Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, will be serving up a 4K Ultra HD edition of director Frank Henenlotter’s 1982 micro-budget horror gem, Basket Case, on Apr. 30.
While Basket Case has been around since the dawn of DVD (Image Entertainment, 1998 … and even before that from Media Home Entertainment on VHS in 1983), this is a new 4K restoration from the original 16mm negative, which means it should be the best you are likely to get, considering the source material. If you are a genre fan, then this is a must for your film library.
About that, Henenlotter and his producing Edgar Ievins took six years (from start to finish) to film and finish their tale about a revenge trip to New York City … and they did the whole thing for under $40,000. Micro-budget, indie, genre, horror, etc., whatever label you wish to hang on Basket Case it is certainly a badge of honor.
Shot on location in New York City and released theatrically in April of 1982 as a midnight movie release (three theatres to begin with). Despite all of its limitations (including some poor choices related to the editing of the film, which was later corrected), the film quickly gained a cult following, and as they say, the rest is history (or legend).
The story is simple, Duane Bradley (Kevin VasHentenryck — Brain Damage, Basket Case 2, Basket Case 3) arrives in New York City with a wicker basket and checks into a seedy 42 Street hotel. He then visits Dr. Needleman, yes “Needleman” (played by Lloyd Pace), who has an associate by the name of Dr. Kutter, yes “Kutter” (played by Diana Browne) and it seems that the pair (along with another associate who was recently hacked in half) were involved in a strange operation.
As it turns out, Duane and his “brother,” Belial, were the subject(s) of that operation. They were conjoined Siamese twins … Duane turned out “normal,” while Belial is a monster living, yes, in the wicker basket. The pair have, as we all know from watching Basket Case in its various forms over the years, have come to New York to take revenge on the operating team (and, as it turns out, anyone else who gets in the way).
There’s more to the story, with some tasty twists … but let’s just focus on the arrival of this definitive version on 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video on Apr. 30.
Bonus goodies include two archival commentary options — Henenlotter with VanHentenryck and Henenlotter with Ievins, who are joined by Beverly Bonner (Casey) and filmmaker Scooter McRae — and documentary filmmaker David Gregory’s 2012 feature-length documentary titled What’s in the Basket?
There are vintage featurettes — “Basket Case 3 1/2,” “Seeing Double: The Basket Case Twins,” “Blood, Basket and Beyond,” “The Latvian Connection,” “Belial Goes to the Drive-In,” “In Search of the Hotel Broslin” — the Travis Crawford video essay titled “The Frisson of Fission: Basket Case, Conjoined Twins, and ‘Freaks’ in Cinema,” Henenlotter’s 1976 short film, Slash of the Knife and more!
Mark it down, Apr. 30, Basket Case 4K Ultra Edition from Arrow Video … you are going to want it!!!
