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6
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7 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Ryan
Brewer |
Having
not previously seen any of the Basket Case
films before receiving this film for review, I
checked out the original Basket
Case from 1982. After that experience I
was left feeling dirty and in need of a good shower,
as well as a shot of penicillin. Now for Basket
Case 2...
This
film, like its forerunner, is the story of family:
namely two brothers —
formally Siamese twins —
on a quest for revenge against
the doctors (and the veterinarian) that separated
them. The villains of the first film met their
fate at the paws of Belial. Moving on, the monstrous
Belial is back! His brother Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck)
is also back. Basket Case
2 picks up immediately at the conclusion
of the first movie, a climax that apparently left
our protagonists splattered on the curbside. But
this is a sequel and our heroes are battered but
alive, transported to the local intensive care
unit. Belial assesses the situation at the hospital
early on and uses his telepathic connection with
his bro to control Duane's body and get them out
of there. As they make their way across the street,
Granny Ruth swings in and offers them escape in
her van.
Granny
Ruth (Annie Ross of Witchery),
is kind of like an off-kilter version of Professor
X, minus the powers but with a mansion full of
freaks. Here at her haven for undesirables, Duane
and Belial are made to feel at home, Belial finding
romance with another freak and Duane finding something
else with Granny Ruth's granddaughter, Susan (Heather
Rattray). Since Duane and Belial are wanted fugitives
they attract unwanted visitors to Granny Ruth's
sanctuary, namely tabloid reporter Marcie (Kathryn
Meisle) and her sidekick photographer. As Marcie's
pushy inquiries make things uncomfortable, Granny
Ruth has to turn up the heat and unleash her horde
of freaks on said interlopers. Gross stuff ensues.
Director Frank Henenlotter,
who brought us Basket Case,
returns to dish out the sequel. While the first
movie had a grungy documentary feel to it, this
one exudes considerable polish and mainstream
appeal. It looks nothing like its low-budgeted
forebear; this movie contains a collage of colors
and light much like a carnival. The special effects
have really improved since the last film mostly
due to superior technology combined with a somewhat
increased budget. Gone is the bland lump of muscle
Belial — here we
are given the detailed, animatronic lump of muscle
Belial. The change in creature design is a nice
alteration; the new construct can really convey
character emotion. Case in point: the scene in
the shed when Duane expresses his feelings for
Susan and Belial mocks him. The interaction in
this scene between brothers really gives you the
feeling that Belial is an unfeeling A-hole. If
the sequel had maintained the original Belial
I think that the monster sex scene would have
really lacked flair and probably been labeled
exploitation instead of tender exploration.
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Synapse films is responsible for giving a new
generation of impressionable moviegoers the chance
revel in this freakdom that is Basket
Case 2. This new DVD presents the film
in an excellent anamorphic widescreen (1.78.1)
transfer from the original 35mm negative. The
picture looks quite good for a film of this budget
caliber and age. The vivid colors in this film
really shine. There is nothing to complain about
concerning the picture quality. Regarding audio,
the film has only a serviceable stereo mix. While
this is definitely not the track to show off your
new sound system it gets the job done with clarity.
The
disc offers two supplements. The first is a behind-the-scenes
featurette entitled Beyond the Wicker,
containing new interviews with FX artist Greg
Bartalos (who created Belial and the rest of the
freaks), director Frank Hennenlotter and producer
James Glickenhaus. It mostly concerns Bartalos
and the special effects used in Basket
Case 2, but also has some on-set video
footage shot during the making of this film and
Hennenlotter's most famous effort, Frankenhooker
(1990). The second extra is an interview of David
Emge (the original 1978 Dawn
of the Dead), who plays the freak with the
half-moon shaped head. He talks about some of
his experiences on the set and what it was like
working in that costume.
In
conclusion, Basket Case
2 gets solid treatment for Synapse. 1/14/08
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