If you are a regular reader of my reviews, you have probably noticed that I really like the Blu-Rays and DVDs that Second Sight Film release. I've recently had a look through their back catalog and seen some brilliant Blu-Rays and DVDs they have released and so I've got hold of a load of them and I'll be reviewing them so you can see what they have done over the years as well as the absolutely superb Special Editions that they are currently releasing now. If you've not seen anything that Second Sight have released, you are seriously missing out, and I'd suggest you check out the website HERE and just check out some of the great movies they have released as well as some of the special editions and Steelbooks they have released too. To kick off the back catalog reviews, we have Basket Case The Trilogy on Blu-Ray.
Basket Case (1982)
A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.
Charming country bumpkin Duane Bradley takes a motel room in New York with a large basket and a backpack.
So...what is in that basket?
In a series of flashbacks, we soon discover that the mysterious basket contains Belial, Duane's surgically removed Siamese twin who is not only physically deformed so severely that the doctors doing the procedure at the time actually were uncertain if they should really consider him human, but is also the vindictive drive of their trip, with the purpose to kill off all those he blames for this. But while in the reception of one of those doctors, Duane gets his first-ever date, with the receptionist, and he decides that he wants to start a positive life and make a fresh start, but when freak twin Belial escapes, the scene is set for an extremely gruesome finish and it looks like things are not going to end with smiles and happiness.
Basket Case 2 (1990)
Picking up where the original BASKET CASE leaves off, the Duane and his basket-dwelling, misshapen brother Belial somehow survive the fall from the window and are taken to the City Hospital. After that incident, their attempts to live a quiet secretive life are totally blown and the brothers have become media darlings all over the country. In the meantime, Duane's long-lost Aunt (known as Granny Ruth) learns of the brothers' situation and, with the assistance of her pregnant daughter Susan, helps them escape from the hospital and gets them away from the prying eye of the press. Granny Ruth then takes Duane and Belial under her wing at her mansion, which she has made into a sanctuary for all the hideously deformed freaks of all shapes and sizes. Sadly, the brothers were not out of the limelight for long as the press discover their whereabouts. Duane and Belial team up with Susan, Granny Ruth and a house full of mutants to devise a plan to despatch of the exploitative reporters once and for all
Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1991)
The ongoing saga of the Times Square Freak Twins takes its most bizarre twist yet. Picking up from where Basket Case 2 left off, Duane recovers from his delusional breakdown and the Bradley boys join kindly doctor Granny Ruth and her family of unique individuals for a road trip through the deep South. The occasion - Belail's about to become a daddy, and no basket is big enough to hold this hellish brood..however, this is not going to be as joyous as everyone thinks it will be because it would appear that the brothers don't trust each other as much anymore. When a pair of warped sheriffs deputies kidnap the freakish babies, Granny Ruth and the family strike back. Belial single-handedly destroys the local police station with crazed, animalistic fury...and that's just the beginning. Threatened with the loss of the precious new additions to their family, Granny Ruth and the others concoct a delicious revenge against their enemies, climaxing in Belial's futuristic one-on-one with the town Sheriff.
Well, yet again it is great to see another classic being pulled from the archives and made pristine for fans to admire in it's "shiny" glory, but also it means that new viewers can also see a nice crisp audio/visual experience. I was really pleased to discover that the first movie in this set is actually the Uncut Edition as I had been looking for that for a while. There are some nice bonus features with a making-of featurette, trailers, audio commentary, and a discussion with Graham Humphreys about his career creating posters up to designing the new Basket Case Trilogy artwork.
If you love '80s horror/what the hell classicks (yes, that was a deliberate misspelling) then you'll absolutely love this set of movies and it will be a must-have in your collection.
The Basket Case Trilogy is rated 18 and is available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and VOD in stores now or you can order it from Second Sight HERE.