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Basket Case 2 (1990)
Frank Henenlotter is one of the most inventive and original directors that I've personally ever seen. The original "Basket Case" is one of my favorite films and I've always heard good things about it's off the wall sequel. Once again frequent Frank Henenlotter collaborator Gabe Bartolos was on board to do the special effects which is a good thing in my opinion. I've always enjoyed his work and I've felt for a long time that he's never gotten the recognition that he's deserved. Then again I guess you can say the same about director Frank Henenlotter so it's not surprising that they work well together.
The story of "Basket Case 2" starts at the end of the original film after Dwayne and his deformed maniacal brother Belial fall out of a New York City hotel window attempting to kill himself. Only it didn't quite work out that way, as both of them recovered from their accident. After being hospitalized they manage to escape with the help of Granny Ruth, a woman who was familiar with Belial and Dwayne's aunt and knew all about them. With assistance from her helper Susan, they take them both off to a safe haven for the freaks of the world. After they get there with the media hot on their trails, you're ensured to get a fun filled freakshow that only director Henenlotter can deliver.
The selling point for me of Basket Case 2 is the comedic aspect of Belial and the rest of the freaks in the house (one called "Moonface" is actually played by "Flyboy" from Dawn of the Dead, David Emge.). It's honestly really good horror comedy moments that reminded me of a Peter Jackson movie with a Frank Henenlotter twist to it. Once again Henenlotter uses lighting in the film to really add a unique atmosphere to the film to give it a very unique feel. That's something that I feel Henenlotter does each time out and just add's to the fact that he's a really underrated director.
Each of the freakshow characters are funny as hell and that's really brought across through the great effects of Bartolos. Most of the freak characters in the film weren't allowed to talk (David Emge talks about this in the special features as well) to avoid SAG regulations which made them come up with some really original ways of interacting with each other. Other than that the usual exploits of Belial and his brother Dwayne make the movie what it is, only this time Belial gets a love interest! So will Belial and his brother be able to live in happiness or are the authorites going to find out about their whereabouts and put them away for good? That's worth the price of admission alone in my opinion and there's a lot of cheesy goodness that just about any horror fan can appreciate.
The good people over at Synapse Films have done a great job remastering this version of "Basket Case 2" as it looks like the movie was just made yesterday. The colors in the movie are so vivid and when it comes down to releasing DVD's like this, there's not many people that do it as well as Synapse Films. Also you get a featurette with actor David Emge talking about his role as the "Moonface" freak and a featurette called "Beyond the Wicker" behind the scenes featurette as well.
Overall this is a must buy for fans of Henenlotter as well as fans of the Basket Case series. Synapse did a great job on the disc and this one has been a long time coming, so I'm glad that they were the ones to do it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating - ***
-Ed Demko
