Frank Henenlotter’s Basket Case was a film nearly as odd as its post-production history. Tailor made for the grindhouses of 42nd Street, Basket Case followed the exploits of a man named Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his deformed, separated Siamese twin Belial. While Duane was otherwise normal, the duo hunted down and murdered the doctors that separated them in their youth without their consent.

The ultra-low budget gory horror flick was filmed in New York during the very early 80s. While I wouldn’t go so far as saying the film had any kind of message to it, love it or hate it, it perfectly reflected the time and place it was shot. Seedy buildings and the unattractive residents that lived in them were all over Basket Case. The film was such a surprise hit that, after its goreless initial run, it was re-released to theatres uncut offering an entirely different experience.

Sure, every horror film in the 80s left itself primed for a sequel, since nearly every one of them received one. Basket Case on the other hand offered a full and completely satisfying closure. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to fathom sequel possibilities, and certainly there were few that clamored for one. But in 1989, pre-production started on Basket Case 2. The end result is a film that’s better in just about every way.

One of the most amusing things about Basket Case 2 is that it dares to go the Halloween II route and pick up immediately after the first film let off – despite the fact that it’s eight years later and the lead actor is as many years older. They are able to cover this up somewhat by moving the action out of New York City and onto Staten Island as soon as possible. After Belial and Duane fell to their near deaths from the Hotel Broslin’s fire escape (stock footage from the finale of Basket Case begins the sequel) they are rushed off to a local hospital where they are being held until they are fit enough to be tried for their murder spree. Now celebrities from being all over the news the brothers quickly escape the hospital thanks to Granny Ruth (Annie Ross, Superman III) a self-proclaimed friend of their aunt who runs a commune of “unique people” in her house on the island.

We then flash forward about a year. The media buzz over Duane and Belial has settled down and Duane feels ready to leave the commune. Being a misunderstood wanted criminal isn’t enough for him to stay put. In fact, the only thing keeping him around is Granny’s granddaughter Susan (Heather Rattray) a beautiful girl that helps out around the place. Even the murderous Belial has fallen in love with a similar glob of freakiness. But before Duane can convince Susan to leave, trouble hits the freak community. Nosy tabloid reporter Marcie (Kathryn Meisle) on the hunt for a juicy story (apparently, nothing much has happened over the past year in New York City worthy of a headline) finds out that Granny is housing the Bradley’s. Leaving isn’t an option, because even if the brothers left, all the other freaks would be exposed. There’s only way to assure their survival – to fight back, and fight back hard.

Basket Case 2 surely isn’t the most heavy-hitting horror flick you’re likely to see. In fact, the subject itself is played for laughs continuously throughout the film. The script is much more fun than the original Basket Case which was heavier on suspense, gore and murders. The story for this sequel doesn’t set itself up as well for consistent kills. So in order to get over the fact that murders aren’t so frequent, it draws attention to the colorful freaks on display in Granny’s house. The special effects guys really went overboard with the characters as well. There are probably 20 different freaks in the commune. Unfortunately, the personalities of them aren’t exploited as well as the costumes themselves. Still, with names (or at least credited as) like Moon-Face, Frog Boy, Platehead, Mouse Face, Toothy and Elmo – The Man with 27 Noses, the grotesqueries more than make up for the lack of kills or seriousness.

Despite the relative slowness of the first half, Basket Case 2 more than makes up for it in the second half once the freaks take on the persistent reporters that descend on the commune. The joy of watching Duane Bradley channel a sort of Norman Bates timidity as he steadily goes more insane as the film finishes is an absolute joy, which also plays in to the unexpected, but completely spectacular double-climax. Without giving away too much, the first is a nice little homage to Tod Browning’s Freaks, but the second is an all-out brilliant maniacal ending that is worth watching the film for alone.

But all that said the best improvement over the original lies that the crew had a budget so they could afford actual actors. Not good actors, mind you – but actual B-actors. This way, the film isn’t riddled with the unattractive locals from Times Square, and actually has some attractive babes (sorry though, no nudity).

The DVD Presentation
Unsurprisingly, and thankfully, Synapse has released Basket Case 2 on DVD in its original theatrical aspect ratio. The transfer itself is simply stunning. If it wasn’t for the fashions and style, there is no way that you would think this is an 18-year old film. The colors are bold, and while there are acceptable levels of film grain, there isn’t a single print blemish that I was able to detect. The audio isn’t anything to write home about since it’s a simple stereo mix, but the dialogue and the score come across completely clear. Unfortunately, Synapse did not include any subtitles on this DVD, but this isn’t outside the norm for them. Overall though, I’m quite pleased.

And the Extras Are?
Beyond the Wicker – (22:32)
Hosted by Gabe Bartalos, the makeup artist for the film, this takes a look at all how all the incredibly oddball monster effects were achieved. This is especially interesting since there is a hell of a lot of monsters in Basket Case 2, so it’s awesome to witness their conception. As an added bonus (and because they were filmed back-to-back) some of the behind-the-scenes effects for Frankenhooker is also on display. Since this was recently made, some good reflections are made by Bartalos as he explains also how appreciative he is to be in this industry and Henenlotter and executive producer James Glickenhaus come along for the party. There likely will never be a more rewarding feature for this film than what you see here.

The Man in the Moon Mask – (6:18)
This is an amusing interview with David Emge (better known as Stephen from Romero’s Dawn of the Dead), the actor who plays the “Half-Moon” monster which has one of the more memorable headpieces. While it’s a brief interview, Emge is able to sum up what it was like for him and the other freak-playing actors to do act in the suits and what the set was like. It’s a damn shame that Emge hasn’t done a whole lot in films. Someone get this guy some more work.

While not every one of Synapse’s DVDs have been as packed to the gills as say, the Street Trash, the content here while good is not filling. I would have loved a commentary track with Henenlotter more than anything and it’s also disturbing that the original trailer isn’t included (part is shown in the documentary). I’m disappointed, because like a spoiled little bitch girl, I simply expected more.

The Bottom Line
When it comes to sheer quantity of monsters, the only thing close to Basket Case 2 from this era would be Night Breed or maybe Freaked. So you’re in the market for a fun little monster flick, Basket Case 2 will scratch that itch. It’s an unpretentious horror comedy and never pretends to be much more than that. I prefer it to the original Basket Case, and this DVD is the best presentation available. So if you are a fan of the original, pick this up! Hopefully Synapse will get the rights for Basket Case 3 so we can finally have all three flicks on excellent DVDs.