Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1992)

33% of users liked it
(1,542 ratings)

Cult director Frank Henenlotter does the seemingly impossible by breathing new life into this horror-comedy series about the twisted escapades of the Bradley Brothers: the deranged but sensitive Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his monstrously-deformed former Siamese twin Belial. The previous… More Cult director Frank Henenlotter does the seemingly impossible by breathing new life into this horror-comedy series about the twisted escapades of the Bradley Brothers: the deranged but sensitive Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his monstrously-deformed former Siamese twin Belial. The previous installment had the siblings settling a nasty dispute in a particularly grisly manner... but appearances can deceive, as the original Basket Case proved with its similar denouement, which the director casually ignored in order to move things along. This time, Duane and Belial are still a bit miffed at each other but eventually make cute when it's learned that Belial is going to be a daddy -- thanks to a stomach-churning tryst with the similarly-shaped mutant Eve in the previous chapter. Things seem to be returning to relative normalcy in their newfound home -- considering that said home is Granny Ruth's sanctuary for "Unique Individuals" whose curator (Annie Ross, reprising her role) offers bed and board to an ensemble of freaks with cartoonishly-large deformities. It is only when the entire group sets out for the Georgia clinic of Uncle Hal -- a specialist who is capable of delivering Eve's plentiful offspring -- that their revels come to an end, thanks to a redneck sheriff and his thick-headed deputies, who don't exactly take a shine to their kind. It's up to Belial to save the day, which he does with bloody gusto thanks to a mechanical exoskeleton built by Uncle Hal's ingenious multi-armed son. Despite falling into some of the same pitfalls as the previous film (namely the slightly-too-outrageous mutant makeup), this is a stylish coda to the series, with strong and very funny performances from the leads and some memorably grotesque moments -- especially a bizarre road-trip sing-along by the freaks and the jarring air of "cuteness" in the disgusting birth scene. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Frank Henenlotter
Genres: Horror

In Theaters: Dec 31, 1992 Wide
On DVD: Sep 7, 2004
Studio: MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

Alan Simpson, Sex Gore Mutants
witty, perverse and often tasteless

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

A cult classic. It didn't win any Oscars but by cult/B-movie standards its one of the best although, not as good as the first two. Highlights include; Police station carnage, Baby Belials, Robo-Belial (what came first, robo-Belial or Krang from Ninja Turtles?), musical number on… More
A cult classic. It didn't win any Oscars but by cult/B-movie standards its one of the best although, not as good as the first two. Highlights include; Police station carnage, Baby Belials, Robo-Belial (what came first, robo-Belial or Krang from Ninja Turtles?), musical number on the school bus and the 6 armed inventor who sounded a little like Rip Taylor. The Freaks annoyed me a bit though, the actors are obviously ex-Disneyland entertainers and so can?t stop bouncing around, shaking their fists and putting their hands to their mouths instead of laughing. Still, it?s a good film, one for true midnight-movie fans.
Dr Blood

They are all completely awful but this is by far the worst of the "Basket Case" movies. Whereas the previous instalments had some murders shot in lov light to hide how rubbishy the creature was, most of this film is well lit and only goes to show how bad the latex costumes… More
They are all completely awful but this is by far the worst of the "Basket Case" movies. Whereas the previous instalments had some murders shot in lov light to hide how rubbishy the creature was, most of this film is well lit and only goes to show how bad the latex costumes of all the characters actually are. It just looks like a little kids' Halloween party to me. Horror fans should avoid this one.
Cassandra M

What?
Matthew Y

My Eyes, My Eyes! Oh god...I'll never get those 90 minutes back, they're gone...gone forever. I thought Frank Henenlotter was a Horror genius after watching the original Basket Case. Considering this is where he chose to take the series I need to completely retract that… More
My Eyes, My Eyes! Oh god...I'll never get those 90 minutes back, they're gone...gone forever. I thought Frank Henenlotter was a Horror genius after watching the original Basket Case. Considering this is where he chose to take the series I need to completely retract that assumption. Basket Case 3 tries to be a goofy, campy Horror-Comedy (easily the most difficult genre merger to pull off) but at the end of the day the make-up, prosthetic and effects are too terrible to take the film as a legitimate attempt at anything.
Marcus W

In which Duane continues along the path of insanity while Belial becomes a father, and then later, Robo-Belial. In any other series of films, such things may seem strange...
Patrick D

This is definitely best if watch in close succession with the second film, as it continues the story with the same characters that were set up. Like the second, Henenlotter pushes it further and especially amps up the gore, making this film more hysterical in different ways than the… More
This is definitely best if watch in close succession with the second film, as it continues the story with the same characters that were set up. Like the second, Henenlotter pushes it further and especially amps up the gore, making this film more hysterical in different ways than the second.