THE GOODS: Frankenhooker

Sunday, October 21, 2012

MONSTER-MONTH: A COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 21)

(Click to Frankensize)

“WANNA DATE?”

Are you ready for a terrifying tale of sluts and bolts?

You know we’ve reached the dog-days of the Monster-Month when we get down to Frank Henenlotter’s 1990 black comedy/horror flick, FRANKENHOOKER!

(Click to Frankensize)

Gosh, it seems more like a mid-to-late eighties kind of picture when I think about it now. Henenlotter’s other work is of a similar nature, it seems the black comedy/horror is his thing. He is the maker of the BASKET CASE series and BRAIN DAMAGE. So “black” and “comedy” are apt descriptions of FRANKENHOOKER too.

(Click to Frankensize)

And remember Bill Murray’s famous quote:

“If you only see one movie this year, it should be FRANKENHOOKER.”

Take the idea of a doctor wanting to create life and cross it with the idea of a man whose fiancee is killed in a freak lawnmower accident and you’ve got one desperately mad scientist. Jeffery Franken is such a man and his fiancee is killed in that tragic accident. And so he sets about putting her back together again with the aid of a super-drug and the pick of the parts from a plethora of NYC prostitutes.

(Click to ENHANCE)

As is always the case, just when the idea seems to be working perfectly, the proverbial shit hits the fan. Once his girlfriend returns from the dead, she craves everybody who has the cash on hand. Add to that the fact that anyone who does the deed with the reassembled wretch is disintegrated and you’ve got a moral dilemma.

(Click to Frankensize)

(Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?)

I won’t spoil the film for you, dear reader. If you haven’t watched this particular schlock shocker, you’ll get your money’s worth that way. It’s fun and weird as any film about a reanimated collection of hooker parts with a death-ray vagina SHOULD be!