Frankenhooker ( 6/10 )

[Dehydrator]

It's from the guy who directed BASKET CASE and it's called F-R-A-N-K-E-N-H-O-O-K-E-R. Any questions?

Frank Hennenlotter is just not my cup of tea. I'm still not sure if I liked BASKET CASE but it's definitely on the lines of "has to be seen to be believed". This movie is one of a kind too, and I guess it's safe to say that Hennenlotter dropped every inch of good taste left in him after Basket Case. That's what I said. I mean there is a scene where someone explodes while trying to lick someone's vagina. I don't know about you but I'm clueless if I actually like this hmmm, sense of humor. But on the other hand, this movie is unlike everything I've ever seen before so I couldn't honestly bash it, even if I sometimes just wanted to turn it off.

Here's the plot ( MINOR SPOILERS ) :

Jeffery Franken lost his girlfriend in a tragic accident ( involving a lawnmover he constructed ). Being the scientistic genius he is ( even if his real life job is "bio-electrican". whatever that is, I almost pissed myself ), he collects body parts of exploding hookers ( they explode because he gives them high-explosive crack. I guess that's similar to how Hennenlotter got all these woman to get topless in a flick like this ) to re-create his girlfriend with them. Oh I forgot, he kept her head and eats italian with it. Unfortunately, his creation runs amok among pimps and hooker-customers.

Well, as I said there were parts in the movie I just wanted to bash myself for renting it. The movie is sexist to no extend ( 80% of the jokes are on the expense of woman ) and some of the humor just repulsed me. But on the other hand, how serious can you take a movie with a name like that. And it did have his VERY funny moments. Some of the dialogue is suprisingly good ( usually, foreign humor just doesn't translate into german and I'm suprised it worked here ) and the acting is amusingly bad. James Lorinz is the sole exeption, he's really good. The special effects are much like those in Basket Case ( check the ending ) so if you like Hennenlotter's other stuff, I guess you'll like this. It's certainly better than BASKET CASE II ( which sucked really hard ), even if it was filmed in the same year (1992).

Be warned but check it out anyway, chances are you've never seen anything like it. If you're into TROMA's stuff, I'm sure you like the movie, why Llyod Kaufmann hasn't employed Hennenlotter yet is a mystery to me.
6/10

[Hans, wihout Franz]

Haven't seen this one in awhile. Anyway, not bad, but not Hennenlotter's best. I prefer Brain Damage or Basket case. Still not too bad.

[Cenobite]

I remember seeing this movie a looooooong time ago. All I really remember about it was that there was lots of hot prostitutes smoking crack and exploding and their body parts flying everywhere. The chick who played Frankenhooker was hot, too. She had a nice ass.

[Jewbo]

i liked it and the basket case films. i still aint seen brain damage yet. i cant find it.

[countchocula]

I may just have to check out Frankenhooker. I'm a Henenlotter fan. I dig the Basket Case trilogy and I loved Brain Damage.

[Elgyn]

I saw this when I was pretty young, and I thought it was awesome! Remember that scene where all the hookers go nuts and start smoking crack and blowing up?

[the 1st shape]

BRAING DAMAGE KICK'S ASS.

[teenkiller]

I wasn't giving this one much thought but since I really enjoyed Basket Case and just bought Brain Damage (though I have yet to watch it) I decided to research Frankenhooker. This thread is pretty damn funny and has convinced me to give it a chance. I didn't know it actually got a dvd release. Too bad I haven't seen it around anywhere yet. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[JJFlamingo]

not too bad...

[The_Driller_Killer]

Well, I must say that I was surprised and deeply saddened to see this film get only a 6 out of 10. I've loved this movie ever since I was a little kid and to this day, it remains in my top 5 favorite cult films of all time. As far as I'm concerned, Frank is a genius. His voice and art is truly one of a kind. His films have this incredible look and feel that is so far beyond the mainstream. No one can do or ever do what this guy does. I'm so glad he's coming back with a new film, Bad Biology. He's been missed.

Frankenhooker is definitely a film that delivers pretty much exactly what you'd expect. I mean, with a title like that, would anyone anticipate Shakespeare? The film as a whole is so campy and hilarious and I still laugh with it (not at it), despite having seen it countless times. It's just one of those films that is just not made anymore. Sure, some of the jokes may have been in poor taste, but really, it's all in good fun.

And I'm sorry, but I must nitpick a couple of things in your review. The film was shot back to back with Basket Case 2 in 1990, not 1992. And I really don't remember anyone exploding while trying to lick a vagina. Sure you weren't watching something else...?

[teenkiller]

Henenlotter's last film was Basket Case 3 which came out in 1992. Does anyone know why exactly Frank has taken such a long hiatus from filmmaking? I know he's got Bad Biology to be released soon but why such a gap? And why return now? Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[DrJellyfingers]

i caught this on Cinemax waaaaay back in the day. crazy movie. anyone remember that the VHS copy had a quote from Bill Murray on the front? i think he was like "if you see one movie this year, see Frankenhooker."

[The_Driller_Killer]

Hey teenkiller, I know he did an online interview at the beginning of the year talking about the new movie. I think that was asked. I know I was very curious myself. I'll see if I can find it.

DrJelly, yeah, that quote is awesome. They even put it on the Special Edition DVD last year. :D

[The_Driller_Killer]

Here you go!

http://www.the213.net/php/article.php?id=388

[countchocula]

Frankenhooker is fun. Frank was supposed to do a picture under Fangoria a few years back. Whatever happened to that project?

[The_Driller_Killer]

Originally posted by countchocula
Frankenhooker is fun. Frank was supposed to do a picture under Fangoria a few years back. Whatever happened to that project?

If you're talking about Sick in the Head, I have a feeling that was just a rumor started on IMDb.

[countchocula]

It was no rumor. There was an article about it on Fangoria's website alongside an interview with Henenlotter.

[teenkiller]

Wow! Cool interview! Thanks dude, that really was an interesting read. I anxiously await his grand return with Bad Biology now. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[Cronos]

I really need to get round to seeing this, I love the Basket Case's and Brain Damage, this sounds like it could be just as fun.

[Dehydrator]

Originally posted by The_Driller_Killer
And I really don't remember anyone exploding while trying to lick a vagina. Sure you weren't watching something else...?

No accountance for taste I guess. The review is almost 6 years back, can't remember the movie well enough to comment on your nitpick. I'm quite sure there was a scene were a hooker is at the table and some guy trying to go on her juicy parts and gets electrocuted, again can't gurantee that explosion stuff...
With that said, I think I wouldn't even bother reviewing it today, stuff like that is just too far off my radar.

[ParileseMonster]

I like this flick, it is funny!

[The Claw]

Originally posted by ParileseMonster
I like this flick, it is funny!


pretty much all that needs to be said. I gotta get myself the dvd.


Frankie boy rules.

[The_Driller_Killer]

Originally posted by Dehydrator
No accountance for taste I guess. The review is almost 6 years back, can't remember the movie well enough to comment on your nitpick. I'm quite sure there was a scene were a hooker is at the table and some guy trying to go on her juicy parts and gets electrocuted, again can't gurantee that explosion stuff...
With that said, I think I wouldn't even bother reviewing it today, stuff like that is just too far off my radar.

You're right!

One of the pimps tries to go down on Elizabeth when she's in that seedy dive and he explodes. I thought you were referring to the scene in the hotel room when all of the hookers explode.

[teenkiller]

http://www.filmcatcher.com/uploads/img/product/frankenhooker.jpg

"I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good."

Frankenhooker is just the kind of awesomeness I would come to expect from the man who brought us Basket Case and Brain Damage. Though I prefer both of those films Frankenhooker was still a real hoot.

I really have to give the man credit for the casting of James Lorinz. The dude was in Street Trash a few years prior as the wise mouthed doorman and I thought he stole the show. Funny as hell and his casting as Franken (get it? Ha ha) was spot on.

So his girlfriend gets dismembered in a lawn mowing accident (?) and he decides to use "super crack" to blow up a bunch of hookers and use the best of each of their body parts to reanimate her. I'm sold. I like when all the hookers find the supercrack and immediately begin smoking it, getting topless, and listening to loud rock music. Franken yells at them and as two of them start making out on a bed he yells "NO! It's unnatural!"

Sure the film has no class whatsoever but you damn well know what you're getting into with a name like Frankenhooker. You can't honestly say you weren't expecting what you got. Kinda like Leprechaun in the Hood.

My one complaint is that it just seems to come to a stand still at a couple of points. It's a small gripe though. Hopefully I can get around to seeing Basket Case 3 so I can be all caught up by the time Bad Biology comes out. Man I loved that ending...

Frankenhooker - 7.5/10

Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[Cronos]

Finally saw this earlier in the year and loved it, silly but a hell of a lot of fun. Some great effects scenes and hilarious at times, loved the ending. Damn good fun, Henenlotter hasn't disappointed me yet and I can't wait for him to return to movies.

9/10

[Ratlehed]

It was a good movie. I enjoyed Toxic Avenger and Dead Alive more. I'd put Frankenhooker in a catagory with movies like those. Its over-the-top with lots of "what the hell just happend" moments. I thought the monster was funny. Only knowing words a hooker would say.

2.5/4 stars. I'll give it credit for being original.