August 9th is an interesting day for horror home entertainment releases, as we have two titles I never could have imagined arriving on Blu-ray, and that’s always a great thing for fans.
Synapse Films has given both of Frank Henenlotter’s Basket Case sequels an HD overhaul, and for those who may have missed the Turkish horror movie Baskin during its release earlier this year, Scream Factory and IFC Midnight have teamed up for the film’s Blu-ray / DVD combo pack, which arrives on Tuesday as well.
Other notable releases on August 9th include 11.22.63, Dark Waves, and Alone in the Ghost House.
Basket Case 2 (Synapse Films, Blu-ray)
Duane Bradley and his surgically-separated twin brother Belial return in this frightfully gory follow-up to Frank Henenlotter’s original monster movie classic, BASKET CASE. After surviving a fall from a hospital window, the two brothers become media targets. Duane’s aunt, Granny Ruth (played by world-famous Jazz singer Annie Ross), whisks the duo away to a secluded mansion, where other freaks-in-hiding live out their days away from public scrutiny. When a snooping tabloid reporter finds the location of the mutants, Duane and his new family must stand together to keep their freedom a secret. And, in all the chaos, Belial might actually find true love!
Synapse Films is proud to present BASKET CASE 2 in a beautiful high-definition transfer from the original 35mm camera negative. Special Features Include The Man In The Moon Mask – Featurette and Beyond The Wicker Behind-the-Scenes Featurette.
Basket Case 3: The Progeny (Synapse Films, Blu-ray)
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY! He’s back. He’s bad. And, he’s a dad! Belial, everyone’s favorite beast-in-a-basket, is back in this sensational third film in the wildly macabre BASKET CASE horror series.
After being separated again from his conjoined twin brother Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck), Belial finds out he’s going to be a deformed daddy! Mrs. Belial (“Eve”, played by Denise Coop) delivers a litter of bouncing baby monsters, but the blessed event turns into a nightmarish ordeal when the police kidnap the little critters. They should know it’s not safe to anger Belial! Attacking the cops in a climactic, gory rampage, everyone’s favorite mutant mauler stops at nothing to get his newborns back!
Synapse Films is proud to present BASKET CASE 3: THE PROGENY in a beautiful high-definition transfer from original 35mm vault materials. Special Feature Includes Original Theatrical Trailer.
Baskin (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Blu/DVD Combo)
A five-man unit of cops on night patrol get more than they bargain for when they arrive at a creepy backwater town in the middle of nowhere after a call comes over the radio for backup. Entering a derelict building, the seasoned tough guys and their rookie junior, who’s still haunted by a traumatic childhood dream, do the one thing you should never do in this kind of movie: they split up. They soon realize they’ve stumbled into a monstrous charnel house and descend into an ever-more nightmarish netherworld where grotesque, mind-wrenching horrors await them at every turn. But things aren’t what they seem in this truly disturbing, outrageously gory, and increasingly surreal film whose unpredictable narrative slippages pull the carpet from under your feet and keep you guessing right up to the final moment. A wildly original film that reconfirms Turkey as the breakout national cinema of the moment.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:
11.22.63 (Warner Home Video, Blu-ray & DVD)
Alone in the Ghost House (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, DVD)
Dark Waves (Bayview Entertainment, DVD)