"He's deformed, a freak. He looks like a squashed octopus."

Hey mortals, gotta keep it tight this week. Death has brought me a former first lady, a couple actors, a couple radio hosts and a wrestler, so I'm up to my ass in paperwork right now. I'm sure you can relate. Did they fix the IRS web site yet? I have some complications on some income I forgot to launder through the Caribbean. That's gonna take some thought. Fuck it, I'll just file for an extension and eat the penalty.

Anyway, judging from some feedback I've gotten on my Facebook page this week, a lot of you need to work on your sense of humor, so this week's Thursday Thriller is Basket Case.

Frank Henenlotter wrote and directed this 1982 horror/comedy about two brothers who can't stand to be apart.

Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenrick) attracts a lot of curiosity from nosy neighbors when he checks into a New York City flophouse with a fat stack of cash and a big basket. How big? Bigger than a bread basket, unless you wanted to store a whole lot of bread, I guess.

Turns out Duane keeps his deformed Siamese twin brother Belial in the basket. They've come to the big city to murder the doctors that separated them and left Belial for dead in the garbage.

Since the operation, Duane lost the ability to communicate with Belial through telepathy, but Belial's psychic powers have grown stronger. He's also pretty effective at murder for a guy without a torso or legs, but apart from the hilariously gory killing, Belial is entirely dependent on Duane.

This causes a problem when Duane goes out on a date with one doctor's sexy receptionist Sharon (Terri Susan Smith), who appears to be wearing a wig for some reason.

Belial flies into a jealous rage and trashes the hotel room, attracting the attention of the aforementioned nosy neighbors. Duane realizes that Belial won't let him have a life of his own in an especially disgusting climax I'd rather not give away.

Basket Case is a must-see for fans of low-budget horror. It streams on Shudder.