Basket Case 2 -- Frank Henenlotter
It's been a while since I watched the original Basket Case but I remember it as being pretty serious, though darkly comic. The first thing one notices about Basket Case 2 is that it's going to be a lot wackier. For half of the run time, I wasn't on board with this decision. It felt like the tonal shift from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 only less extreme. As the movie went on, I was able to appreciate its particular charms, including the stilted line readings of Kevin Van Hentenryck.
There are a few flashbacks to clips from the original and I was wistful for the look of that film. I say it every time, but what happened to film stock in the late '80s to early '90s? It looks so bland. For an R-rated movie, the kills pretty tame. If not for a few "fucks" and some very brief nudity, Basket Case 2 could easily be PG-13. But there are some great designs on some of the "unique" individuals featured. I'm surprised that this movie doesn't come up more in discussions of great makeup design in horror movies. Perhaps more accurately, I'm surprised this movie doesn't have a larger cult championing its merits. It's probably always going to be an afterthought to the original, but Basket Case 2 deserves a wider audience.
No comments:
Post a Comment