Basket Case 2

Duane and his mutant brother Belial are back in this first sequel to the ever-classic tongue-in-cheek series.

For this go-round, Duane and Belial escape from a hospital (after Belial makes sure a few of the staff members are missing their faces)and find refuge in the house of Granny Ruth (Annie Ross), who lives in a spacious house which cares for "differently abled" um, "persons." Some of the "people" in Granny Ruth's house have animal like features, such as claws and gills (even Belial, in a masterfully done puppeteering and make-up venue, is simply a hideous head with evil eyes, very sharp teeth, and two arms with claw-like fingernails extending from the hands).

Belial never really speaks. He just sort of grunts. He does this louder when he gruesomely massacres the snoopy tabloid reporter. Basically, he "jumps" at people, locking his sharp teeth onto their face, sometimes eating certain facial features off. However evil he may seem, he is, in an extremely morbid way, like Freddy Krueger or the Leprechaun. His therapy session with Granny Ruth is a blast (I laughed my a** off(!), and his, um, engaging in an attempt at pro-creation with a female member of his genus at the end is so disgusting and putrid it's downright hilarious).

While at Granny Ruth's house, Duane meets her lovely daughter, Susan. Susan appears, shall we say, "normal," but at the end, we find she just as much qualifies for the attic just as much as the rest of Granny's tenets.

The ending ends with the evil winning (personally I don't think of Belial as THAT evil, just a little "delinquent" mayble),I will tell you that, but in a way, it should. Of course, director Hennenlotter probably intended this, sense it sets up room for another sequel.

"Basket Case 2" is wicked fun! Some may find it hard to understand how some of the downright evil things that happen are funny, but they are, and they are intended to be, especially in the campy context in which they happen. Overall, this is highly recommended. Belial is, in a way, this viewer's new horror hero!

Rating: *** out of ****.

As far as sequels are concerned, this tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy from the original film's director Frank Henenlotter is pretty good. The film picks up right where the original leaves off, has a few characters from the original returning, and just like "Halloween 2" it resumes inside the hospital right after the events of the original film take place. The only problem is that, since so many years have passed since the original, the actors have obviously aged quite a bit so the idea that this is the actually occurring the very same night is a bit over the top but since the film is a comedy it really does not matter. Duane Bradley and his brother Belail are 'rescued' during an attempt to escape from the hospital by Granny Ruth and her grand daughter Susan. They then take refuge in Granny Ruth's house of 'freaks'. This is when things really begin to get strange. The make-up effects are really good and there is just the right amount of humor and horror combined in the design of the 'freaks' that it makes for a highly entertaining flick. Each resident takes on their own personality and even though they later turn murderous the viewer finds themselves not only sympathizing with Duane, his brother and the rest of the freaks, but you will actually find yourself rooting them on as they seek revenge against several reporters from a sleazy tabloid who threaten to expose the Bradleys as well as a sleazy old man who runs a 'freak show' and falsely claims to have captured Belail. The make-up effects and the murder sequences are quite bizarre but highly amusing. All in all this is an above average sequel that just seems to get stranger and stranger as it progresses but will have you both terrified and laughing uproariously.

This first sequel to the original "Basket Case" sees the return of Duane (Kevin VanHentenryck, who is in all of the Basket Case movies), and this flick introduces Annie Ross as Granny Ruth, who gives a memorable performance, and returns for "Basket Case 3: The Progeny". This second entry in the series is not as gory as the first at all, but it has better acting, more freaks, and a cheesy attempt at a love story between Duane and Susan (Heather Rattray). The freaks can get annoying at times, and at one scene, I quote my friend who said, "Now it's just a bunch of freaks running around". I recommend this only if you have seen the first "Basket Case", and it's not as entertaining as either BC1 or BC3, but still I'm glad to have it in my collection. Also, it has the sex scene nobody wanted.....Be warned! 7/10

Rated 18s for horror violence and some gore, language, sex?!, and brief mild nudity

Crazy & freeky sequel to the Basket case (82). By far inferior to the first part, basket case 2 looses control, as the balance of the film between being serious and (intentionally, i believe) rediculous is very fragile. Whatever the case, the entertainment value is very high - maybe thats due to that specific unbalanced element.

Basket case 3, on the other hand is really funnier, really gory in some scenes and delivers a fine result which pays tribute to the original's fame.

Basket Case 2 is...well, it's something else. Joe Bob Briggs said "It's perfect!" and that was enough for me. I don't like it, but, at the same time, I don't hate it. It lacks the grittiness of the original Basket Case. The film is more polished but the sets aren't. They're clearly sets and the movie suffers for it. It lacks the realism that the first film depended on. The acting is better, Ted Sorel (From Beyond) is great. The movie is a just a bit too comedic for my tastes. The freaks are mostly stupid, but Belial still kicks ass though. He gets an upgrade in this film, from stopmotion to animatronics. All in all, the film still has that great stomach-turning quality, and the sex scene you never wanted to see. And it does have a great climax, the ending alone is worth watching the entire movie for. It just can't live up to the original.

Note for genre buffs: Two of the freaks include Ron Fazio (he was the second Toxic Avenger) and David Emge (Dawn of the Dead).