Basket Case 2

In this sequel to writer/director Frank Henenlotter's cult classic Basket Case, Kevin Van Hentenryck reprises his role as Duane, a confused nebbish who carries his ex-Siamese twin brother, Belial around in a basket. Separated in their youth, Belial and Duane went on a killing spree in the original while suffering the twin psychological attacks of jealousy on the part of Belial (who's actually a large head on a twisted, miniature body) and Duane's guilt over his responsibility and suppressed loathing for his malformed brother. In the sequel, Henenlotter has a little more coin to spread around, and the result is not an original--albeit supremely twisted idea--but a parody. Following the murder of a hospital attendant, Duane and Belial are taken under the wing of Granny Ruth, an elderly caregiver whose specialty is taking care of society's grotesque castoffs (all absurdly unrealistic caricatures--people who look like rodents and insects). When a prying journalist and photographer attempt to invade the peaceful community, the group bands together to defend its right to privacy against the eyes of a prying, sensation-hungry, world. It would be simple to dismiss this effort as being tacky on a stick, but Basket Case 2 soars beyond the merely tasteless. Despite the kudos from The Village Voice which adorn the box (once again proving that that oh-so-hip publication wouldn't know an art film if it jumped up and bit them on the asterisk), BC2 tries to bulldoze the audience into its exhaustingly lazy idea of camp, and ends up offending filmgoers of conservative and liberal mien alike. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)