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Basket Case, 1982. Directed by Frank Hellenlotter. Kevin Van Hentenryck


This zero budget Times Square exploitation quickie is so drenched in the ambience of sleaze and moral collapse of its setting that it accidentally transforms itself into something approaching art. The completely whacked-out story finds its main character carrying his freakish separated siamese twin around New York in a basket, from the twin emerges from time to time to bump off anyone who threatens the brothers' relationship (sort of a perverse anticipation of Cronenberg's Dead Ringers, if you will). Our hero inevitably falls in love with someone and sends his twin murderously ballistic. This is a whole lot more fun to watch than it ought to be, especially given the grottiness of the production, but there it is... One of those rubies in the shitheap that makes watching grade-Z exploitation movies the adventure that it is.

Followed by a rather less interesting sequel. Memorably referenced in an episode of the X-Files many years after the fact.