html |archive-date=2018-12-30 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Stine 2003">{{cite book |last=Stine|first=Scott Aaron|date=2003|title=The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1980s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jzKSCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA37|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|page=37|isbn=978-0786415328|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> and has spawned two sequels, ''[[Basket Case 2]]'' (1990) and ''[[Basket Case 3: The Progeny]]'' (1991), both of which were also directed by Henenlotter.

In 2017, ''Basket Case'' was selected for preservation by the [[Museum of Modern Art]] (MoMA), which oversaw a restoration of the film from its original 16&nbsp;mm [[Original camera negative|camera negative]].<ref name="Squires, Mar. 2017">{{cite news|last=Squires|first=John|title=The Museum of Modern Art Is Preserving and Restoring 'Basket Case'|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3427470/museum-modern-art-preserving-restoring-basket-case/|date=March 8, 2017|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Squires, Nov. 2017">{{cite news|last=Squires|first=John|title=Arrow Video Bringing 4K Restoration of 'Basket Case' to US Blu-ray|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/home-video/3471590/arrow-video-bringing-4k-restoration-basket-case-us-blu-ray/|date=November 27, 2017|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> The [[4K resolution|4K]] restoration was released on [[Blu-ray]] and [[DVD]] by [[Arrow Video]] in 2018.<ref name="Bowen 2018">{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/basket-case-2018/|title=Blu-ray Review: Frank Henenlotter's Basket Case on Arrow Video|last=Bowen|first=Chuck|date=March 9, 2018|website=[[Slant Magazine]]|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref>

==Plot==
Dr. Julius Lifflander is frightened by something outside his country home near [[Glens Falls, New York]]. A shadowed creature then cuts his phone line and power before killing Lifflander by tearing at his face.

Duane Bradley arrives in [[New York City]] with a locked wicker basket. He gets a room at a cheap hotel right down the hall from a [[sex worker]] named Casey. He takes some hamburgers and feeds them to a creature in his basket which talks to him telepathically. When Duane is out the next day, a man named Brian O'Donovan looks through Duane's keyhole in order to steal Duane's wad of money. Casey scares him off and informs Duane about it. Duane takes his basket to see Dr. Harold Needleman and befriends his assistant Sharon. Needleman contacts Dr. Judith Kutter and tells her about Duane's visit and Lifflander's death, but she ignores him. Duane goes back to Needleman's that night and empties the creature, who is revealed to be his twin brother Belial,{{efn|The name "[[Belial]]" has been noted as appearing in some Hebrew texts as a reference to the [[devil]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rue-morgue.com/belial-be-damned-arrow-video-sets-basket-case-loose/|title=Belial Be Damned!: Arrow Video Sets "Basket Case" Loose|last=Thompson|first=Rocco|date=March 9, 2018|website=[[Rue Morgue (magazine)|Rue Morgue]]|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref>}} onto the floor. Belial kills Needleman by gutting him with his claws.

The next day, Duane goes to meet Sharon at the [[Statue of Liberty]] and they kiss. Belial senses this and trashes the hotel room in a temper tantrum. He hides when the hotel manager opens the door to see what the commotion is. O'Donovan sneaks inside to steal Duane's money but is killed by Belial when he opens the basket. Duane senses the attack telepathically and hurries back. Duane tells Belial that he deserves some time for himself. Duane, with the basket, runs into Casey at a bar and drunkenly tells her that Belial is his twin brother.

A flashback relates their backstory. They were [[conjoined]] at birth and their aunt was the only one who would take care of them. However, the twins were surgically separated at an early age by Dr. Lifflander, Dr. Needleman and Dr. Kutter, which explains their hatred for the doctors. They then murdered their father, which was ruled an accident, and lived with their aunt before she died. They then went to murder the doctors who had separated them. Belial deeply resents being cut off from his normal-looking brother, and Duane equally resents how heartless everyone acts towards his brother.

Back in the present day, Belial sneaks into Casey's bedroom and scares her out before stealing her panties. The next day, Duane and Belial go to Dr. Kutter's office. She tries to dismiss them, but Duane reveals who he is before Belial kills Kutter by shoving her face into a drawer of sharp objects. Sharon goes to Duane's apartment seeking safety after Needleman's death and they start to make love before a jealous Belial starts screaming and Duane is forced to toss Sharon outside.

That night Belial goes out to find Sharon while Duane has a dream that tells him about it. Belial sneaks into Sharon's apartment and tries to rape her. He attacks and kills her when she wakes up and screams. Enraged at his brother for his actions, Duane takes Belial back to the apartment in a scene that attracts several people to his hotel room, which exposes the existence of Belial. Belial attacks Duane and the two brothers fall from a hotel window onto the ground below, where onlookers gather around their bodies.

==Cast==
{{Cast list|
* Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley<ref name="Basket Case Cast">{{cite web|title=AFI Catalog - Basket Case|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/70497|publisher=AFI Catalog|access-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}} and Belial Bradley (voice; uncredited)<ref name="Interview">{{cite news|last=Towlson|first=John|title=Interview: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Star of BASKET CASE|url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/interview-kevin-van-hentenryck-star-of-basket-case/|date=October 12, 2012|publisher=[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]|access-date=August 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name="It Came">{{cite news|last=Navarro|first=Meagan|title=[It Came From the '80s] Belial is a Total 'Basket Case'|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3482458/came-80s-belial-total-basket-case/|date=February 11, 2018|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=August 7, 2024}}</ref><ref name="JoBlo1">{{cite news|last=Walkuski|first=Eric|title=Basket Case (1982) – What Happened to This Horror Movie?|url=https://www.joblo.com/basket-case-1982-what-happened/|date=October 4, 2024|publisher=[[JoBlo.com]]|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref>
* Terri Susan Smith as Sharon<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Beverly Bonner as Casey<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Robert Vogel as Hotel Manager<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Lloyd Pace as Dr. Harold Needleman<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Bill Freeman as Dr. Julius Lifflander<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Diana Browne as Dr. Judith Kutter<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Joe Clarke as Brian "Mickey" O'Donovan<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Ruth Neuman as Duane's Aunt<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Richard Pierce as Duane's Father<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Sean McCabe as Young Duane<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Dorothy Strongin as Josephine<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Kerry Ruff as Detective<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Ilze Balodis as Social Worker<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Tom Robinson as Thief in Theater<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Chris Babson as Kutter's Date<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Maria T. Newland as Patient<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Florence Shultz as Nurse #1<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Mary Ellen Shultz as Nurse #2<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Constantine Scopas as Hotel Tenant #1<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Charles Stanley as Hotel Tenant #2<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Sydney Best as Hotel Tenant #3<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Johnny Ray Williams as Hotel Tenant #4<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Yousef Abuhamdeh as Hotel Tenant #5<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>
* Lubi Kirsch as Hotel Tenant #6<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>
* Catherine Russell as Hotel Tenant #7<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>
* Mitchell Huval as Hotel Tenant #8<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>
* Noel Hall as Drug Dealer<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>
* Bruce Frankel as Second Detective<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Pat Ivers as Street Girl #1<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Emily Armstrong as Street Girl #2<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* Russell Fritz as Casey's John<ref name="Basket Case Cast"/>{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=218}}
* [[Jerry Butler (actor)|Jerry Butler]] as Casey Greeter (uncredited)
* Ken Clarke as Man with Dog in Waiting Room (uncredited)
* David Henenlotter as Kid at the Bar (uncredited)
* [[Frank Henenlotter]] as Theater Patron (uncredited)
* Bruce Torbet as Hotel Tenant (uncredited)
}}

==Themes and interpretations==
Author Jon Towlson wrote that the sexual desires of Belial in ''Basket Case'' provide the film with "a transgressive undercurrent", adding that Belial "can be seen as the [[Id, ego and super-ego|id]], the dark side within us all. Duane is the eternal misfit who carries his monster—his darkness—around in a basket, afraid to let it out for fear of transgression."<ref name="Towlson 2014" />

[[John Kenneth Muir]] argued that ''Basket Case'' examines the topic of [[abortion]], highlighting a flashback scene that depicts Belial, "indisputably a life", being discarded in a trash bag: "[...] is a deformed monster such as Belial actually ''worth'' saving? Should he have been mercifully terminated rather than forced to live as he is, a thing more than a man? ''Basket Case'' hedges its bets and appears to come down on neither side of the [[pro-life]]/[[pro-choice]] equation. On the one hand, Belial is a murderous, nasty little bugger, but on the other, he's clearly capable of expressing love."{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=219}}

==Production==
===Development and filming===
Writer-director Frank Henenlotter met producer Edgar Ievins during the production of the former's 1972 short film ''Slash of the Knife'',{{sfn|Martin|1981|p=55}} and the two eventually collaborated on an unrealized film project titled ''Ooze''.{{sfn|Martin|1981|p=56}} Henenlotter recalled, "We tried to get the money for ''Ooze'' and couldn't, so I just wrote a film that could be made for far less money. Right out in front, I wrote a film that was designed to be made for a low, low budget."{{sfn|Martin|1981|p=56}} The resulting screenplay, ''Basket Case'', was written by Henenlotter as he walked around [[Times Square]], which he called a "seedy, wonderful atmosphere."<ref name="Sorrento 2008">{{cite web|url=https://filmthreat.com/interviews/1198/|title=The "Basket Case' Returns(?): Interview with Frank Henenlotter|last=Sorrento|first=Matthew|date=December 22, 2008|website=[[Film Threat]]|access-date=January 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216092647/https://filmthreat.com/interviews/1198/|archive-date=December 16, 2014|url-status=dead|quote=Oh yeah—I literally walked around Times Square while I was writing [''Basket Case'']. There was a big Nathan's where [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC Television]] is now. I had part of the story then—I thought about a guy walking around with a monster in his basket. It worked up to a certain point, but then I wondered, why would anybody walk around with a monster in a basket? So then I thought—who's in the basket? I thought of it being his brother, which I knew was a great idea, and then the dialog starting coming. I wrote it down in Nathan's, in that seedy, wonderful atmosphere.}}</ref> He reportedly wrote the dialogue for the film on napkins while in the basement of a [[Nathan's Famous]].<ref name="Sorrento 2008"/> Henenlotter was influenced by [[Herschell Gordon Lewis]], dedicating the film to him.<ref name="Dangerous Minds 1">{{cite news|last=Bealmear|first=Bart|title=Never before seen outtakes from the outrageous 1982 cult comedy-horror film, 'Basket Case'|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/never_before_seen_outtakes_from_the_outrageous_1982_cult_comedy-horror_film/|date=23 February 2018|publisher=Dangerous Minds|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref>

''Basket Case'' was shot on [[16 mm film|16&nbsp;mm film]] during long weekends throughout 1981.<ref name="Towlson 2014"/><ref name="JoBlo1"/> It had a budget of about {{USD|35,000|long=no}},<ref name="Towlson 2014"/> financed by a small production team largely with its own rental money to enable the film to be realized.<ref name-"TOH1">{{cite web|last=McMahon|first=Gary|title=Basket Case Trilogy|url=https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/film-reviews/basket-case-trilogy/|date=19 November 2012|publisher=This Is Horror|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> It was shot in part on Manhattan's [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]],<ref name=icons>{{cite web|url=http://iconsoffright.com/2011/11/03/fright-interview-frank-henenlotter-writerdirector-of-basket-case/|title=Fright Interview – Frank Henenlotter (Writer/Director of Basket Case)!|last=Galluzzo|first=Rob|work=IconsOfFright.com|date=November 3, 2011|access-date=January 29, 2014|archive-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202111424/http://iconsoffright.com/2011/11/03/fright-interview-frank-henenlotter-writerdirector-of-basket-case/|url-status=dead}}</ref> with the Hotel Broslin scenes shot in his friend Ugis Nigals' loft. The hotel's hallways and rooms were made from cloth by Hennenlotter, Ievins and others.<ref name="JoBlo1"/> Additional filming locations included Franklin Street, [[Tribeca]]'s Hubert Street, [[Liberty Island]] and the Hellfire Club.<ref name="DVD1">"In Search of Hotel Broslin". Basket Case DVD special features.</ref><ref>''Then & Now Movie Loations'', "Basket Case", May 1, 2019. ([https://www.thennowmovielocations.com/2019/05/basket-case.html Link])</ref><ref name="JoBlo1"/> Henenlotter did not have control over the post-production, and the result was dark, murky, and converted to a different aspect ratio.<ref name="TIH2">{{cite web|last=Probert|first=John Llewellyn|title=Examining the Basket Case trilogy|url=https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/columns/the-bloodstained-balcony/examining-the-basket-case-trilogy/|date=24 November 2012|publisher=This Is Horror|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref>

===Casting===
Henenlotter's friend Ilze Balodis recruited students from the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] to participate in the film's production, including Kevin Van Hentenryck, who was cast as Duane Bradley. Van Hentenryck, actor Robert Vogel (who played the hotel manager<ref>{{cite book|last=Bloom|first=John Irving|title=Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xINGEQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48|date=October 14, 2025|page=48|edition=Updated |publisher=Dark Horse Comics|isbn=9781506748184|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref>), actress Diana Browne (who played Dr. Judith Kutter), and Balodis herself (who made a cameo appearance as a social worker<ref name="DVD2">"The Latvian Connection". Basket Case DVD special features.</ref><ref name="Sobel">{{cite news|last=Sobel|first=Lee|title=An Interview with Kevin Van Hentenryck: Star of Basket Case!|url=https://www.greasykidstuffmagazine.com/kevin-van-hentenryck|date=October 29, 2020|publisher=Greasy Kidstuff Magazine|access-date=December 1, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029095935/https://www.greasykidstuffmagazine.com/kevin-van-hentenryck|archive-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref>) had previously worked on ''Slash of the Knife''.<ref name="Interview"/><ref name="JoBlo1"/> Terri Susan Smith, who played Sharon, wore a wig since her head was shaved and she was part of the punk band The Tattooed Vegetables.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chuck|first=Chuck|title=Graham: One 'Basket Case' enough for flick's scream queen|url=http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/2006/06/22/16153-graham-one-basket-case-enough-for-flick-s-scream-queen/|date=June 22, 2006|publisher=Tucson Citizen|access-date=December 1, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011214315/http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue/2006/06/22/16153-graham-one-basket-case-enough-for-flick-s-scream-queen/|archive-date=October 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Butler|first=Michael|title=Good Clean Basket Case Interview|url=https://www.americanheartbreak.com/rnrgeekwp/good-clean-basket-case-interview/|date=July 2, 2008|publisher=The Rock and Roll Geek Show|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name="JoBlo2">{{cite news|last=Hamman|first=Cody|title=Basket Case (1982) – Best Horror Movie You Never Saw|url=https://www.joblo.com/basket-case-1982-best-horror-movie-you-never-saw/|date=August 11, 2021|publisher=[[JoBlo.com]]|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> Beverly Bonner was cast as Casey after Henenlotter saw her in the stage show ''[[Women Behind Bars]]''.<ref name="DVD3">"Blood, Basket and Beyond". Basket Case DVD special features.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Freese|first=Rob|title=Basket Case 3 at 30!: Beverly Bonner|url=https://www.itcamefromhollywood.net/post/basket-case-3-at-30-beverly-bonner|date=August 12, 2022|publisher=It Came From Hollywood|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> She would later do a stage show called ''Casey: 30 Years Later'' in 2012, set after the events of the film.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dave|title=Casey – 30 Years Later|url=http://hellnotes.com/casey-30-years-later-2/|date=April 18, 2012|publisher=Hellnotes|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Santiago|first=Solmarie|title=Beverly Bonner Comedy: Producer Introduces 'Casey 30 Years Later'|url=https://www.latinpost.com/articles/14639/20140611/casey-30-years-later.htm|date=June 11, 2014|publisher=Latin Post|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> Henenlotter's cousins Florence and Mary Ellen Shultz were cast as Kutter's nurses.<ref name="DVD4">"Seeing Double: The Basket Case Twins". Basket Case DVD special features.</ref> Due to the film's low budget and its production running out of funding halfway through shooting, the remaining crew members took on multiple roles.

===Special effects===
The special effects for Belial consist largely of a [[puppet]] in some scenes and [[stop motion]] in others. Henenlotter wore a latex glove to use as Belial's hand in scenes where it is seen attacking his victims,<ref name="It Came"/> and a scene where Belial reaches out of his basket towards the television, directing said scene while stuffed inside the dresser.<ref name="Ashurst">{{cite news|last=Ashurst|first=Sam|title=The Making Of Basket Case|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-basket-case/|date=31 October 2012|publisher=GamesRadar+|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> The puppet was designed by [[Kevin Haney]], modeled after a mold of Kevin Van Hentenryck's face, and operated by Henenlotter.<ref name="LoveHorror">{{cite news|last=Humphrey|first=Alex|title=Interview with Frank Henenlotter on Basket Case Trilogy|url=https://lovehorror.co.uk/horror-features/28641/interview-with-frank-henenlotter-on-basket-case-trilogy/|date=18 October 2012|publisher=Love Horror|access-date=December 25, 2025}}</ref><ref name="JoBlo1"/> It was used in scenes with an actor and where the eyes glow red.<ref name="Dangerous Minds 1"/> When the puppet shrunk and became impossible for Henenlotter or other crew members to operate, Ugis Nigals' daughter Kika filled in for a scene where Belial grasps at the air in a bed.<ref name="DVD2"/><ref name="JoBlo1"/> The scenes with Belial's rampage and him crawling across the floor at night used stop motion animation, done by Henenlotter.{{sfn|Martin|1981|p=}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Pettigrew|first=Neil|title=The Stop-Motion Filmography: A Critical Guide to 297 Features Using Puppet Animation|url=https://archive.org/details/stopmotionfilmog0000pett/page/54/mode/2up|date=1999|pages=54–55|publisher=[[McFarland Publishing]]|isbn=0786404469|access-date=December 25, 2025}}</ref><ref name="DVD5">"Basket Case at MoMa". Basket Case DVD special features.</ref> The special makeup effects were done by Haney, [[John Caglione Jr.]] (who also designed the young Belial puppet), Ken Clark, Nigals and Ievins.<ref name="DVD2"/><ref name="It Came"/><ref name="Dangerous Minds 1"/> One scene originally had Belial running through the streets of Manhattan, but due to the limitations of the puppet, it was changed into a dream scene where Duane runs nude through the streets.<ref name="Interview"/> The scene was pitched to Van Hentenryck, who agreed to do it. It was shot without permits on a cold winter's night in February, with the sidewalks cleaned so that Van Hentenryck would not step on any objects. During the shooting of Sharon's death scene, Henenlotter poured blood over Terri Susan Smith's groin. The crew became offended and walked out of the production, leaving Henenlotter, Ievans and Van Hentenryck to finish the scene.<ref name="MovieWeb">{{cite news|last=Gallagher|first=Brian|title=Frank Henenlotter Talks Basket Case [Exclusive]|url=https://movieweb.com/exclusive-frank-henenlotter-talks-basket-case/|date=September 26, 2011|publisher=MovieWeb|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Ashurst"/><ref name="JoBlo1"/> For the scene where Duane and Belial are hanging from the Hotel Broslin sign, Van Hentenryck wore a harness inside his shirt that was bolted to the sign.<ref name="DVD6">"Basket Case audio commentary". Basket Case DVD special features.</ref><ref>Casey Chambers, "Interview -- Kevin Van Hentenryck (Actor, Sculptor, Artist)", ''The College Crowd Digs Me'', October 11, 2021.</ref>

===Music===
The film's score was written and composed by Gus Russo, Harold "Clutch" Reiser, J. Keith Robinson, and Dave Maswick.<ref name="Discogs 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/9673257-Gus-Russo-Basket-Case-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack|title=Gus Russo – Basket Case - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2017, Vinyl)|date=January 20, 2017|publisher=Discogs|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Discogs 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/25628101-Gus-Russo-Clutch-Reiser-Basket-Case-And-Brain-Damage-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtracks?srsltid=AfmBOorTKg6jmdp6uhJ-cY|title=Gus Russo and Clutch Reiser – Basket Case And Brain Damage (Original Motion Picture Soundtracks) (2022, CD)|date=2022|publisher=Discogs|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Music|url=https://davemaswick.com/music|publisher=Dave Maswick|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref> The instruments used included an acoustic guitar, an electric Gibson guitar, a four-track tape deck, a [[Polymoog]], an [[ARP String Ensemble]], an [[Echoplex]], a piano, a kazoo, a cello, chimes, a gong, a timpani, and vibraphones.<ref name="Dangerous Minds 2">{{cite news|last=Bealmear|first=Bart|title=The soundtrack to cult comedy horror classic 'Basket Case' is finally being released—a DM premiere|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_soundtrack_to_cult_comedy_horror_classic_basket_case_is_finally_being_r/|date=17 January 2017|publisher=Dangerous Minds|access-date=December 1, 2025}}</ref><ref name="Discogs 2"/>

==Release==
''Basket Case'' was released theatrically in the United States by Analysis Film Releasing Corporation beginning in April 1982. Though filmed in 16&nbsp;mm film, it was blown up to [[35 mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm]] for its original theatrical release.<ref name="Gross 2001">{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/2728/basket-case-se/|title=Basket Case: SE|last=Gross|first=G. Noel|date=September 28, 2001|website=[[DVD Talk]]|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> It played as a [[midnight movie]] for several years after this.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1982&dat=19830730&id=Ml9GAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KzANAAAAIBAJ&pg=4503,3175272|title='Basket Case' one cut above usual|last=Duvoli|first=John|work=The Evening News|location=Newburgh, New York|date=July 30, 1983|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
===Contemporary reviews===
Diane Haithman of the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' gave ''Basket Case'' a score of seven out of ten, writing that, despite it being "gratuitously bloody", as well as "occasionally much, much sicker" in its themes than other low-budget horror films of the time, "somehow, there's something likable, even touching about it. And that's scary enough in itself. [...] It's like ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T.]]'' as written and directed by a psychopath."<ref>{{cite news|last=Haithman|first=Diane|date=November 12, 1982|title=One film is horrid, one frightfully good|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113838614/detroit-free-press/|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|location=Detroit, Michigan|pages=1C, 10C|access-date=November 29, 2022|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> A reviewer for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called ''Basket Case'' "an ultra-cheap monster film [...] with a tongue-in-cheek approach", commending the performances but criticizing the audio recording, "grainy blowup from 16&nbsp;mm", and score.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/basket-case-1200425259/|title=Review: 'Basket Case'|author=<!-- Staff -->|date=December 31, 1981|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>

John Stark, writing for the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'', lamented ''Basket Case'' as a "crudely made, low-budget work [that] lacks the outrageousness and campiness that an underground film needs."<ref name="Stark 1982">{{cite news|last=Stark|first=John|date=July 2, 1982|title=The latest midnight horror|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113839500/the-san-francisco-examiner/|newspaper=[[San Francisco Examiner]]|location=San Francisco, California|access-date=November 29, 2022|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He characterized the film as "too preoccupied with its monster, a badly constructed special effect", and wrote that "the gore and hokey-looking beast keep deflating the film's clever premise."<ref name="Stark 1982" />

A quotation by film critic [[Rex Reed]] ("This is the sickest movie ever made!") that was used in promotional materials for the film was not from any printed review. Reed had sought out the film after hearing negative reviews and was asked his opinion after emerging from the cinema. Unknown to Reed, the person who asked him was director Frank Henenlotter. Initially furious that his comment was used to promote the film, Reed eventually relented and granted permission.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19830313&id=cFMiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OacFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4098,959107|title=Rex Reed on 'Basket Case'; 'Plan 9' sequel among undead|last=Walentis|first=Al|work=[[Reading Eagle]]|date=March 13, 1983|access-date=January 30, 2014}}</ref>

===Retrospective assessments===
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Basket Case'' holds a 78% approval rating based on 27 critic reviews. The consensus reads: "While ''Basket Case'' definitely delivers all the gonzo gore promised by its cracked premise, it's really set apart by its rich vein of genuine pathos."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/basket_case/|title=Basket Case (1982)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=December 5, 2025}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|1=77|2=5}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basket Case |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/basket-case/ |access-date=6 September 2025 |website=Metacritic}}</ref>

In 2001, G. Noel Gross of [[DVD Talk]] gave ''Basket Case'' a rating of five out of five stars, calling it "an undeniable, unavoidable and unforgettable clasSICK".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/2728/basket-case-se/|title=Basket Case: SE|last=Gross|first=G. Noel|work=[[DVD Talk]]|date=2001-09-28|access-date=2014-01-29}}</ref> In 2003, author Scott Aaron Stine wrote of the film: "The innovation and verve this movie displays surpasses its innumerable shortcomings, all products of a film that qualified as destitute before the cameras even started rolling. The fact that most of the 'actors' had probably never stepped foot in front of a camera prior to this only adds to the movie's squalid charm; their talents may be slim, but their presence is priceless."<ref name="Stine 2003" />

In 2007, Muir called the film "a fine, competent low-budget effort that generates thrills and discomfort not only from its tale of symbiotic (and separated) Siamese twins, but from its authentic sense of place. New York City has never felt more delightfully and dangerously squalid."{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=217–219}} Muir goes on to call it "oddly compelling, deeply disturbing and inexplicably touching".{{sfn|Muir|2007|p=217–219}}

In 2011, David Harley of ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' wrote that the film's "warped sense of humor and brazen attitude make it a blast to watch and, ultimately, one of the best horror comedies of the 1980s."<ref>{{cite news|last=Harley|first=David|title=Basket Case|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/film/158828/basket-case/?tab=bd-review|date=October 19, 2011|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> That same year, Heather Wixson of ''[[Dread Central]]'' gave the film three-and-a-half out of five stars, referring to it as an "insane masterpiece that lovingly celebrates the sometimes schlocky and sleazy side of cinema".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dreadcentral.com/reviews/basket-case-blu-ray|title=Basket Case (Blu-ray)|last=Wixson|first=Heather|date=September 19, 2011|website=[[Dread Central]]|access-date=January 29, 2014|archive-date=February 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203032846/http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/basket-case-blu-ray|url-status=dead}}</ref> Patrick Naugle of [[DVD Verdict]] wrote, "The movie is just pure shock value" but "a heck of a lot of fun."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/basketcasebluray.php|title=Basket Case (Blu-ray)|last=Naugle|first=Patrick|work=[[DVD Verdict]]|date=September 23, 2011|access-date=January 29, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231082151/https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/basketcasebluray.php|archive-date=December 31, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==2017 restoration==
{{quote box|align=right|width=20%|quote="I'm both humbled and proud to announce that ''Basket Case'' is now part of the permanent film collection of the [[Museum of Modern Art]]. (And, yes, I asked them if they actually watched the film and they assured me they did.)"|source= – writer-director Frank Henenlotter, 2017<ref name="Squires, Mar. 2017" /> }}

In March 2017, ''Basket Case'' was selected for preservation and restoration by the [[Museum of Modern Art]] (MoMA).<ref name="Squires, Mar. 2017" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screamhorrormag.com/basket-case-preserved-museum-modern-art-seriously/|title=Basket Case Preserved by the Museum of Modern Art! Seriously!|last=Farrow|first=Kevan|date=March 9, 2017|website=[[Scream (magazine)|Scream]]|access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> Henenlotter provided MoMA with the film elements required for the restoration,<ref name="Squires, Mar. 2017" /> including the original 16&nbsp;mm [[Original camera negative|camera negative]] from which the restoration would be sourced.<ref name="Squires, Nov. 2017"/> In addition to the film's footage being restored in [[4K resolution]], its audio also underwent a restoration, using the original [[Magnetic tape|magnetic tracks]] of the sound mix as the source.<ref name="Squires, Nov. 2017" />

==Home media==
''Basket Case'' was released on [[Betamax]] and [[VHS]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Weiner|first1=David J.|last2=Gale|first2=Thomson|date=1991|title=Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1991|publisher=[[Visible Ink Press]]|page=39|isbn=0-8103-9404-9}}</ref> by [[Media Home Entertainment]]. It was released on [[DVD]] in the United States by [[Image Entertainment]] in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=3254|title=Basket Case|publisher=dvdempire.com|access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> In 2001, a [[special edition]] DVD release of the film was issued by [[Something Weird Video]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somethingweird.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=19108&substring=basket+case |title=Basket Case |publisher=somethingweird.com |access-date=April 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216185146/http://www.somethingweird.com/cart.php?target=product |archive-date=February 16, 2007 |df=mdy }}</ref>

On September 27, 2011, Something Weird Video released the film on [[Blu-ray]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dreadcentral.com/news/45549/basket-case-hits-blu-ray-all-right-world|title=Basket Case Hits Blu-ray! All is Right in the World!|last=Barton|first=Steve|work=[[Dread Central]]|date=July 11, 2011|access-date=January 29, 2014|archive-date=February 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203032834/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/45549/basket-case-hits-blu-ray-all-right-world|url-status=dead}}</ref> Henenlotter supervised the Blu-ray release himself, which features a restoration of the film taken from a 35&nbsp;mm interpositive, with the original 16&nbsp;mm negative (which had initially been thought lost) used as a reference.<ref name=icons/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dreadcentral.com/news/47385/exclusive-frank-henenlotter-talks-basket-case-blu-ray-possible-basket-case-4|title=Exclusive: Frank Henenlotter Talks Basket Case Blu-ray; Possible Basket Case 4?|last=Wixson|first=Heather|date=September 21, 2011|website=[[Dread Central]]|access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>

In November 2017, it was announced that [[Arrow Video]] would be releasing ''Basket Case'' on Blu-ray and DVD, featuring the 4K restoration of the film overseen by MoMA.<ref name="Squires, Nov. 2017" /><ref name="Bowen 2018" /> The release includes such bonus features as an audio commentary by Henenlotter and Van Hentenryck, interviews with members of the cast, a making-of featurette, and the 1972 Henenlotter-directed short film ''Slash of the Knife''.<ref name="Squires, Nov. 2017" /> The Arrow Video release was issued on February 27, 2018.<ref name="Squires, Nov. 2017" /><ref name="Bowen 2018" />

==See also==
*[[List of cult films]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite magazine|last=Martin|first=Bob|author-link=Robert "Bob" Martin|date=December 1981|title=Basket Case|url=https://www.fangoria.com/archives/ghost-story-basket-case/|magazine=[[Fangoria]]|publisher=Starlog Group, Inc.|issue=16|volume=3|issn=0164-2111|access-date=November 29, 2022}}
* {{cite book|last=Muir|first=John Kenneth|author-link=John Kenneth Muir|date=2007|title=Horror Films of the 1980s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VJ1vcmaOd7wC&pg=PA217|publisher=[[McFarland Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-7864-2821-2}}

==Works cited==
* {{cite book|title=Screening the Dark Side of Love: From Euro-Horror to American Cinema|editor1-last=Ritzenhoff|editor1-first=Karen A.|editor2-last=Randell|editor2-first=Karen|chapter="What's in the Basket?": Sexualized and Sexualizing Violence in Frank Henenlotter's ''Basket Case''|last=Cunningham|first=Lisa|pages=145–157|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EqTR0YJX8wkC&pg=PA145|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|year=2012|isbn=9781137096630}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0083624|Basket Case}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes |m/basket_case|Basket Case}}
{{Frank Henenlotter}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basket Case (Film)}}
[[Category:1982 comedy horror films]]
[[Category:1982 films]]
[[Category:1982 American films]]
[[Category:1982 English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s exploitation films]]
[[Category:1980s monster movies]]
[[Category:American body horror films]]
[[Category:American comedy horror films]]
[[Category:American exploitation films]]
[[Category:American monster movies]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
[[Category:American science fiction films]]
[[Category:American splatter films]]
[[Category:Films about twin brothers]]
[[Category:Films directed by Frank Henenlotter]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films shot in 16 mm film]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York City]]
[[Category:Films using stop-motion animation]]
[[Category:Parasitic twinning in culture]]
[[Category:Parodies of horror]]
[[Category:Puppet films]]
[[Category:Something Weird Video]]
[[Category:1982 science fiction films]]
[[Category:English-language comedy horror films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:1982 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:American films about revenge]]
[[Category:Films about telepathy]]
[[Category:Films about abortion in the United States]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Basket Case (film)|access_date=2026-02-26}}