Tags:
Film: Basket Case II
Year: 1990
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Writer: Frank Henenlotter
Starring: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Judy Grafe and Annie Ross
Review:
This film begins where the last film ended. Kevin Van Hentenryck and his brother Belial did not die from their fall. They are taken to the hospital. This is all over the news.
We cut to a house where two people seem to know who these brothers are. The older woman is Annie Ross and the younger is played by Heather Rattray.
We then see both of them in a hospital room. A nurse comes to check on them while there is a cop stationed outside of the door. He is more concerned with hitting on the nurse than doing his job. The nurse is disgusted at the look of Belial. After she leaves, he opens his eyes and they begin to glow. Hentenryck opens his eyes. He gets up and picks his brother up. They flee the room.
A reporter, played by Kathryn Meisle shows up, but she is detained by a security guard. She tells them that she was told she could meet with the brothers and the hospital gave their okay on it. We then see this isn’t true as she tries to bribe them.
Hentenryck goes into a room where there is a sick old man. He takes a jacket from his closet and leaves. He puts Belial into a laundry cart and they escape the hospital. As they come out, a van pulls up. Ross and Rattray get out. Ross calls to Hentenryck, but he doesn’t respond to his name. When she calls out Belial, he turns. We realize that Belial is using his psychic connection to control his brother. They get into the van.
It turns out that Ross knew their grandmother and Ross helps those that she feels are different. There are a lot of people that are similar to Belial living there with an assortment of different things that make them special. There is one that hides under a blanket and won’t talk to anyone. Ross believes that Belial will be able to help her come out of her shell.
Meisle is called in to meet with her boss, played by Jason Evers. He wants Meisle to try to find Hentenryck and his brother. They have fallen off and no one has been able to locate them. He entices her with a four part series and all of it on the front page. She is reluctant, but does agree to take on this case.
She begins by calling a man in the area that has a sideshow. She had contacted him about a mermaid previously. This man claims that he has Belial currently. She asks him to come see him right away. He states the show is closed, but changes his mind for $100.
Ross gets there first. She sees what he claims to be his sideshow. Everything in it is fake and made by the man himself. She decides to punish him for wanting to exploit these types of people. She introduces him to the real Belial. When Meisle arrives and finds him dead, her trail once again goes cold.
Hentenryck doesn’t want to stay in this house. He has fallen for Rattray and she likes him too. She tries to tell him that they both belong here and he doesn’t feel that they do. Hentenryck tries to explain to Belial that he wants to leave with Rattray. Belial is happy there, but he doesn’t want his brother to leave. He also doesn’t think that Rattray will either.
Meisle comes to meet with Ross, who gives her nothing. She is about to leave when Hentenryck comes in the front door carrying the basket case that Belial stays in. She plays along when Ross calls him by a different name, but she knows who he is. She returns to her car to tell her partner who she saw.
Ross tells him that she knew and Hentenryck decides to stay and fight for Belial and the rest of the people living there. Can they stop these newspaper people or will the story get out? Will they ever live in happiness? Can Hentenryck convince Rattray to leave with him? Why does she feel she belongs here and cannot leave?
I have to say that there were some things about this film I really liked. I liked the concept of Ross and having a house that helps people that are different. I think it is horrible that people who are different were put in freak shows. I like the idea of them defending themselves from those that are out to exploit them. I also really liked Hentenryck’s struggle with staying and wanting to be normal. It is a completely understandable idea for him to struggle with. I also thought that Belial looked much better in this one, much more real. The acting was decent across the board I would say and the film was paced well.
My biggest issue with this film was the rest of the people living in the house and how they looked. I do like that each one is unique and different, but most of them looked horrible fake. This personally hurt the film for me, because I couldn’t take them seriously. I know this film is part comedy, but I think they could have done a better job for the make-up. I also think the attack scenes are little repetitive. Belial is always the one killing who needs to be punished and he is limited on what he can do. The others stand around and watch, being there for intimidation it seems.
With that said, this film does do some good things. The concept, story and pacing is good. The acting isn’t bad and the look of Belial was much better in this one than the original. Now it does have its problems. The others look horrible fake and the attack scenes do become repetitive. If you liked the original, then I would see this one to continue the story. If not, I would probably tell you to avoid this. There are similar films that are much better.
My Rating: 5 out of 10