Basket Case (1982)

 

A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed, formerly conjoined twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.

From memory: Superior low-budget slasher comes up with some deliberately disturbing sequences, but the story is handled with pathos and interest in its protagonist's plight and fate.

Halliwell (no star): "Grisly, jokey, low-budget horror that gained a cult following."

Maltin**1/2: "Extremely self-conscious but intriguing tongue-in-cheek low-budget horror film...Some interesting animated sequences in this John Waters-ish film that boasts some effective horror moments."

 

Frankenhooker (1990)

A medical student sets out to recreate his decapitated fiancée by building her a new body made of Manhattan street prostitutes.

Exemplary exercise in gross humor and bad taste, fitfully made on a low budget, culminates in a Grand Guignol ending with a wicked twist; not at all for the squeamish.

Halliwell (no star): "Odd mix of uninventive comedy and gore, relying on its tastelessness to amuse."

Maltin*1/2: "Grim, gory, and seldom funny horror comedy...Offensive, cheap, and ugly - even by splatter genre standards."