Frankenhooker (The Last Drive-In)

Film Year:  1990

Genre:  Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction

Director:  Frank Henenlotter

Starring:  James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, Louise Lasser

The Movie

From the director of Basket Case and Brain Damage comes what is probably his masterpiece.  Frankenhooker tells the tale passed on between generations about a woman named Elizabeth Shelley (Frankenstein fans will get it) who is accidentally dismembered by a lawnmower.  Unable to move on from the tragedy, her boyfriend, Jeffery Franken, is determined to bring her back to life.  Jeffery hits the streets to find local prostitutes to find the perfect body and stitch Elizabeth's head onto it, only through a string of accidents finds himself with the bodyparts of many to stitch together and create the perfect girlfriend.  Finally he reanimates Elizabeth but finds her personality has been replaced with the echoes of the sex workers she has been stitched together from, and she escapes from the lab to find clients.

Frankenhooker is one of those titles that is strictly a cult film but finds itself referenced relatively often in mainstream media, which gives it some level of credibility even though most people who have heard the title might not have actually watched the movie.  It's definitely a title I was aware of and knew I was going to watch some day, but it was never opportune for me to actually sit down with it.  Frank Henenlotter's other films were interesting and amusing enough, but I'd be lying if I was overtly enthusiastic about them as they ended.  Especially Basket Case, which tends to leave a viewer with a feeling of "Okay I'm done watching movies for the day" as they turn off the TV.

I didn't expect to be utterly in love with this movie once I finally watched it.  Frankenhooker is an absolute blast of camp, absurdity, and laughs.  What a wild ride.

With my history as a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan, the first film that was echoing in my brain as I watched Frankenhooker unfold was The Brain That Wouldn't Die.  It's pretty much the same idea, as a boyfriend preserves a disembodied head of their lover in hopes to reanimate them and goes on the hunt for fine female bodies.  What sets Frankenhooker apart is its tone.  The Brain That Wouldn't Die is bleak and voyeuristic, with a protagonist who is a bit of a scuzzbucket.  Frankenhooker is wacky, comedic, and cartoonish, and while his desires of chopping off a whore's head is questionable, one sympathizes with Jeffery's heartbreak a lot more.  I'd hesitate to say I'm rooting for Jeffery though I see where he's coming from.

If one has seen Henenlotter's other work, one might know what to expect from Frankenhooker.  For the most part it's a more stomachable presentation of his style throughout the film, as while it's his trademark oddball tone it's also not aggressively gross.  It's a bit more absurdist, as the film is played for far more laughs at how excessive it gets, mostly peaking in a near orgy scene where a bunch of prostitutes explode after using poisoned drugs.  It doesn't look realistic in the slightest, but it was never going ever be considered realistic so the movie uses that to its advantage.

This all leads to the climax of the film, where they unveil Frankenhooker in all of her glory.  Played by Penthouse model Patty Mullen, she plays the title character like a short-circuiting robot:  moving stiffly, twitching her face in odd gestures, and bellowing streetwalker phrases "WANNA DATE?" and " LOOKIN' FOR SOME ACTION?"  The movie steamrolls into an outstanding climax where she breaks out of the lab and tries to pick up men, only to make anybody she hooks up with explode.  The Frankenhooker sequence is what we're here for and it delivers, only getting more enrapturing as it gets more absurd.  This is how to deliver on your title even if you're working on a low budget.  Take notes, everyone.

I left Frankenhooker with only one question on my mind...how did Basket Case get two sequels but Frankenhooker never got one?  There were way more places to go with this story in the aftermath, and I'm much more invested in the further adventures of Jeffery and Elizabeth.  I mean, a Sapphic-erotic Bride of Frankenhooker almost writes itself.

The Drive-In

Joe Bob has an old friend at the Drive-In today.  Director Frank Henenlotter, who helmed this movie, Basket Case, and Brain Damage, is here to talk about his horror-comedy creative process.  Joe Bob hails him as the only director that they've shown three movies from on The Last Drive-In.  I don't know if this is strictly true.  Off the top of my head, he had a Phantasm marathon years ago which featured three films directed by Don Coscarelli.  It's possible that those might be the only two though.  And Henenlotter could take the lead if Joe Bob ever shows Basket Case 2 & 3.

The behind the scenes info on Frankenhooker is plentiful, as he talks about the origins of the film as he had Fangoria editor Robert Martin working on a novelization of Brain Damage and they decided to write a script together, which turned into Frankenhooker.  He also discusses how the MPAA initially rejected the rating because "They didn't have an S-rating.  S for shit!"  Henenlotter discusses his being influenced by The Brain That Wouldn't Die and how that film's director, Joseph Green, met Henenlotter and said he heard that he was plagiarized by his movie.  Gloriously, Henenlotter showed the movie to Green, who absolutely loved it.  They also discuss some of the more absurd scenes in the film, trying to make sure Jeffrey wasn't a villain and Joe Bob praises his "symphony of exploding hos."  Henenlotter also gifts Joe Bob one of the dismembered breasts from the film too.

It's not often that you can say that you were given your own personal boob as a gift.

Later on they bring out the movie's star, James Lorinz, who discusses his beginnings in the film Street Trash (oh jesus, they had to remind me of Street Trash) and how that film led to Frankenhooker.  They also turn to discussion of Patty Mullen as soon as the focus of the film starts to focus on Frankenhooker herself.  They talk about how Henenlotter was hesitant about casting a Penthouse Pet for the title role because he wanted a "girl-next-door" type, only to find Mullen was exactly what he was looking for.  They also discuss Frankenhooker's ability to make men explode and Joe Bob asks the silliest question in that he wants Henenlotter to explain the logic behind that.  There is also mention that Mullen wears a "fat suit" at the beginning of the film to imply she had a different body when she was Frankenhooker but the audience didn't notice (I can't see it myself).

Before he leaves, Henenlotter drops the bombshell that he wanted to remake 13 Ghosts.  I have to say, a Henenlotter 13 Ghosts remake would undoubtedly be better than the remake we eventually got.

Darcy in particular is excited about the screening of this movie on this show, because Frankenhooker is one of her favorite movie.  She's so excited that she cosplays Frankenhooker for the final segment.  This episode then turns into a bit of a Valentine to Darcy herself, as Joe Bob reads a touching letter at the end from a viewer who says the show and the community helped him through a divorce, a pandemic, and his father's death, which they use to springboard how much she works to bring the Drive-In Mutants together on social media.  That doesn't stop Joe Bob from specifically targeting Darcy during his bizarre rant on "smelling stores," which Darcy says she doesn't know what he's talking about.  But whatever the rant, Frankenhooker is definitely a flick worthwhile to watch and wreck any Valentine's Day with.

Joe Bob's Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐