Basket Case 2 (1990)

Having survived that nasty fall at the end of the first film, the Bradley boys are taken in by a kindly and slightly nutty old woman named Granny Ruth. Granny is a champion of what she calls “unique individuals”, as her house is home to all sorts of various freaks who come in all shapes and sizes. Here Dwayne and Belial attempt to patch up there differences via Granny’s therapy “sessions”, mingle with their freak brethren, and this time, both boys get a girlfriend. Well, Dwayne gets a girl and Belial gets a, well, let’s just call it a female Belial. There’s also a noisy tabloid reporter (isn’t there always?) who’s trying to track down the Bradley’s, with her snooping threatening to expose Granny Ruth’s freak sanctuary to the entire world. Director Frank Henenlotter returns with a bigger budget, a returning Kevin VanHentenryck as Dwayne Bradley, a whole slew of various freaks, and of course, a very pissed off Belial.

While nowhere near as violent and splattery as the first flick, “Basket Case 2” is still a fun watch, and carries on the first films sense of sick humor. Actress Annie Ross as Granny Ruth is especially good, she’s sort of like an insane evangelist for freaks rights, and she has some of the best lines in the entire film. VanHentenryck also is decent as Dwayne, stepping right back into the part as if he never left. Dwayne basically spends the movie feeling even more like an outcast than ever, as he is finally the “normal” guy, albeit the normal guy in a house full of freaks…get it? Belial is still the same old Belial, a perennially pissed off lump of flesh that moves like greased lightning even though he has no legs. Belial also gets to star in his first love scene, and, well, the less we talk about that the better. The overall tone may be somewhat lighter, but this one’s a worthy follow up to the first film. Check it out.