Can't say I really condone Frank Hennenlotter's augmenting of the "Basket Case" concept, but the comedic advancement is prevalent in much of the director's film's around the early 90s and are all definitely worthy of acclaim. The original "Basket Case" is one of my top favorite 80s cult films ever - just a bizarre idea that is strengthened by a great grimy New York city look and "feel", as well as awesome gore - and "part 2", though it was made about 8 years after it's predecessor, picks up right after the "dramatic" plummet from the Hotel Broslin. Duane and Belial survive their ordeal and are sent to the hospital where they soon slip out undetected and seek refuge from the media in a half-way house for extraordinarily deformed people... Or "freaks", if you will. There, Belial finds a female with the same bodily structure as him and falls in love while Duane plans on finally heading out on his own. The problem is, a lone reporter is on their trail and desperate to leak the whereabouts of the much sought-after killers. The brothers and their freak brethren are then forced to defend their house from the nosy intruders... If you like Hennenlotter's films, like "Frankenhooker" and "Brain Damage", you will probably get a kick out of this. It's not nearly as dank and sadistically toned as the first one - actually, it has a more of a "sitcom" kind of atmosphere going on with the obvious sound stages and slight melodramatic touches - but there's some pretty crazy effects. The freaks are truly over-the-top - one having a giraffe-like neck, another with a crescent shaped head, a face full of noses, and there's even one that is just a giant mouth. Chances are, though, if you were not into the original "Basket Case" you surely won't like this sequel and you're probably not a Frank Hennenlotter fan in general... Overall, "Basket Case 2" isn't great, but it's a very silly and entertaining "cash in" of the indie- cult favorite from 1982. It's clearly unneeded, but it's THERE so have a look and enjoy...
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Rating: 6.7 out of 10.0 - 3 votes cast total
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