Film Review: FRANKENHOOKER (1990, Frank Henenlotter)

Stars: 5 of 5.
Running Time: 85 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: James Lorinz (STREET TRASH), Beverly Bonner (BASKET CASE), Patty Mullen (DOOM ASYLUM, former Penthouse Pet), Shirley Stoler (THE HONEYMOON KILLERS, SEVEN BEAUTIES), Louise Lasser (BANANAS, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN).
Tag-line: "Some assembly required."
Best one-liner: "This crack shit's killin' 'em already!"

Frank Henenlotter is fast becoming one of my favorite horror auteurs. Somehow the exact median between John Waters and David Cronenberg; his films are garish, demented, and full of ramshackle, sleazy fun.

We've got another nerdy out-of-towner with a wad of cash (as in BASKET CASE), hitting the fleabag motels of Times Square with a result that, shall we say, is ‘less than fully human.’ This film is absolutely ludicrous, and in all the best ways- in 'Hohokus, NJ,' Dr. Jeffrey Franken's (James Lorinz) beloved meets with a lawnmower mishap, and, to quote the investigators, "Parts of her are missing...it's hard to be real specific." Franken heads immediately to the seedy side of the Big Apple to collect some 'parts' from the local ladies of the night, and the end result is slightly different than what he imagined...

We've got Louise Lasser as Franken's raspy Mom, an arm-wrasslin' Shirley Stoler as 'Spike' the diesel dyke bartender, Franken pouring Beaujolais into the mouth of his darling's decapitated head, a musclebound pimp named Zorro who brands his hookers with a 'Z,'

great use of 80's lightning effects, and a cameo from Beverly Bonner (Casey from BASKET CASE) as a proponent of legalized prostitution. Perhaps my favorite part is the fact that EVERY hooker is addicted to crack, and that Franken develops a 'SuperCrack' to quickly OD them and get the parts he needs.

The inevitable rationalization is that 'this crack's killin' em already,' and when the baggie is revealed, the workin' girls’ catfight over the crack is truly mind-blowing.


Worth the price of admission alone, though, is seeing our Frankenhooker (Patty Mullen), dressed in a shock of purple, contorting her face, and wearing Frankenstein lift shoes.

She actually succeeds in turning “Got any money?" and "Wanna date?” into catchphrases (which were evidently part of the original gimmicky talking VHS!). Something feels wrong about labeling this a masterpiece, but I gotta go ahead and do it anyway. Five stars!

-Sean Gill

2009 Halloween Countdown

31. PROM NIGHT (1980, Paul Lynch)
30. PHENOMENA (1985, Dario Argento)
29. HOUSE OF WAX (1953, André de Toth)
28. SILENT RAGE (1982, Michael Miller)
27. BASKET CASE (1982, Frank Henenlotter)
26. THE DEADLY SPAWN (1983, Douglas McKeown)
25. PELTS (2006, Dario Argento)
24. ANGEL HEART (1987, Alan Parker)
23. KILLER WORKOUT (1986, David A. Prior)
22. FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE (1991, Rachel Talalay)
21. THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971, Robert Fuest)
20. FRANKENHOOKER (1990, Frank Henenlotter)
19.
...

Film Review: BASKET CASE (1982, Frank Henenlotter)

Stars: 4.5 of 5.
Running Time: 91 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Henenlotter cronies Beverly Bonner and Kevin van Hentenryck.
Tag-line: "The tenant in room 7 is very small, very twisted and very mad."
Best one-liner: "What's in the basket? Easter eggs?"

BASKET CASE belongs to a specific subgenre, that of balls-to-the-wall, shoestring, dingy basement DIY filmmaking. It's for people who think EVIL DEAD had a comparatively big budget; it's for the fans of THE DEADLY SPAWN, BAD TASTE, and DEADBEAT AT DAWN; movies made by passionate craftsmen without two dimes to rub together, but with a whole lotta perverse, steadfast moxie. Presented, for your consideration, Times Square, 1981: "cockroaches big as dogs, saxophones playin' at 4AM, and winos pissin' on your doorstep."



It's a world that's gone to hell in a handbasket, and director Frank Hennenlotter is more than eager to provide the basket.

The contents of said basket include a lovingly rendered monster, alternatingly a puppet, mask, and some schweet stop motion. A throwback to the classic, tragic monsters who've yearned to be human, it's got equal parts Freudian subtext, Cronenbergian ickiness, and IT'S ALIVE-style pathos. It interacts with a cast that has that special breed of questionable acting, readily provided by real-life hobos and wacky eccentrics.

“They heard noises...like someone on a rammmm-page.”

SEE our shaggy, pompadoured hero feeding his basket a dozen raw hot dogs!

WATCH bloody, brutal revenge exacted on the sleaziest members of the medical profession!

GAZE upon a victim taking handful of scalpels to the face! This is great stuff. You will find yourself endlessly cackling at the awkward romance, ridiculous dramatic monologues (that I wish would make the rounds at auditions!), and perhaps the most prolonged scream in film history. As with every Henenlotter film, there's constant mumbling (a director's trademark- "But, eh, what do I know, I just run the place...eh, but what do I know..."), and the presence of Beverly Bonner (as the lovable, rambling hooker, Casey).

Kevin van Hentenryck and Beverly Bonner kick back a few Buds.

And be sure to check out the extras on the Something Weird DVD special edition (where Henenlotter sometimes works as a producer), which feature a glimpse of Bonner's insanely great public access TV show

and a spur-of-the-moment return to original locations (a few of which they're denied entrance to thanks to a-hole tenants) featuring the genial Henenlotter and the unhinged rapper/writer "R.A. the Rugged Man."

R.A. and Frank will become two of your new favorite people.

Five stars.

-Sean Gill

Side note: My forthcoming Halloween show will feature a piece paying homage to BASKET CASE, as well as another Henenlotter masterpiece, FRANKENHOOKER.

2009 Halloween Countdown

31. PROM NIGHT (1980, Paul Lynch)
30. PHENOMENA (1985, Dario Argento)
29. HOUSE OF WAX (1953, André de Toth)
28. SILENT RAGE (1982, Michael Miller)
27. BASKET CASE (1982, Frank Henenlotter)
26.
...