Basket Case (1982, Frank Henenlotter)

Basket Case and I have a long history together. I still remember renting it for the first time from Video Connection on Rte 135 in Framingham, MA (where I discovered a good percentage of my favorite horror movies). It must have been when I was 16 or so years old. I had already fallen in love with 80's slasher films and had newly discovered the wonders of Zombies. Anyway, I would basically rent anything that looked gory and was from the 80's so it was only a matter of time before Basket Case would corrupt me.

Basket Case stars Kevin van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley, a young man who is visiting New York City for the first time. He appears with some clothes, a wad of money and a big basket. In the basket is Duane's brother Belial. Belial and Duane are separated conjoined twins and they can speak to each other telepathically. Their mission in NYC is to find the doctors that separated them against their will and kill them. Duane then falls in love with the secretary of one of their targets and is conflicted between his feelings for her and for his brother.

Basket Case is a great fucking movie. Awesome in every way. A total classic, 80's,oddball, gory masterpiece. Sure the acting is pretty amateurish, some of the makeup FX are rudimentary and the stop motion FX are hilarious. This all fits the tone of the film perfectly though. You can't help but take any of it seriously so you feel like you are watching a demented cartoon. The film also captures the grimy streets of New York City, particularly the infamous 42nd street where director Frank Henenlotter grew up. Hell, there's even a scene where Duane and Belial go to a seedy grindhouse and check out a Kung Fu film! How classic is that? Whether I am swayed by nostalgia or what, Basket Case is a classic horror film that I will never get sick of.

RATING: 10/10

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Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010, Frank Henelotter & Jimmy Maslon)

Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore, released by Something Weird and Image Entertainment is a new documentary by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case) and Jimmy Maslon.  Considered to be the creator of the Gore genre with his 1963 film Blood Feast, Lewis has a huge cult following and a legacy spanning over 50 years.

 

The Godfather of Gore follows HG Lewis's beginnings in the film industry, partnering with producer/soundman David F. Friedman to make a bunch of Nudie Cutie films.  Soon after, the pair released one of the first "Roughies" (Scum of the Earth!) and then the infamous Blood Feast.  After the huge success of Blood Feast, Lewis and Friedman released two more infamous Gore films (2000 Maniacs and Color Me Blood Red) before splitting up their partnership.  Lewis continued on with more splatter films, including A Taste of Blood, Wizard of Gore and Gruesome Twosome until he dropped out of the movie business with 1972's The Gore Gore Girls.  This documentary features lengthy interviews with Lewis, Friedman, Frank Henenlotter, John Waters and many of the cast and crew of Lewis's films, chronicling every one of the Godfather's films through The Gore Gore Girls.

 

The Godfather of Gore is a brilliant documentary on the career of one of the film industry's most prolific, influential and adventurous film makers.  With a running time of an hour and 46 minutes (plus an extra hour of outtakes), this film is as in depth as you could get on Lewis's career.  Besides the loads of interviews and film clips, we also get an HG Lewis trailer reel, a rare Lewis short (Hot Night at the Go Go Lounge) and a gallery of HG Lewis Exploitation Art!  Anyone who has an interest in the origins of horror and exploitation NEEDs this in their collections!

 

RATING:  10/10 

 

Order The Godfather of Gore DVD directly from Something Weird Video HERE