April Fools: Frankenhooker (1990)

Directed by Frank Henenlotter. That should be all you need to know. If you only see one film in your life that involves a loved one who is killed in a tragic accident involving a lawnmower, a man who uses trepanning as a way to relieve the pressure in his head, and prostitutes putting themselves in danger by using explosive supercrack then that film had better be Frankenhooker, my favourite Frank Henenlotter movie.

James Lorinz plays Jeffrey Franken, a happy, if unbalanced, young man. He's always meddling with stuff int he name of science, but he's in love with Elizabeth Shelley (Patty Mullen). That's why Jeffrey reacts, ummm, badly when his beloved is turned into a chopped up selection of body parts by a lawnmower. Determined to bring his loved one back, Jeffrey realises that he will need a selection of body parts. And he then realises that if he has a selection of parts he can not only rebuild his love, but also make her even better. That's when the prostitutes and explosive supercrack comes into play. And that's also when a badass pimp named Zorro (Joseph Gonzalez) makes it his business to know Jeffrey's business.

If you've not seen a Frank Henenlotter movie then shame on you. In fact, rectify that now. Right now. Go on. I'll be here when you get back. Watch either this movie or Brain Damage, or Basket Case. Heck, Bad Biology may be far from his best, but it's still defiantly a Henenlotter flick, so feel free to also check that one out. He does wonders with low budgets, and bags of energy and creativity, and Frankenhooker is a cult horror comedy gem. The script, co-written by Henenlotter and Robert Martin, is the best that he's ever worked with, balancing the gross with the offbeat with the downright hilarious, and the direction is solid. The man has never been aiming to emulate Brian De Palma, preferring instead to just get down and dirty with his camera shots, and valuing entertainment above anything else.

It's hard to decide on who is better onscreen. Lorinz is very funny, going wildly over the top as the young "mad scientist" desperate to resurrect his loved one, while Mullen indulges in some fantastic mugging as the titular creation (she's only onscreen for a moment or two in her pre-death incarnation). Gonzalez is suitably mean as Zorro, there are lots of women willing to get nude and pretend to be prostitutes, and everyone does what is required of them.

Despite the (seemingly) ridiculous nature of the premise, this is pretty sharp and sly stuff, at times, and is also packed full of references to the classic Frankenstein movies by James Whale. It's entertaining from start to finish, and I'll never lose my love for it. Even if my wife rolls her eyes every time she notices it sitting there on my movie shelf.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankenhooker-Blu-ray-James-Lorinz/dp/B005QW2RMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391527434&sr=8-1&keywords=frankenhooker

Dead By Dawn 2013.

I finally finished all of my coverage over at Flickfeast so feel free to check it out here.

It includes reviews of Hellraiser, Mon Ami, The Battery, Jug Face, and many more titles deserving of a few minutes of your time.

Enjoy.

Brain Damage (1988)

Frank Henenlotter is, to me, the most wonderful madman to have ever been allowed to direct movies and I thank my lucky stars that he shared his warped and hugely entertaining vision with audiences. If you haven't seen Basket Case and, my particular favourite, Frankenhooker already then please do so. Oh, but make sure you also fit this one into your schedule.

Brain Damage is all about a relationship that develops between Brian (Rick Hearst) and Aylmer, a relationship that works well for both of them. Unfortunately, Aylmer is a parasitic creature that releases euphoria-inducing liquid directly into Brian's brain in return for sucking the grey matter from various victims. While Brian is on his "high" he doesn't fully realise just what's going on and even as things start to become clearer he knows that while he must do the right thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . he is also already addicted to getting his fix as often as possible.

I don't think that Frank Henenlotter is capable of making a bad, unentertaining movie. Even Bad Biology (which I thought was a bit below his usual standard) had enough twisted fun to keep me happy. He started off writing and directing his own particular brand of madness and has continued to do things very much his own way over the years. Many other people rate Brain Damage as his finest hour and, while I may not agree, it's certainly up there with his other best works.

The acting is fine from Rick Hearst and everyone onscreen (including Gordon MacDonald, Jennifer Lowry, Theo Barnes, Lucille Saint-Peter, Vicki Darnell - who has, arguably, the most memorable scene of the whole movie - and Beverly Bonner) but every aspect of the movie is overshadowed by how wonderful a creation Aylmer (voiced by John Zacherle) is and the visuals that illustrate the way he changes Brian's brain. Considering the obvious low budget, there are a number of FX moments and set-pieces that stand up to this day as impressive pieces of movie magic.

If you like the work of Henenlotter then you'll undoubtedly like this movie. You may, like so many others, love it and that love is not undeserved. Oh, and fans of Basket Case (despite the information regarding region coding listed on the packaging/at Amazon, horror fans will be delighted to know that the Basket Case Bluray will play on any player) will enjoy the amusing cameo from Kevin Van Hentenryck.


8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brain-Damage-DVD-Rick-Hearst/dp/B000U51ZHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341926529&sr=8-1