Frankenhooker

Love the movies

I have somehow gone 35 years of my life without seeing this movie, deprioritizing it, assuming it's no big deal, sticking to the classics and new releases…boy was that a mistake!!! After just 7 minutes (yes, I paused and checked) of this B-movie madness I already know two things: 1) this movie is garbage, and 2) this is exactly the kind of garbage I LOVE!We meet Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz; Street Trash, RoboCop 3), a man who has somehow been kicked out of three medical schools, and his reanimated Cyclops brain creature experiment that he is working on in the kitchen…and everyone simply thinks he's just a little weird for working on a REANIMATED BRAIN with one eye on the kitchen table!!!! But his whole life is about to change when his fiancée Elizabeth (Patty Mullen; Penthouse Pet, Zombinatrix) is killed in a freak accident with a supercharged lawnmower he invented. The news coverage of the massacre is hilarious! Oh, yeah, this flick is something special for sure!Jeffrey Franken is no Victor Frankenstein (2015). He over-explains his downward spiral into mad scientist mania to his mother as if reading a list of symptoms from a psychiatric manual. While comically narrating his own insanity he draws elaborate blueprints of electrodes over a body's framework (and it has boobs LOL), power drills his skull to alleviate headaches, and has dates with his fiancée's disembodied head. Needless to say the acting and writing are terrible (but maybe "good" for the bad horror genre), but this movie remains a delight.So since Jeff needs perfect female body parts to bring life back to his fiancée, naturally he goes to the city and arranges a prostitute crack-whore party, plays doctor, measures nipples, wrestles hookers and watches them literally explode as they overdose on drugs--and we overdose on cheesiness. Nudity and disembodied limbs abound. Jeff superglues and welds his perfect Elizabeth back together from sacks of spare hooker parts, a pile of severed breasts, and a trash can of severed legs with bunyans from extensive streetwalking.Once Elizabeth is back on her feet after a deliciously B-movied-up Frankenstein's laboratory scene, she stumbles about with all the twitchy grace of a newborn foal and sports a Sylvester Stallone lip sneer. Assembled from mostly hooker parts, she behaves like…well…a frankenhooker--all the way down to the undead sex scene during which she sex-electrocutes her first John to death.Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case 1-3, Brain Damage, Bad Biology), this relatively goreless exploitation cult classic deviates from his violent normal pedigree, having not a scary nor brutal moment--it's pure slapstick comedy shown through a campy horror filter. A few steps above the raunchier Full Moon releases (Head of the Family, The Killer Eye) or anything from Troma studios, this goofy flick boasts severed heads, abundant bare breasts, mutant monsters made of spare hooker parts and rubber limbs galore! It's awkwardly weird, strangely funny and classically so-bad-it's-good. The final twist is quirky campiness at its inappropriate best (think Sleepaway Camp).

The VHS of this movie is highly overpriced, like over $100. The Blu-ray was the way to go. Kinda funny that it is way better quality and a fraction of the VHS value. Nostalgia sells, luckily having the blu ray instead doesn’t bother me one bit. Any time a VHS is worth too much money, usually there is a blu ray version of it or DVD for a more reasonable price.

Without giving away too much of the plot,a geeky already unbalanced young scientist loses his loved one in a freak accident.Let's just say it's rather unusual, in a darkly hilarious way. This drives him to the point of no return, socially isolatinghimself and takes desperate steps to preserve her, then is inspired to bring her back, going to some hookers on old 42ndStreet. Coughs up a scheme making a fatal substance he calls,"super-crack", to acquire the hookers "parts", let's just say.This one is a real hoot. Many hilarious bits throughout.Fans of Henenlotter's other films and grindhouse/cult/exploitation fare will not want to miss this one. It delivers all the goods, of course,:gratuitous nudity, cheesy gureilla-filmmaking FX, and laughable dialogue and bits in all other departments. The gore is downplayed for laughs in this one, intentionally, as this is supposed to be strictly for laughs. There's gore-like FX, delivered in hilariously tongue-in-cheek form. For example,(WARNING:POSSIBLE SPOILERS), exploding hookers. Literally, after consuming the "super-crack". Limbs fly all about. Then there's a really twisted ending I don't want to give away, but let's just say, very grotesque and Tales From The Crypt-like.This is of course, all delivered in a sleazy but light-hearted, tongue-firmly-in-cheek manner. With a seedy background and shady characters throughout. Not for everyone,but surely for those who take all this as a major plus.The new Blu-Ray courtesy of the great Synapse Films,is outstanding. Presented in anamorphic 1.78:1, colors look sharp and vivid,an appropriate amount of film grain as well. No DNR that I can detect. Given the age and budget of this film, I don't think it's reasonable to expect this to look like a bigger budget or more recent flick. Audio is presented in a fine DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround,and DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo. I can't speak for surround effects as I don't have a surround sound system, but audio is sharp and very clear. Will have no trouble hearing anything.Comes with a solid collection of extras, ported over from the 2006 Unearthed Films DVD including a very informative and entertaining audio commentary with Frank Henenlotter and FX makeup designer Gabe Bartalos. Lots on info on making this movie, MPAA problems, various actors, the film's reception and reputation etc. Very energetic and funny as well. Then a feature with Patty Mullen, former Penthouse Pet and the film's star. A fairly brief(approx 8 min) but fun and energetic interview. Then, we have a segment covering the film's FX, we get some good behind-the-scenes footage filmed during production, as well as interview with Gabe. We even see him at The Bunny Ranch in NV!Good stuff.Jennifer Delora interview follows up, very informative and fun(approx 21 min). She is really good remembering all kinds of stuff,and then some!(approx 19-20 mins).All in all, I highly recommend this to genre fans, film buffs, film students or anyone looking for a good time. Synapse Films has done a terrific job as always.

PLOT...A New Jersey mad doctor rebuilds his girlfriend after she's tragically killed in a lawnmower accident, using body parts from hookers.This is one crazy 90's horror black comedy from the director of the weird Basket case series, a very light hearted and genuinely funny movie, not to be taken seriously, the story is hilarious as it sounds, crazy mad unofficial spare time doctor Jeffrey must bring back the love of his life Elizabeth after the tragic accident that took her life, its a little like re-animator in a way but using the traditional Frankenstein style story, electricity from a thunderstorm to re-animate his bride. but with a twist Jeffrey uses part from exploded hookers after creating a wonder drug which they all take. The cast is really good, James Lorinz and Patty Mullen who are both crazy! the movie isn't bloody or gory purposely but there is some great practical effects of the exploding hookers and towards the end with the crazy re-animated body parts. well worth picking up for the collection, certainly this movie holds a cult status now and is still really entertaining.The CULTPROOF Blu-ray has a decent HD pictureNo features only a few trailers at the beginning. No Menu, the movie auto plays and stops.Region B so plays in the UK. Running time 85mins UNCUT. 1990.Plays in original English audio, subtitles can be turned off.Some versions come with a slipcase as seen in the images.

This is a cult to some. One of those 'it's so awful that it is good' movie with tons of boobies thrown in. The male lead is wonderful, his constant muttering and trying to put right all the things that happen is fun. You can;'t help but like him or roll around laughing at time, but the rest of is is really awful.

Imagine The Rocky Horror Show on acid, add oodles of body horror and a surprisingly affective climax (sorry) and you get Frankenhooker. Kinda.

This is an all out cheesefest horror comedy. When your girlfriend does and you want her back what do you do? Yes that’s right you become Frankenstein/esq. with parts of his girlfriend and dead hookers you know your in for a ride (not that kind). Fun silly classic!

I was feeling nostalgic for 80'ies bad scary movies and came across this by chance. It is awesome. A real hidden gem. Funny and gory with a twist ending. Just what I never knew I always needed. I am coming back for more titles from this director and I recommend this movie to anyone with love for "Braindead", "Critters", "Gremlins" and other scary/funny 80'ies flicks