06.23.10 | Chris Cummins | Staff NotesPrint this Post
In the early days of this blog, I featured the trailer for Basket Case--perhaps the most underrated horror filck of the 1980s. Even though Duane and his mutated, basket-dwelling psycho brother Belial seemingly perished at the end of their first adventure, they returned for Basket Case 2 in 1990. As the above trailer proves, the film manages to establish its own identity while still having enough cheesy thrills to please fans of the original.
Taken in by their aunt, Granny Ruth (portrayed by a scenery chewing Annie Ross), the siblings encounter other societal fugitives and refugees. The increased budget means that the film doesn't quite recapture the delightful sleaze of the first film. But what it may lack in grime it more than makes up for with such new characters as golden-voiced mutant Lorenzo and Eve, Belial's newfound love interest. The house of freaks aspect to the film is largely responsible for its enduring popularity. Here's an introduction to Basket Case 2's supporting players:
Fun! Eventually, all of the misfits run afoul of the press, setting the stage for a shocking denouement that would dovetail nicely into Basket Case 3: The Progeny. Yep, writer/director Frank Henenlotter brought the characters back for a third time in 1991. (More on that in a future post). So, what's in the basket this time? Nothing more than the second entry in one of filmdom's most delightfully bizarre trilogies.
Being from a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada
I did not have the opportunity to see either
the first or second basket case when they were
first released. If my memory serves me right,
I saw Basket Case at a drive in all-nighter horror
show and did not see Basket Case 2 unitl I
picked it up at a Walmart store. However I must
say that I enjoyed them both and now that I have
them on dvd I can see them more often, have to
watch them alone though \, my wife watched the
first 35 minutes of the first one and took off
out of the house for a couple of hours, I guess
some of us have a weird taste in movies.
I know there will never be a basket case three
but then by the time a series reaches a little
further to make a little money they usually go
down the drain by the third, for an example The
Creature from the Black Lagoon...had to go 3-D
to try to draw the fans in.
Anyway, thanks to the producers, actors and
everyone associated with the Basket Cases, great
entertainment.