DVD Review: Basket Case 2

One of my favorite horror movies when I was a kid was Basket Case. My grandparents had a large collection of videocassettes, and my brother and I would spend weekends at their place, watching move after movie. Basket Case was one we watched many times. Yet for some reason I missed the sequels when they were released. So I decided to take advantage of the Halloween season this year to finally check out Basket Case 2, which was released on DVD by Synapse Films.

The Film

Basket Case 2 opens with the ending of the original film, in which Duane and his brother Belial seemingly fall to their deaths, and then picks up almost immediately thereafter, with news reports of the scene. There is a nice shot in the hospital where Duane wakes up and begins ripping the tubes out of his arms. This is shown in the background while in the foreground a man flirts with the nurse. And it’s not long before the killing begins.

This film has a good dose of humor as well, as in the scene where Duane and Belial manage to leave the hospital without anyone seeing. They are picked up by Ruth (played by Annie Ross – yes, the woman who was absolutely amazing in Short Cuts) and Susan (Heather Rattray), who take them back to their mansion, a sort of refuge for freaks. What’s great is that in some ways Ruth is actually creepier than Belial. (Another really funny moment is when she introduces the other freaks, including Lorenzo, who has a beautiful singing voice.)

Time passes, and a reporter named Marcie (Kathryn Meisle) is assigned to follow up on the story of the missing twins who are wanted for murder. There is a great sequence of a man who has a fake sideshow, pretending to have the skeleton of Belial. The man’s name, coincidentally, is Mr. Barker. There is also some wonderful humor when Ruth has Belial on the couch for a therapy session. She tells him, “I understand your pain, but ripping the faces off people may not be in your best interest.” Later Ruth takes on the airs of a religious cult leader, which is wonderful. “Our sanctuary here has been violated!” she shouts, seeming to relish her position as leader.

Duane wants to move on, and in fact wants to run away with Susan, Ruth’s granddaughter, and create a new life for himself. He laments to her, “I’m living in a house full of freaks on Staten Island” (another great line). Meanwhile, Belial is developing a love interest of his own.

This film also features a great, freaky ending.

The DVD Features

The DVD includes Beyond The Wicker: The Making Of Basket Case 2, which features some video and still photographs from the production, focusing on the making of Belial and the other creatures. And writer/director Frank Henenlotter gives his perspective on the film and on the MPAA. (By the way, there is also a bit about Frankenhooker as well.) This feature is approximately twenty-three minutes.

The second special feature is The Man In The Moon Mask, an interview with David Emge, who talks about how he got the job and about working in a mask. This feature is approximately six minutes.

Basket Case 2 was written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, who wrote and directed the original film as well.