Some say the 1980s were peak horror. Horror movies transitioned from the supernatural monster movies – vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein creatures to more down to earth horrors – mental cases, psychos, criminals, maniacs. Slasher movies found an audience with their twisted and bizzare “origin stories” which were often more terrifying than the actual movie – Freddie of Nightmare on Elm Street for example was the supernatural reencarnation of a human named Fred Krueger who murdered children in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio. He was caught and burned alive in a boiler room by the parents of his victims.
In Basket Case (1982) we have a twin carrying around his deformed twin brother in a basket seeking revenge on the doctors who separated them.
Audiences weren’t as desensitized in the 1980s. These were the arguably better days, without news channels bombarding the brain 24 hours a day with nonstop violence pumped into your living room. Horror movies of the 1980s were also blessed with an audience that wasn’t as survival- or firearm-savvy, as so many viewers are now, after being at war for decades and after witnessing so much chaos in the American streets. The coveted “suspension of disbelief” needed from an audience was easier to obtain. (We know how our readers annoy their significant others by incessantly commenting on what “doesn’t work like that” during a film!)
Why 80s Horror Movies Were the Peak of the Genre
Kevin Van Hentenryck stars in this low-budget cult horror written and directed by Frank Henenlotter. Duane Bradley (Van Hentenryck) has always looked after Belial, his deformed and formerly conjoined twin brother who lives in a wicker basket. Together they are seeking revenge on the surgeons who separated them years before but when Duane falls in love with Sharon (Terri Susan Smith), the brothers are at odds for the first time in their lives and no one is safe.
Absurd story line, slasher blood and gore, horribly deformed co-star – everything you want from a 1980s low budget horror film!
The collector’s edition comes with these special features:
- Interactive Menus
- Bonus Footage
- Trailers
- Outtakes
- Interviews
- Commentary
- Other Documentary