Frank Hennenlotter made the classic "Basket Case", a highly enjoyable film with two great heroes: Duane and Belial, Siamese twins (one normal, one deformed) getting revenge on the doctors who separated them. I really liked it, and really wanted to like it's two sequels. Unfortunately the sequels are totally unlike the first one, in tone and in content, although not without their own charm.
In "Basket Case 2" Duane and Belial joined up with a group of God-forsaken abnormalities that were more humorous than horrific. It might have been passable entertainment if the mutations were cool looking, but too many of them were cheap-looking and silly. Well, they all return for this one, and it's a mild improvement. Belial has fathered a dozen baby Belials who are promptly kidnapped by the local police, setting Belial off on another killing spree.
The best parts of this flick involve Duane. He spends the first half of the movie in a straight jacket, and I for some reason I found him hilarious and very likable. There's a great scene where Duane eats corn flakes while Belial kills a guy wearing leopard-print briefs. Other highlights include Belial in a robotic body and the patriarchal Granny Ruth singing "Personality" backed by the freaks.
The worst part has to be the scene where Belial's girlfriend Eve is giving birth and a new character called Little Hal is videotaping it. Someone must have thought this actor was hilarious and let him improvise the scene or something, because he gives an almost unwatchable "comic" performance. In fact, the weakest part of any Hennenlotter movie is when it tries too hard to be funny. The original "Basket Case" is funny in a dark way, and never resorts to silliness.
I also don't get why in one scene the freaks decide to become a part of society and then in the next scene invade a fast food restaurant and eat the customers' food off their trays. That's not the best way to win people's affection; I know, I've tried.
The "Basket Case" sequels have more in common with Hennenlotter's "Frankenhooker" than with his "Brain Damage", so if you liked the former then this flick is probably right up your alley (if you don't mind gore that's over-the-top and cartoony instead of realistic- I like either).
