It’s pretty hilarious how though the sequel to “Basket Case” is said to have taken place the night after Duane failed to commit suicide with Belial, actor Kevin Van Hentenryck seems to have aged since the first film from eight years prior. “Basket Case 2” embraces the idiocy this time around, taking the route of the “It’s Alive!” sequels. Rather than Belial being a rare case of a deformed monster, we learn that there are in fact a tribe of deformed monsters of various dispositions living in the suburbs. And they’re all being cared for by the eccentric Granny Ruth who not only cares for them but acts as their therapist. The line “I understand your pain, Belial, but ripping the faces off people may not be in your best interest.” is actually delivered with a dead pan expression.
I was never sure if this was supposed to be taken with a laugh or if director Henenlotter was somehow sure this was some dramatic exploration of Belial’s life. Relying on the same badly filmed flashbacks from the first film (with the god awful child actor playing Duane), the plot has somewhat changed. I use the term plot, loosely. Annie Ross as Granny Ruth chews so much scenery as the cult leader of the freaks that she makes the monsters look mundane by comparison. She shouts, and screeches in every scene she possibly can, and never once knows how to play for subtlety. And that’s not surprising, considering “Basket Case 2” takes more of a comedic turn toward the premise rather than relying on the lame attempts at horror in the original.
Duane is going mad having to look after Belial, but now that Belial is with his kind and falling for another freak named Eve, Duane seeks freedom. In the mean time two nosey journalists have found the gruesome duo and are intent on exposing the habitat. You figure for two people who murdered many people breaking free from a major hospital, there’d be police searching for them. But no, there are only two irritating reporters, and their inevitable fall in to the house of freaks. The premise for “Basket Case 2” is painfully simple and that’s indicative of the low budget and clear lack of creativity.
The goal to get the reporters before the reporters expose the freaks is handled almost mid-way in the most hackneyed method possible. If it’s this easy for the freaks to roam around the city, why are they hiding? The last half hour is filled with nothing but filler as Hentenryck gives a truly painful last glimpse at the madness of his seemingly normal character Duane. “Basket Case 2” barely has any plot for ninety minutes, but in spite of it, director Henenlotter stretches it out,. Whether we like it or not. Another truly awful follow-up to the original, “Basket Case 2” is a ridiculous and terrible attempt at dark comedy that embraces the idiocy of the characters and still can never muster up laughter. With a plot that only spans the first hour of the film, “Basket Case 2” is another installment from Henenlotter that fails to competently tell a story.