TW: Mentions of rape

May 31st - Basket Case (1982)

4/5

The only thing about Basket Case I knew was a youtube clip called "Belial Trashes the Hotel Room". Excellent scene, incredibly funny, seemingly representative of some b-movie horror that would only be marginally better than something like Evil Bong.

What I watched instead was still incredibly funny, with a non-zero amount of bad acting, but also moments of genuine tension, an interesting narrative, and a take on ableism I've rarely seen in horror. While Basket Case does fall into common pitfalls of using disability as shock value, it also takes a sympathetic approach to Duane and Belial's circumstances. While the climax of the film centers on the conflict between Duane and Belial and their codependency, most of the story focuses on getting revenge on the doctors who had forcibly separated them against their will. The depiction of the doctors is really what cements the tone. Belial is portrayed as strange and scary every time he's onscreen, but there is one scene, where he seems to be speaking through a drunken Duane.

"Oh if you knew what it was like... Duane and I kept hidden from everyone."

The film also touches on struggles associated with being a caretaker for someone. Duane, though he undeniably loves his brother, meets Sharon and goes on a date with her, which causes a jealous Belial to trash his and Duane's hotel room. When Duane returns, he explains to Belial that he wants to have a life and go on dates without worrying about Belial attacking them, though he also promises Belial that he would never leave him. However, Belial eventually rapes and kills Sharon out of jealousy, which causes Duane to attack him, and they both fall out the hotel window.

While I think the film ultimately wants us to side with Duane as our primary protagonist, and demonize Belial for what he did to Sharon, the nuance present in the rest of the film leaves me conflicted. I think ultimately, everyone deserves a life of dignity and autonomy, and caretaking should not fall solely to one person. Only with a large external support group could Duane and Belial truly thrive.