Unseen Terror 2013: Day 16

When meek medical student Jeffrey's fiancee Elizabeth perishes in a freak lawnmower accident, the  young man becomes initially depressed, but soon incredibly determined to be with her once more, no matter the cost or means. Through some less-than-respectable "searching" in New York City's seedy prostitution district, he seeks out the best parts from the best women in order to rebuild his dearly departed and beheaded fiancee.

Like the previously reviewed Antiviral, you could make the strong argument that Frankenhooker isn't a horror film, and director Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case) has apparently gone on the record saying that he prefers to be called an "exploitation" director more than anything else. Unlike that film, however, I'd classify this one as a black comedy, and a fairly funny, nutty one at that. I know I say this about a good number of directors on here, but with Henenlotter, you have to be willing to relax and just realize this is going to be what people collectively refer to as "nonsensical" or "eye-roll inducing."

The plot is, as if you couldn't tell from the obvious title homage, a tribute to Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, though I'd say there's also tiny tributes to the likes of The Brain That Wouldn't Die and even Re-Animator (not just due to the Jeffrey Combs tribute with the main character naming). Our title character is played by the not-quite one and done former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen, who is actually stuffed into a fat suit for her first appearance prior to Frankenhooker's opening credits, though me being the desperate man admittedly wouldn't have turned her down in the "fat suit" either. Speaking of Mullen, man do I wish she hadn't disappeared after this, because the lady had a great knack for comedy. Her facial expressions make this all the more memorable, and is a good possibility why this is so fondly remembered by horror fans. Speaking of the aforementioned Jeffrey, he's played by James Lorinz, with sort of a George Costanza-gone-mad scientist kind of schtick. He's clearly a putz at times, but still sort of lovable for the most part. I'm not quite sure I understood his fascination with "drills" though, which I'll have to explain to those who ask me in public. It was a running gag that just didn't do much for me.

While the comedic parts of this film are pretty stupendous, they are a considerably darker shade than Basket Case's for the first third or so, at least for the more uptight crowd. Then again, if you're that uptight, why are you watching a film titled Frankenhooker in the first place? With Basket Case though, I liked the actual horror elements that film seemed to carry, and they are kind of missed here, since nothing in Frankenhooker is especially gory per se, at least compared to what was coming out at the time, which is weird considering the $2.5 million budget we see here. The character of the evil pimp, while admittedly amusing and looking like Freddie Mercury on an all steroids diet, ultimately just felt like he was there to help set up something which never comes about. Minor complaints, but they are still small complaints I suppose.

Whatever you or director Frank Henenlotter want to call this film, Frankenhooker ends up being a lot of fun, and I think I actually might have enjoyed it a tad bit more than Basket Case in some regards, though I haven't viewed Henenlotter's other original creation Brain Damage as of yet. Perhaps it came down to the scene involving a drug that I'll simply refer to as "Super Crack," or the nonchalant behavior and attitude of everyone in New York City when they see a very peculiar-looking prostitute walking the streets (constantly asking "Wanna Date?"), pushing people into the road, and electrocuting those she comes into "contact" with. Perhaps it was Bill Murray's sarcastic (or was it?) recommendation of the film back upon its initial release in 1990. Or maybe I was just in the mood for a silly, B-movie with a lot of nudity and a big camp factor. For those interested, Frankenhooker is available for streaming on Youtube and is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Tomorrow, ladies night comes to a bloody end with THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE!