10 Old School Horror Movies Perfect For Halloween

Shot in an ultra-sleazy New York that no longer exists , Frank Henenlotter's debut is real DIY filmmaking, with a budget so low that Henelotter and his crew couldn't afford to reshoot their mistakes. Dedicated to the late Herschell Gordon Lewis (the king of no-budget indie filmmaking), Basket Case brings to mind the early films of John Waters, whose 70s Baltimore was as scuzzy-looking as Henenlotter’s NYC.

Described by Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) as looking like a squashed octopus, Belial is in fact his Siamese twin, who he carries around in a wicker basket to the understandable puzzlement of strangers. Separated against their wishes, Belial survives being unceremoniously disposed of in a trash bag to convince Dwayne to take revenge against the doctors responsible as well as their father, who Belial personally despatches with a circular saw.

This is real grindhouse-era filmmaking, and when the movie played 42nd Street Henenlotter was thrilled to see stills from his picture adorning a garish plywood archway full of spattered blood, even though the caption (“His brother is a deformed twin!”) gave the plot away. By Henenlotter’s own (somewhat harsh) admission, nobody enjoys Basket Case because it’s great filmmaking but because it’s a fun time. Considering its pedigree, how could it not be?