Filmmaker Frank Henenlotter, who honed his craft by frequenting “grindhouse” cinemas on New York City’s 42nd Street, and working on various homespun movie projects, initially funded his first feature, Basket Case, with his life savings of $8,000. The amount was later matched by his friend, producer Edgar Ievins, as stated in a 27 Jun 2014 Westword interview with Henenlotter. According to a 2 Sep 1984 LAT article, Henenlotter and Ievins worked on the project over six years, securing a $35,000 budget and shooting the picture on 16mm, which Henenlotter edited from his apartment. A 12 Apr 1982 DV article reported that filming began in 1978, and was completed in late 1981. Locations included New York City and Glens Falls, NY. When the negative was blown up to 35mm for theatrical release, it lost much of its contrast, but the original lighting was restored when the film was converted to digital format for DVD reproduction.
       On 9 Sep 1981, DV announced that distributor Analysis Film Corporation planned to release Basket Case on the midnight theater circuit in New York City, beginning in Jan 1982. By 24 Mar 1982, however, Var listed the picture as a Safir Films, Ltd., release, and printed advertisements for screenings at the Crest Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, starting 29 Mar 1982. Sidney Safir, a former executive at British Lion Film, and his son, Lawrence Safir, began their firm four years earlier, acquiring independently produced U.S. and Australian pictures, as noted in a 7 Apr 1982 Var article, which included Basket Case as one of the company’s latest properties. Five days later, DV announced “a unique arrangement between two normally competing distributors.” Analysis was now handling Basket Case with assistance from Libra Films, which had expertise with midnight shows. According to the 12 Apr 1982 DV, the film premiered “last Friday” at New York City’s Waverly Twin theater, indicating a start date of 2 or 9 Apr 1982. At that time, two versions of the film had been prepared, “a ‘soft’ midnight edition, emphasizing the campy elements of the picture, and a ‘hard’ exploitation version which uses director Frank Henenlotter’s original cut… including explicit violence.”
       In a 20 Sep 2016 ScreenAnarchy interview, Henenlotter explained that he adjusted the narrative during production to make the film more comedic, believing humor would be its best selling point. However, the first distributor insisted on removing the remaining gory scenes, as it intended to market the picture as an all-out comedy. Henenlotter protested, arguing that “the blood is part of the humor, part of what makes it funny,” but the edited version opened in early 1982 at three midnight theaters in New York City, San Francisco, CA, and an unnamed city in TX. After three months of low ticket sales, the distributor planned to move the film to a venue in Dallas, TX, and asked a popular drive-in and B-movie critic, John Bloom (a.k.a. Joe Bob Briggs) to host a premiere. Bloom had reportedly seen an early version of Basket Case at the Cannes Film Festival, and refused to endorse the edited, non-violent release. The distributor agreed to preview the original cut of Basket Case, and the Dallas shows sold out.
       In response to the film’s success in Dallas, it was positioned at late-night movie houses such as the Waverly, where it played for eighteen months straight, according to the 2 Sep 1984 LAT. The picture was reportedly threatened with an X-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which prompted the filmmakers to release the film unrated, and limited its “distribution potential” to specialized venues. Negative reviews, such as the commentary by Rex Reed, who called Basket Case “the sickest movie I’ve ever seen,” inspired B-movie fans to flock to sold-out shows. Edgar Ievins, who reported that the film was making a profit, told the LAT about a phenomenon in which “kids waiting in line carried their own baskets.”
       The print viewed for this record was on DVD, and the credits may differ from what appeared onscreen during its initial theatrical release.
       End credits give “Special thanks to: Ugis Nigals, Charles Bennett, Grand Street Medical Group, Dr. Jeffrey Marks, Mayfair Adult Theater, Neon New York, Badlands, Dr. Bill Clements, Gary Fossick, Mike Bencivenga, Ruth Copeland, Don Loke.” Also stated is: “And a special thanks to the staff and tenants of New York’s Hotel Broslin.” Excerpts are acknowledged as: “Scenes from ‘The Bodyguard’ courtesy Terry Levine and Aquarius Films.” The film is: “Dedicated to Herschell Gordon Lewis.”