Original art: Basket Case - Cortiella

Basket Case (1982) is an American cult film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, blending horror and comedy in a wildly irreverent way.

Basket Case is a twisted reinterpretation of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde myth, even parodied in an episode of The Simpsons. Duane Bradley arrives in New York carrying a mysterious basket hiding his deformed Siamese twin brother, Belial. The two were separated as children, and Belial was abandoned in a garbage bin after being presumed dead. Now reunited, they set out to find the doctors who operated on him…

Its success was such that it spawned two sequels, driven largely by the boom of the home video market, which turned Basket Case into a must-have title on video store shelves.

In Spain, its VHS release during the 1980s featured a brand-new illustrated cover created by artist Rafael Cortiella. These VHS tapes were distributed throughout Spanish video stores by TV Omega, but today they are extremely difficult to find physical items: true collector’s pieces from the analog era.

These VHS tapes are highly prized among collectors thanks to their striking cover artwork, a time when illustrated poster art dominated the market. Even more valuable, of course, is the original artwork for Basket Case, especially since the Spanish VHS edition featuring this illustrated interpretation is largely unknown. This large-format original illustration, created in ink and color by Rafael Cortiella, is a truly unique collector’s piece.

ORIGIN OF COMICS – Original Art – Basket Case – Cortiella

Rafael Cortiella Joancomartí was a remarkable draftsman, illustrator, and painter. He created countless covers for horror, war, and romance novels published by Editorial Bruguera, among others. He also produced numerous western-themed covers for the German market, especially for Lassiter magazine. In his later years, he devoted himself to painting and exhibited his work in several art galleries.

During the 1980s, alongside the rise of home video, Cortiella created new poster artwork for video releases. To distinguish these works from his novel illustrations, he signed these spectacular movie poster artworks as “Joan.” The piece featured here is precisely one of the rarest and least seen: Basket Case. If you are a lover of original artwork and horror cinema, this piece will fascinate you.

A unique work of art available at Origin Of Comics for a special limited-time price. Additionally, the film’s DVD will be included with the shipment.

You can find more artwork by Cortiella at Origin Of Comics.