Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1990
Basket Case 2
Buy Basket Case 2 now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Basket Case 2' is a 1990 American comedy slasher film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, and the sequel to 'Basket Case'. It was released on DVD by Synapse Films in October 2007. The film spawned another sequel one year later, 'Basket Case 3: The Progeny', released in 1991.
Plot
After falling from an apartment building at the end of the first film, Duane Bradley and his hideously deformed brother Belial are taken to the hospital. Their unusual situation draws media attention, making it impossible to lead a secret life. They're rescued from the hospital by Granny Ruth, who saw their story on the news. She takes them to her home, where she and her granddaughter Susan care for an extended family of similarly deformed individuals. Among these individuals is Eve, who is similar to Belial in that she is a bodiless torso. Traumatized by how she has been treated prior to Ruth rescuing her, Eve is mute and spends most of her time in the attic. A few years pass and as Eve and Belial fall in love, Duane's resentment of Belial grows. He hasn't forgiven Belial for Sharon's death and wishes to live a life without being surrounded by "freaks", as previously he had been unable to leave Belial due to their psychic bond.
During all of this a sleazy reporter named Marcie and her equally sleazy photographer has been looking for the Bradley brothers in order to bring them to justice. Upon discovering the freaks Marcie decides that she will expose them to the world, forcing Ruth and the others to stop her. They kill the photographer, as well as a private detective that was assisting Marcie. Duane tricks Marcie into allowing the freaks into her home under the guise that Belial wants an interview; Belial mutilates her face, turning her into a freak as well.
That night the freaks celebrate their victory while Eve and Belial consummate their relationship in the attic. Seeing this as an opportunity to finally be free of Belial, Duane approaches Susan and asks her to run away with him. She's horrified that he would leave his brother and reveals that she, too, is a freak. She has been pregnant for six years as her baby refuses to leave her womb. This shatters the last of Duane's psyche and he kills Susan by pushing her out a window. He then goes to Belial and forcibly sews him to his body. The film ends as Ruth and the others discover what Duane has done, and stare at him horrified.
Cast
* Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley
* Annie Ross as Granny Ruth
* Kathryn Meisle as Marcie Elliott
* Heather Rattray as Susan Smoeller
* Jason Evers as Lou
* Ted Sorel as Phil
* Beverly Bonner as Casey
* Matt Mitler as Arty
* Leonard Jackson as Police Commissioner
* David Emge as Half Moon
* Judy Grafe as News Woman
* Chad Brown as News Man
* Tom Franco as Frog Boy
* Tom Tolan as Belial Bradley (voice; uncredited)
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 67% of six surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 6.4/10. 'Variety' called it "a hilarious genre spoof" that pays homage to 'Freaks'. Caryn James of 'The New York Times' wrote, "As cheap horror spoofs go, this one isn't all bad." Kevin Thomas of the 'Los Angeles Times' wrote, "It has everything it needs to become the cult film that its 1982 predecessor has been: outrageous dark humor, bizarre horror, driving energy and genuine pathos."
From retrospective reviews, John Kenneth Muir wrote in his book 'Horror Films of the 1990s' opined that 'Basket Case 2' was "disappointing" and that it "eschews all the qualities that made the down-and-dirty, low-budget original such a great pleasure."
Sequel
This sequel was followed in 1991 by another sequel, 'Basket Case 3: The Progeny'.
References
Buy Basket Case 2 now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1990