Basket Case 2 (1990)

 

Genre: Horror/ Comedy

Time: 1h 30mins

Director: Frank Henenlotter

Quick Summary: Duane and his basket-bound mutant brother are taken in by a secret home for wayward freaks with journalists hot on their tail.

Well, at least that question I was dying to know has been answered for me...

It seems like they took the tongue-in-cheek humour and went all the way with this one. Duane seems a lot more clueless and has no brain cells this time, and I'm loving it. It doesn't have the same charm as the first one though, but it feels more like a comedy as the gore is really toned down.  There is obviously a much bigger budget too, which I'm not complaining about as it really helped with all the practical effects, I just miss the bad acting and over-the-top gore. 

Speaking of the practical effects, I actually really like them. We get a barrage of freaks on screen to look at and all of them look spectacularly horrible and twisted. Though I really don't like the 'update' they gave to Belial (the deformed brother), yeah sure he could be more expressive and move more but I don't think it had anything on the bone white, roaring twisted abomination from the first film. 

I really like how Duane's character is portrayed as being unhinged and crazy in this movie. It makes the events of the first film more believable to me. However, when he finally loses it at the end, it's actually horrifying to think about. I also wanted to mention Annie Ross's excellent performance, especially in the bizarre scene where she's rallying the freaks like a reverend. Even though she's surrounded by them, your attention is solely on her because she fills the room with her presence. There's also this red light that tints the screen which makes it so much more thrilling to watch. 

As well as Duane falling in love with the first woman he sees and wanting to run away with her, the other brother gets a romance too. Which is nice. But they decided to show one of the most horrific sex scenes I have ever witnessed. I mean, it's pretty funny at the same time as we cut in between these two fleshy, lumps go at it with these squelchy sounds, and then Duane and his love interest as he is trying to convince her to run away with him as she's also trying to get him to have sex with her, and then back to the flesh lumps. This goes back and forwards between the two for what feels like five minutes. 

I didn't really care much for the reporter storyline, I had almost forgotten about them in this film. I just found them pretty boring and would have preferred if the story just focused on Duane and his brother, in the household of freaks. 

While this isn't as good as the first one, It's still brilliant and loveable in its own way. It's a shame this isn't as gorey as the first. 

7/10

"Granny Ruth: I understand your pain, Belial, but ripping the faces off people may not be in your best interest."