User reviews

Belial and Duane are together again. Somehow they survived the heavy fall in the first episode. This time they get shelter in Granny Ruths place. She is a pro-freak-activist which helps and protects all of the "unique" creatures she can find. This time there are no doctors to mangle, but a bunch of evil journalists who are looking for fame by finding them. The rest is obvious. I liked this one just as much as the first one. The difference is that it´s a more humouristic and less scary sequel. It also has a twisted ending which makes it even more fun to watch. Enjoy!

Duane and his deformed Siamese twin brother Belial survived the fall from their hotel window in the original, to wake up in a hospital. While trying to escape from the hospital, they're helped out by a doctor who's called Dr. Freak by her peers. She takes them back to her place but Belial is not alone as Belial finds companionship with the other freaks that live there too. To make matters worse is that their hideaway is put at risk a by reporter who is after a story about the twins.

After being surprised by how good the original was, I was a bit disappointed with this sequel as it felt like a dumb down comic adventure. It's not awful but the charm of the original is lost in this film, with a comedy element (trying too much to be funny) and a bigger budget replacing the raw and gritty feel which made the original a grind house treat. The special effects and acting are a tad better this time around, though I miss the originals funny over the top performances. The plot is really lame and there's hardly any gore to be found. Though there is a lot more freaks this time- but they seem to take back seat to Beliel, as he orchestrates most of the violence while they spectate. In doing so you hope they would get into the action- but they seem harmless and play more towards the comedy side of things. Towards the end there are some comical scenes that you think what the??? Or why am I seeing this??? Its alright I guess, but you could say it's a pretty pointless sequel.

3/5

For writer/director Frank Henenlotter, fame came in a small basket, literally. With the release of Basket Case (1982), Henenlotter had shown audiences that he created a unique horror icon to bring forth to the public. Unfortunately that's all Henenlotter had. Looking back, the film did have some parts that were different from other horror films from the 1980s. Yet this did not override the whole fact that the story itself did not make any sense and the characters weren't as likable as one would want them to be. However, even with these flaws Henenlotter was able to get his chance to film a sequel. The sequel did not arrive until 1990 (which was abnormal for sequels back then to have such a gap) and it seemed that there was small bits of improvement. Then again there are still other things that keep getting put into the script that add to the confusion. For what it's worth though, Basket Case (1982) did not need a sequel. Its finale was gratifying enough.

Like other sequels, Basket Case 2 (1990) picks up where Basket Case (1982) finished. After their fall, Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his separated deformed siamese twin Belial are taken to the nearest hospital to recover. There, Belial and Duane get a ride from Granny Ruth (Annie Ross) and Susan (Heather Rattray) to their home, which is a house of other outlandishly deformed outcasts. Meanwhile, a money grubbing reporter named Marcie (Kathryn Meisle) and her partner Phil (Ted Sorel) look to expose the Bradley brothers' location for their crimes. This story isn't bad at all. In fact, the concept is much more immersive than that of what Henenlotter wrote for his first film. Unfortunately, it's the execution that brings about the problems. It was hard pressed to say whether Belial and Duane were the viewers' designated protagonists. Sure you could sympathize that they were separated at birth and wanted payback, yet the relationship between the two characters didn't feel like they knew each other.

That feeling goes double for here. Both Duane and Belial have several opportunities to redeem themselves and learn from their mistakes, and yet they don't. It is truly unfortunate. That's one of the best parts about Henenlotter's writing specifically this time and yet it isn't utilized properly. Belial finds love and Duane thinks that he deserves his chance to be normal and find love with Susan. Duane sits down and talks with Belial and gets laughed at. Well okay, some brother you are Belial. Although I must question Duane's newfound "love" for Susan. They literally just met. Turns out the first chance Duane finds love, he wants to sleep with the girl (just like the original film). Even after Belial finds love, he continues to kill people (just like the original film). These characters do not develop what so ever. It's actually more accurate to say the execution feels fairly similar to that of what happened in the first film. Duane and Belial although brothers, don't exactly have brotherly love to show for each other. A very poor standing love/hate relationship.

Another thing that needs to be questioned again is how does Belial have a reproductive system? The first film (even this one through flashback) stated Belial was only connected by tissue and shared no vital organs, so what is Duane's brother running on? The logic makes no sense. Another element that doesn't make sense, yet was creative were the other freakishly deformed residence of Granny Ruth's house. What didn't make sense were some of the deformities like having as one character is credited as "Man with 27 Noses", "Frog Boy" or "Toothy". Many of the designs are truly beyond plausible but the fact that a concept artist had to conjure up such distortions is worth noting. Plus, the practical effects used for the costumes and gory violence are used nicely. And although the design of Belial has changed, he at least has better movement from before and doesn't howl at ear blistering decibels like the original movie.

Robert M. Baldwin instead of Bruce Torbet handled the cinematography for this entry. Surprisingly, Baldwin keeps the same visual style of Torbet and cranks it up a couple notches from less gritty indie film to a more professionally made film. Plus, there are some moments where the lighting and angles the cameras move at gives a much more trippier feel to it because it is so bizarre of a story. And because the effects look better, it doesn't seem as obvious that Belial was originally a puppet and now more like a live creature. The music was of no improvement though. Instead of Gus Russo, Joe Renzetti (known for his music from Child's Play (1988) composed the music. And just like Child's Play (1988), Renzetti's music does have creepy sounding tunes but they are very short-lived and more atmospheric than anything else, leaving little to the imagination. It's really nothing to be impressed about because it's so difficult to remember how to hum the tune.

It has better looking effects, violence and cinematography and its screenplay had moments of opportunity. Regrettably the opportunities weren't seized, which led to frustrating direction, bad continuity and confusing motivational choices. Surprisingly it's better than the first,....but not by much.

Crazy & freeky sequel to the Basket case (82). By far inferior to the first part, basket case 2 looses control, as the balance of the film between being serious and (intentionally, i believe) rediculous is very fragile. Whatever the case, the entertainment value is very high - maybe thats due to that specific unbalanced element.

Basket case 3, on the other hand is really funnier, really gory in some scenes and delivers a fine result which pays tribute to the original's fame.

Kudos to Frank Henenlotter for reviving his franchise some eight years after the successful cult hit of the original film, but it's a shame he didn't have better material to work with. BASKET CASE 2 points towards being a successful sequel, featuring as it does a storyline that goes elsewhere instead of copying the first, but sadly come the ending you realise virtually nothing has happened of interest throughout.

The problem with the movie isn't the ingredients, which are more than adequate, but the narrative. Henenlotter introduces a cast of outlandish freaks who are as memorable as a modern-day sideshow, but the trouble is he has no idea what to do with them. They hang around in an attic for much of the production, while the viewer struggles to come to terms with lead Kevin Van Hentenryck's obvious ageing (this movie is set directly in time after the first, although eight years passed between films).

In an attempt to make the narrative interesting some villains are shoehorned into the plot in the form of some unscrupulous reporters, but they're far from intriguing. The latter half of BASKET CASE 2 is particularly stultifying, lifted only by a clever and unexpected twist ending. Hopefully, BASKET CASE 3: THE PROGENY will close Henenlotter's trilogy on a more impressive note.

If you have seen the first movie you'll probably be wondering how can another Basket Case movie be a continuation of the first! Well, it's easy enough, but I don't want to ruin your "surprise"!! Anyway it begins just from where the first end. Soon, just a matter of few minutes, you are introduced in a new character that will also link this one to its sequel: that's Granny Ruth, one of the most entertaining in the whole series! This little, mid-aged lady together with an girl help Duane and Belial to escape and shelter from the police, chasing them for the first movie's massacre! Soon you discover that they're not alone in Ruth's house: not only the girl helping Granny Ruth is there, but an entire freaks community! Seems like Duane and Belial found a family, but soon troubles arrive as a journalist discover the Bradley twins shelter! It's time for massacre again!

To be honest I found this one really entertaining, much more then the first one that was more like an"original" slasher movie! This time Gabe Bartalos give "tru life" to Belial, using an animatronic model instead of a still one animated in stop motion! It really looks great! Also the other freaks look really good, and there are really a lot! A social critic find place in this movie too: as Henenlotter did in all his movies, any "strange thing" you see here sounds like a metaphor of true life. So the freaks community been chased just for their "differences" from the mass seems to be a more intense and "intellectual" reading key for this movie, much more than you could have been thinking.

Crazy and really good special effects, technically much better than the average low budget movie, funny plot: it's got much more than you could expect from a movie of this kind!

I can't say if I prefer this one ore the next one, but sure this two are very different from the first Basket Case: here you will find true comedy painted in a gory way, but no suspense or thrills!

I remember being disappointed with this when I first viewed it and revisiting it nearly 20 years later brings about the same feeling. The film picks up right where the first one left of with Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) being attacked by his mutant brother and falling out the window of his Times Square flophouse. Naturally, this is big news and Granny Ruth (Annie Ross), a friend of Duane's aunt, goes to rescue him from the hospital. She brings the duo back to her mansion where she houses a variety of freaks.

Frank Henenlotter's follow-up is obviously a bigger affair with a nice budget from James Glickenhaus, but this sequel fails to pack the sleazy punch of the first film. Part of the problem for me is the other freaks. They are just too corny and, I can't believe I am saying this, unrealistic. I can accept a mutated mass of flesh like Belial. But a guy with 27 noses or a huge mouth that sings opera? Too much. I do applaud Henenlotter for bringing Van Hentenryck back and Ross is good as Ruth. My favorite character though is freakshow owner Lyle Barker (Jan Saint). He is the only one who carries over that air of realistic sleaze from the first film. "Trash, low life, scum!"

I am a huge fan of the late Annie Ross. She played Granny Ruth in the sequel and third film. The story picks up where it left off. The twins are brought to Granny Ruth's palatial Staten Island home with her granddaughter, Susan (Heather Rattray), who seems normal physically. The home is filled with deformed humans or freaks. They're quite an array of genetic abnormalities and physical features. Duane and Belial have found a home where they are accepted and well cared for. Annie Ross is terrific as Granny Ruth where I wished she acted more. Heather Rattray Is very good as Susan. The special effects are somewhat outdated compared to today. It's entertaining though. Granny Ruth Is someone who cares about the so called freaks too. Annie Ross gave a terrific performance here.

Belial returns with a bigger budget! However, most of the budget goes to the creatures, and not to the gore. Basket Case 2 is sadly missing much of the carnage of the first film.

This movie is missing everything I loved about the first one. The whole grungy grind house feel is gone, and we get a wonky comedy with not much horror until the end. The movie didn't even focus on the interesting relationship of Belial and Duane. They were an afterthought.

I can't say I hated the film, but it was just too off tone from the first one. I can see why people enjoy this film, I just can't help but miss the things that made the first great. Props to a very satisfying climax though.

Basket Case 2 takes place right after the original. And, if you've seen the original, you may be in for a surprise. The first instalment was pretty dark - about a young man who carries his psychotic miniature deformed brother around in a basket. However, number two immediately changes the genre slightly into more of a wacky comedy (yes, with a few murders in, but mainly it's played for laughs).

A lot of people who saw the first film see it as a cult classic (yes, it's cheesy, but still pretty enjoyable nonetheless), so when number two shifted gear it took a lot of stick. Not only does the overall atmosphere change, but the central two characters - one being the 'basket case' himself - are slightly pushed out of the forefront of the story - another reason Basket Case purists see the sequels as a step in the wrong direction.

However, if you look at number two on its own, it's reasonably enjoyable (in a silly kind of dumb way). Number three follows on from number two straight away, but keeps the same comedy feel with horror as a secondary part to it.

I quite enjoyed all three of them. However, the general consensus is that you should stick to the first one if you like horror films. The next two are pretty wacky. You have to be in the mood for such silliness, or a complete basket case (which I obviously am).

As far as sequels are concerned, this tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy from the original film's director Frank Henenlotter is pretty good. The film picks up right where the original leaves off, has a few characters from the original returning, and just like "Halloween 2" it resumes inside the hospital right after the events of the original film take place. The only problem is that, since so many years have passed since the original, the actors have obviously aged quite a bit so the idea that this is the actually occurring the very same night is a bit over the top but since the film is a comedy it really does not matter. Duane Bradley and his brother Belail are 'rescued' during an attempt to escape from the hospital by Granny Ruth and her grand daughter Susan. They then take refuge in Granny Ruth's house of 'freaks'. This is when things really begin to get strange. The make-up effects are really good and there is just the right amount of humor and horror combined in the design of the 'freaks' that it makes for a highly entertaining flick. Each resident takes on their own personality and even though they later turn murderous the viewer finds themselves not only sympathizing with Duane, his brother and the rest of the freaks, but you will actually find yourself rooting them on as they seek revenge against several reporters from a sleazy tabloid who threaten to expose the Bradleys as well as a sleazy old man who runs a 'freak show' and falsely claims to have captured Belail. The make-up effects and the murder sequences are quite bizarre but highly amusing. All in all this is an above average sequel that just seems to get stranger and stranger as it progresses but will have you both terrified and laughing uproariously.

I really like the first Basket Case back in (1982), as it was very Gory also really funny, a lot of Fun

now they are back again, this movie start of by showing, what happened at the end of The Basket Case, Soon start from the ending of the first movie

The twins are now main headline on the news , Granny Ruth and her Grandaugter are watching the news and know who these two are, as they rush to the hospital, Duane and Belial break out of the hospital after he killed one of the doctors.

Then Ruth hide them away from outside world, with her family, then they find out that, Beiial is not one of a kinda as there are others like him in her house, that she takes care of.

Duane now feel like a normal person, wants to be a normal person and wants to leave but he ends up getting seen by the Reporter, now he has to stay, as he put the rest of the Freaks in danger, of being found out.

This movie is not as Great, as the cult classic Basket Case (1982). Is still a great movie.

There are very funny scenes, gore was good, not as gory as the first, they make up effect for the Freaks, were GREAT, or outstanding and I really like the way the movie ended, as it perfect ending.

I liked this movie, as it was really good and the acting was great too I going to give this movie 7/10

BASKET CASE 2 picks up right where the plot of the first movie left off. This time around, Duane and his deformed brother find shelter with "Granny Ruth", a woman who has dedicated her life to take care of those "freaks" that otherwise find no place in society.

Just as with its predecessor, the movie focuses on the theme of social rejection and "trying to fit in". The sequel is more comedic, more actively making fun of itself. There's some better make-up effects but also, just as was the case before, some really tacky ones as well. Overall, this movie has some light-hearted fun to offer while at the same time succeeding in asking some deep questions about the nature of our society.

What I found most enjoyable was Annie Ross's performance as Granny Ruth, which was hilariously over-the-top. She's quite a character in the movie and certainly carries it at times. Comparatively speaking, Duane and his brother play less of an important role this time, as the story branches out to include more characters and more "freaks".

Go and watch it if you liked the first installment of the series.

This first sequel to the original "Basket Case" sees the return of Duane (Kevin VanHentenryck, who is in all of the Basket Case movies), and this flick introduces Annie Ross as Granny Ruth, who gives a memorable performance, and returns for "Basket Case 3: The Progeny". This second entry in the series is not as gory as the first at all, but it has better acting, more freaks, and a cheesy attempt at a love story between Duane and Susan (Heather Rattray). The freaks can get annoying at times, and at one scene, I quote my friend who said, "Now it's just a bunch of freaks running around". I recommend this only if you have seen the first "Basket Case", and it's not as entertaining as either BC1 or BC3, but still I'm glad to have it in my collection. Also, it has the sex scene nobody wanted.....Be warned! 7/10

Rated 18s for horror violence and some gore, language, sex?!, and brief mild nudity

This movie was a direct sequel and continuation of the 1982 "Basket Case" movie. However, I can't claim to be much of a fan of the first movie, but I had the chance to get to sit down and watch all three movies, so I did.

"Basket Case 2" was a step in the wrong direction for the series. Why? Well, because it went from being semi-adequate in the first movie with it being just Duane and Belial, to featuring an entire freakish array of creatures in this sequel. So why is that a bad thing? Well, simply because the creature designs were just too much, didn't even pass as being believable in any sense what so ever. It just has to be seen to give it any justice, because those designs are hard to describe.

Storywise then "Basket Case 2" was adequate, although I can't really say that I overly enjoyed the collection of freaks much, it just added a very silly comedy element to the movie. The story is about Duane and Belial coming to seek refuse with Granny Ruth, after having escape hospitalization, where they join with a group of freakishly deformed creatures. But news of their whereabouts and the possibility of exposing the freaks safe haven is looming around the corner.

Kevin Van Hentenryck is back in the role as Duane, and does what he does, like it or not.

I found "Basket Case 2" to be treading a slippery slope and it just took a turn for the worse and went in the wrong direction. I managed to stick with it to the end just because I wanted to see how it ended.

"Basket Case 2" scores a less than mediocre four out of ten stars from me.

This film is utter madness. It takes the first film to the ultimate next level. It is just lots of freaks and some pretty grotty moments of hellish violence. It is twisted film making dying to shock you with the sicker side of our body pretending that it is enlightening us. I loved every second without a moment of introspective boredom. Utterly nuts and tacky, but that is why we love it.

The first "Basket Case" movie looked like it was made on a shoe-string budget. It also featured some horrible acting and directing. But director Frank Henenlotter obviously had learned since and gained more experience. The movie is more consistent this time, also in its pace.

There was obviously some more money to spend this time, compared to the first movie. The movie is overall more professional looking and so is the Belial character. There is more movement and detail in the guy. It's professionalism also makes this an overall more effective genre movie.

Luckily the movie obviously also doesn't take itself very serious, which in the end also is this movie its strongest point. It knows it's ridicules and it actually exploits this by putting in more ridicules new looking characters and silly moments and dialog and the actors also seem to be totally aware of this. It's also a reason why this movie is a totally pleasant genre movie to watch. It knows it's a B- and cult-movie and it doesn't resists against it. Not in the least of course due to the later success and cult following the first movie received.

Kevin Van Hentenryck is still as horrible as ever before in his acting but they cleverly resolved this by putting in way more characters this time, so the entire focus of the movie this time isn't just upon Duane and Belial. It also lets Duane act more as a psycho this time, which also allows Van Hentenryck to do his bad overacting and make him get away with it.

The story is of course silly but it also still is a notch up when compared to the first movie. It's at least more layered, also of course due to the fact that there are more characters in it this time. But no, overall you can't really call the movie anything more than just plain silly. Fun but silly.

Supriningly much better than the first movie, due to the fact it was made with more money and people involved and because the movie luckily doesn't take itself serious at all. It makes sure that you as a viewer also just can't take it serious at all and therefor lets you sit back and just enjoy the ride!

7/10

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Ok so 1982's Basket Case is one of my all time favourite horror movies and was the first film I ever dared to try and review, and as a kid I loved this sequel as well, then as I got older I grew to dislike it because of how drastically different it was aesthetically and tone-wise...and now lately for whatever reason it's grown on me again and I've come to appreciate it for what it is and what it does right. It was always a very needless sequel, the first movie was so perfectly tragic and poetically macabre in how it ended and it was perfect just the way it was...but since a sequel was made, a suppose it could have been a whole lot worse, I.E. part 3! It mostly just feels like a completely different movie, you go from the intimate gritty creepiness and sleazy charm and excellent atmosphere of the grungy old Hotel Broslin to this off-its-rocker schlocky monsterfest with its barrage of cartoonish freaks, and I'm not saying it isn't fun, but when you've got a giant head singing opera, a frogman and a giggling gargoyle eating cake I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be taken too seriously! But the first movie did take itself so seriously, and that's one of the reasons it's a classic and I loved it so much, it was weird and grim and scary and just very different, and this thing seems to scrap any attempts at real atmospherics and genuinely scary sequences in favour of the outlandish spectacle of the admittedly impressive array of freaks. It obviously had a bigger budget, and feels like an overall bigger endeavour in comparison to the first one, but to me it was certainly smaller in terms of real horror and creepiness.. It wasn't a completely scare-free effort though, I find the opening image of Belial floating and the following scene in the hospital to be quite spooky, as is the aftermath of the attack on the gross old phone freakmaker Mr Barker, and I for one find Belial's reaction to Duane's(to be fair )pretty sappy hopes for the future to be downright mortifying! I'm afraid I really don't like the 'update' they gave to Belial though, 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 flick, that thing was legit terrifying and the thought of it clinging to my wall in the dark haunted many of my childhood nights! For me the movie's highlight is the bar scene where the chief journalist is given a little surprise lesson in the concept of what normality and freakishness really mean, shortly before his brutal death, I think it's very well orchestrated and drives home an interesting point in a fairly clever way, and the scene is creepier on a second viewing if you take a closer look at some of those shifty bar patrons in the background! Kevin Van Hentenryck was great in that scene, and he's actually my favourite thing about this movie, his character of Duane had a bit more development this time, and I like how he becomes subtly more dark and unhinged until he finally cracks at the end in a brilliantly done twist that to me is actually worthy of how the original film ended, he becomes a human monster and the freakish monster becomes the helpless one as Duane takes control of the crazy nightmare his life has become in the only way he sees how, by becoming the 'freak' he once was, in an insane sequence that's sick, bloody, and strangely very apt and fitting! Also I must mention Annie Ross's whacked-out performance which was a lot of fun, in the bizarre scene where she's rallying the freaks like a reverend, she's surrounded by them but your attention is totally on her the whole time because she just filled the room, Granny Ruth was a great addition! In closing it might not hold a candle to the 1982 classic, but again as sequels go it's not a bad one, at least Henenlotter tried out something new instead of just retreading the same story. It doesn't completely work but it has its own merits, and does make for a freakishly fun and demented horror romp in its own right and to me is a worthwhile sequel. X

Basket Case 2 (1990) along with Part 3 were made so Henenlotter could get his Frankenhooker project off the ground. Basket Case 2 picks right off where part one ended. With a bigger budget, Henenlotter has access to a larger staff and special effects. Shot back to back with Basket Case 3, part 2 lacks the charm of the original. That said, the sequel has it's moments and they're quiet entertaining. Sadly you can tell the director's heart wasn't in the project. Not bad but I feel that it was an unnecessary sequel. Recommended.

B

I really don't know what they were going for here.

Capturing none of the lurid, campy macabre that made the first movie a cult classic, this one oscillates awkwardly between dark comedy and trying to be "Freaks" for Generation X. You don't know if the the nauseating sentimentality about being nice to the disfigured (as admirable as it is) is meant to be a sincere message or just a way to accentuate the humour. The whole is just a tonal mess, it doesn't juxtapose its elements, it just slams them together and calls it a day.

It gets hard to root for the people you're pressured to root for and the best character (the journalist) totally doesn't get the deal she should.

The make up is fascinating but conceptually it, again, does not work because it's just hyperbolic. Imagine your worst nightmare as a 6 year old, this is what we're working with. "Freaks" managed to make its message clear and feel sympathetic for its "unique individuals" a while before segregation was lifted.

This movie just feels exploitative in a way that even the lovers of the transgressive and insensitive will wince at.

Admittedly it can be funny as that lady keeps a straight face as she wonders through Jim Henson's acid trip but the gag wears very thin.