Review of Basket Case 2 (1990) by Zoran S — 12 Sep 2008

Basket Case 2 is an even more amusing and funny film than the first one. It is clearly intended as a homage/ partial remake of Tod Browning's masterpiece Freaks. Duane and his twin, somehow surviving the end of the first film, escape from the hospital to a community of freaks who live under the care of Grandma Ruth, an advocate of "freak rights." Grandma Ruth, for instance, also acts a "therapist" for the various freaks, which leads to some very funny scenes where she tries to help Belial deal with his anger.

Unlike in Freaks, the "freaks" in Basket Case 2 are obviously not real, as their make-up envisioned deformities are imagined in ridiculous extremes. A boy with nearly two feet teeth, and some peculiar blob with an operatic voice clearly are not meant to resemble any possible human deformity. So, obviously the film is not aiming to invoke the same mix of sympathy and terror for the freaks as Browning does in his film. Still, as a comic homage to Freaks, Basket Case 2 is thoroughly enjoyable.

Basket Case 2 does drag a bit in the middle section. But the last twenty-minutes or so, especially when the "freaks" exact revenge on the "normal" reporter (in the process turning her in into a "freak" just like what happens in the Browning film) make the film worth seeing. And without going into too much detail, lest its brilliance be spoiled, Basket Case 2 has two of the most hilariously repulsive sex scenes you will ever see. That alone makes the film a must see.