The feature debut of director Frank Henenlotter (Brain Damage, Frankenhooker), 1982’s Basket Case is perhaps his most revered – a riotous and blood-spattered midnight movie experience, now immortalized in a lavish new 4K restoration by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Duane Bradley is a pretty ordinary guy. His formerly conjoined twin Belial, on the other hand, is a deformed, fleshy lump whom he carries around in a wicker basket. Arriving in the Big Apple and taking up a room at the seedy Hotel Broslin, the pair set about hunting down and butchering the surgeons responsible for their separation. But tensions flare up when Duane starts spending time with a pretty blonde secretary, and Belial’s homicidal tendencies reach bloody new extremes.
Filmed on a shoestring budget against the backdrop of 1980s New York (where the movie would become a staple of the infamous 42nd Street grindhouse circuit), Basket Case has clawed its way from its humble origins to become one of the most celebrated cult movies of all time.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 4K restoration from the original 16mm negative by MoMA
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original Uncompressed Mono Audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with writer/director Frank Henenlotter and star Kevin Van Hentenryck
Basket Case 3-1/2: An Interview with Duane Bradley – Frank Henenlotter revisits Duane Bradley decades after the events of the original Basket Case
Seeing Double: The Basket Case Twins – a brand new interview with Florence and Maryellen Schultz, the twin nurses from Basket Case
Brand new making-of featurette containing new interviews with producer Edgar Ievins, casting person/actress Ilze Balodis, associate producer/effects artist Ugis Nigals and Belial performer Kika Nigals
Blood, BASKET and Beyond – a brand new interview with actress Beverly Bonner
Belial Goes to the Drive-In – a brand new interview with film critic Joe Bob Briggs
Outtakes Featurette
In Search of the Hotel Broslin – archive location featurette
Slash of the Knife (1972) – short film by Frank Henenlotter
Belial’s Dream (2017, 5 mins) – brand new Basket Case-inspired animated short by filmmaker Robert Morgan
Behind-the-scenes of Belial’s Dream
Trailers, TV Spots and Radio Spots
Extensive Still Galleries
