Arrow Films

Duane Bradley and his formerly conjoined twin Belial, a deformed creature who lives in a wicker basket, hunt down and butcher the surgeons responsible for their separation.

Frank Henenlotter’s (Brain Damage, Frankenhooker) 1982 feature debut gets a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray premiere, looking as good as it can, notwithstanding its grimy Big Apple locations and low budget production values.

The movie has a certain low-rent charm and delivers what it sets out to do. The acting is generally poor and Henenlotter’s directorial prowess would improve, but as a capsule of US exploitation movies of the early 1980s, it’s a great example.

Restored from the original 16mm negative by MoMA, there’s an audio commentary by writer/director Henenlotter and star Kevin VanHentenryck and a whole bunch of extras including interviews with cast and crew, film critic Joe Bob Briggs, a 1976 short, double-sided fold-out poster and booklet of new writing on the film.

Verdict: A great package for fans of this little shocker, but a polish will only get you far. 7/10

Nick Joy