Review of Basket Case (1982) by Cassandra M — 09 Aug 2007

This is a good example of what can be done with a little budget and a lot of creativity. Granted, the acting and editing aren't exactly "Citizen Kane", but what did you expect? The dialog matched with the over-the-top acting makes for an entertaining gore fest, and no one takes everything too seriously. However, the high points of the film are the murder scenes. Belial is nothing more than a body with soldiers who jumps out of his basket onto his victims and proceeds to rip their flesh to shreds. The gore is cheaply done but glorious nonetheless. As for Belial's movements, the effects director employed stop motion to do the trick, and seeing this little mutant scurry around the floor is a sight to behold. The creature effects are a mixture of stop motion, puppetry, and a guy in a suit. They're not exactly great, but are entertaining and innovative.

One of the reasons why this film is so enduring are the sets. For some of us later generation exploitation fans, we only hear about 42nd street through legend. The locations in the film really seem to capture the sleazy atmosphere of the Deuce effectively. Its not a perfect cult film. For one, the rape sequence is in bad taste, even for an exploitation film and really clashes with the light hearted tone up to that point. Still this is a film entirely deserving of its cult reputation.