Basket Case 2 (1990)
Directed by: Frank Henenlotter
Written by: Frank Henenlotter
Starring: Annie Ross, Beverly Bonner, Judy Grafe, Kevin Van Hentenryck
BASKET CASE 2 (1990)
Written and Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Available as part of Second Sight’s Basket Case Trilogy 3 disc set
After Duane and his twin brother Belial are found injured on the streets of New York city after falling out of the Hotel Broslin window, their faces are instantly on every newspaper and TV channel. After killing the doctors responsible for their separation, they’re wanted criminals. Fortunately for them, an associate of their aunt, Granny Ruth and her granddaughter Susan, sneak them out of hospital and take the duo back to their home. It would seem that Granny Ruth has a fondness for unique individuals such as Belial and has set up a home where all the deformed can safely lively out their lives in a place of comfort and love. However, their sanctuary comes under threat when a reporter begins snooping around suspecting that Duane and Belial are staying there and so everyone at Granny Ruth’s must fight to protect their home and a chance of a free life.
Frank Henenlotter returns with sequel BASKET CASE 2 and it would seem that the cat is well and truly out of the bag or should that be Belial is well and truly out of the basket! With fellow disfigured individuals tortured, degraded and being used in freakshows, kind-hearted Dr Ruth has made it her goal to protect all these people that society have frowned and pointed fingers at and so having someone they can trust, Duane and Belial are in safe hands after somehow surviving their fall. Whilst Belial appears to make friends, especially with a shy Eve, Duane has his heart set on living a life of his own without his brother but can he really leave their safe haven? And will Susan, the object of Duane’s affection, go with him?
You can’t help but feel sorry for Duane. Once again it seems he is the brother with the biggest problem despite being able bodied and relatively “normal” by most standards. His inner torment at feeling the odd one out in a home full of “freaks” means all he wants to do is escape but it seems everyone is convincing him otherwise. With Belial knocking his confidence as his own grows, Duane isn’t handling their exposure and existance in Ruth’s community too well, so much so that he makes the mistake of acting too conspicuous in their new home thus putting everyone’s life in danger.
BASKET CASE 2 opens the doors up to a whole range of unique individuals this time round, including Lorenzo, who has a giant mouth and a beautiful operatic singing voice, a gentleman who’s face is covered in noses and a frog man. These three and more seem to live a happy life in Granny Ruth’s attic even if most just act bumbling whenever we see scenes with a few of them in the same room together. Hardly any of them talk and like Belial, latex prosthetic masks and applications are used for their appearance. Even Belial has transformed with a much more human looking face amidst the flesh and gristle. He still retains the same old bloodlust as seen in Basket Case though with his fingernails as sharp as ever.
The bloody scenes in Basket Case 2 may only contribute to around three or so scenes but you can expect more of the face ripping we’ve seen in the first movie. The most horrific, nightmarish scene of BASKET CASE 2 though has to be where Belial is getting his end away with Eve, a similarly deformed being. Belial’s moaning, grunting and thrusting will burn into your mind and life will never be the same again.
Fans of Basket Case will no doubt enjoy BASKET CASE 2 as it’s a decent sequel if ever there was one but it looses that sense of comic magic that the original movie had. Bringing back Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane was a fantastic choice though as both he and Belial have matured in appearance since the first film made eight years previously. Having the double act we fell in love with in the first movie reprised here gives us something to cherish whilst we see the pair’s story develop.
The Blu-Ray disc doesn’t contain any special features as all of them are on Disc One of the trilogy with the first Basket Case movie.
Rating: 
Emily-Camilla Stockham I haven’t seen number 2, have you??
I enjoyed the sequel more than the original although it does pay homage to Todd Browning’s Freaks in more ways than one. The scene where Belial starts laughing crazily at his brother really freaked me out and that sex scene……..nasty.