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Released by: Synapse Films
Released on: August 9th, 2016.
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Cast: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Gil Roper, Denise Coop, Annie Ross
Year: 1991
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The Movie:
Those who aren't familiar with the events in the first two Basket Case films by gloriously demented New York City filmmaker Frank Henenlotter (of Frankenhooker and Brain Damage fame) will have no problems with this third and final film in the trilogy as it starts off explaining the story from the beginning in a handy dandy condensed flashback of sorts - just to get you up to speed).
When the movie begins, Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) goes a little wacky and decides he wants to be reunited with his monstrous brother, Belial, and decides to have him stitched back to the side of his stomach where he was when they were born. Granny Ruth (Annie Ross), a woman who runs a home for freaks, takes him in and gets him slapped into a straightjacket ASAP, while Belial heads out to find that his girlfriend is great with child… or children as the case may be... if you can call them children, that is.
Granny Ruth does what every good matron would do in her situation, she organizes a road trip to bring all the freaks along for the ride. Why? So that they can find a doctor she knows of who will be able to aid in the delivery of Belial's special children. When Belial and friends hit the road, you know that things are going to get weird - and just wait until Belial's lady friend gives birth.
While it isn't on par with the near genius of the first movie, it does beat out Basket Case 2 in the laughs and out and out weirdness departments respectively. In short, it's an absolute freak show of a film and the monster and creature designs in this third chapter go all out and spare no one, not even the newly born! Henenlotter lets his overactive imagination run wild in this installment - from the monsters to the human characters as well, everyone in this film and everything about this film is over the top in pretty much every way possible.
While the story is rather simple, there are some nice twists along the way and it's interesting to see how in this chapter the tides are turned in a sense, with Duane as the freak and Belial the normal one (in the context of the events of the film, if not the real world). Belial wants to make sure that his child is born safely and soundly, a normal reaction that any father-to-be would have when faced with the impending pressures of an upcoming birth. Meanwhile, Duane (the 'normal' or 'human' one) is running around like a chicken with his head cut off and suffering from some very obvious and very severe separation anxiety. This 'freaks are the normal ones' line of thinking is further reflected in the way that women look at Belial in the film, and the way they react to him in the bedroom.
The usual Henenlotter touches are all over the film - over the top special effects and monster gore combined with some goofy slapstick humor and some genuinely witty moments as well - which always makes for a good time. A couple of keen pop culture references further accentuate the humor over the horror in this installment (and to a lesser extent the earlier installments as well).
Video/Audio/Extras:
Synapse Films presents Basket Case 3 in AVC encoded 1080p high definition framed at 1.78.1 widescreen on a 25GB Blu-ray disc. There's considerably more depth and detail here than there was on the 2012 DVD release, also from Synapse. Texture and color reproduction are also very strong and the disc shows nice, deep black levels. There aren't any obvious issues with noise reduction, edge enhancement or compression artifacts. Skin tones look nice and natural and all in all, this is a pretty solid visual upgrade over what we've seen in the past.
The English language DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo track on the disc sounds quite solid. Dialogue is clear, levels are well balanced, the effects are mixed in well and there are no issues with hiss or distortion to report. Joe Renzetti's score has some good punch when the movie calls for it and all in all things sound pretty good. You'll notice more depth and range here when compared to the aforementioned DVD release, and there's a bit more clarity here too. Optional English subtitles are provided but there are no alternate language options.
The only extra on the disc is the film's original trailer, aside from that you get static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Basket Case 3: The Progeny is far from Henenlotter's best film, it's not even the best in the trilogy but it's still a fun watch as it does have its moments and it's a worthy follow up to the first two movies. Synapse's Blu-ray, like their DVD release, is pretty light on extras (a commentary would have been nice) but it looks really nice and offers up the film with a very solid HD transfer and lossless audio.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
It's too bad they couldn't get the rights to the 80-something minute documentary on the UK set (in which Henenlotter bashes this film left and right but oddly enough says he enjoyed making it)
I love BC 3 and it's a far better final film for him than the terrible and unwatchable (at least for me) Bad Biology.That film was a crushing blow for this fan.