Frankenhooker (1990)

One of my all time favorites.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good concept, poorly executed.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

In New Jersey, Jeffrey (James Lorinz) is a talented inventor in love with his bride-to-be Elizabeth (Patty Mullen). During a barbecue to celebrate the birthday of Elizabeth´s father, she activates a remote controlled lawnmower that Jeffrey built for his father-in-law. However she stays in front of the device and her body is cut into pieces. Jeffrey studies how to bring Elizabeth back to life and realizes that he will need body parts. He drives to New York to get the necessary parts from prostitutes but his experiment loses control and he blows-up several women with an exploding crack he had developed. Now he has the necessary parts to build his fiancée back, but when Elizabeth flees from his laboratory, Jeffrey has problems with the pimp Zorro (Joseph Gonzalez) that lost his girls. The cult "Frankenhooker" is one of the best black-comedies ever made. The plot is a grotesque joke with "Frankenstein", but the result is hilarious. James Lorinz and Patty Mullen steal the film with cynical and lovely performances. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Frankenhooker - Que Pedaço De Mulher" ("Frankenhooker - What a Piece of Woman")

This Henenlotter guy is really something special. Basket Case 1 & 2 are nut, Brain Damage is completely insane and Basket Case 2 and Brain Damage contain 2 ultimately craziest sex scenes I have ever seen. But Frankenhooker exceeds all previous achievements. Combination of Jack the Ripper and Dr. Frankenstein with silly twist at the end. It's categorized as horror/comedy, but to me it isn't either funny or scary. But it's full of naked ladies to compensate. In my vocabulary this kind of movie goes under "Wtf I just watched" genre. Objectively, this is complete crap, but I have to recommend it and I will definitely watch it again some time, cause I'm thrilled with its level of greatardation. Its quality deserves 1 or maybe 2, but it's retardaedal for 10, so whatta hell, I'll give it6/10P.S. Just in case it's less obvious than I thought:Retardaedal = retarded + daedalGreatardation = greatness + retardation :D

Frankenhooker (1990) ** 1/2 (out of 4)More madness from director Frank Henenlotter who takes an outrageous concept and turns it into camp. Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) loses his girlfriend after she's ran over by his electronic lawnmower. Instead of sitting around crying he decides to use his medical knowledge and bring her back to life but since she was cut up he has to use various body parts from hookers. FRANKENHOOKER has a great concept but I will admit that the actual story is paper thin but thankfully that doesn't take away from the charm. There are hundreds of different low-budget horror movies out there but you can always tell when you're watching something from Henenlotter because he can take the most outrageous things and make them seem rather normal in the bizarre universe that he creates. I think there are a lot of good things going for this film including the various New York locations, which really add a lot to the atmosphere. There are some seedy locations and these really make you feel as if you're right down there in the middle of all these hookers, pimps and drugs. Another good thing the film has going for it is the fact that it's not afraid to be over the top in both the nudity and camp level. There's all sorts of nude women on full display, which will please most viewers but we also get some hilarious scenes involving some super crack that the hookers take and that makes them blow up. The sequence of them blowing up is without question a highlight. At just 84-minutes the film has a very good pace and it thankfully never outlasts its welcome. Lorinz is decent in the lead role but it's Patty Mullen who clearly steals the pic as the creature. The walk she brings the part is just perfect and I really loved how much fun she seemed to be having. With a film called FRANKENHOOKER you really shouldn't be expecting high art but the film delivers on a camp level and it's good fun.

Frankenhooker starts at the New Jersey home of Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) where at a birthday party a freak accident with a remote controlled lawnmower leaves his fiancé Elizabeth Shelley (Patty Mullen) in pieces all over the garden. Medical school dropout Jeffrey is devastated & decides to combine his medical & electrical knowledge to bring Elizabeth back to life, with only Elizabeth's head to work with Jeffrey has to find her a new body & decides to travel to times square in New York to pick up prostitutes in order to construct the perfect body for his beloved Elizabeth...Co-written & directed by Frank Henenlotter this horror comedy is quite enjoyable if your in the right mood, a silly mix of horror & sex Frankenhooker is fun if nothing else. The script is obviously a parody of the classic novel Frankenstein with Henenlotter's brand of bad taste humour & quirkiness the main thing going for it, from lawnmower accidents to exploding prostitutes to electrifying sex Frankenhooker is not the type of film for those with delicate moral sensibilities. Like a lot of films like Frankenhooker it's a mixed bag, some of the humour & crudeness works & it's occasionally amusing while at other times the jokes & gags fall a bit flat while horror aspect is also varied with some weak effects spoiling a few scenes. The character's are pretty cartoon like with the re-animated Elizabeth quoting prostitute pick up lines & Jeffrey inserting a drill into the back of his head for inspiration, as you do. Frankenhooker is quite likable & at only just over 80 minutes long the pace is decent & it doesn't outstay it's welcome but there are better horror comedies out there, watchable enough & positively amazing when compared to many modern day low budget horror films but I didn't love it or anything.There's plenty of female nudity & bare breasts on show even if some of the actresses who play the hookers aren't the best looking, to go with the nudity there's some gore as well including a couple of decapitations, some severed limbs, some blood splatter, some fake looking exploding prostitutes, a brain in a fish tank & a mangled mass of body parts that comes to life at the end. The final shock twist ending is sort of spoiled by the poor special effects but at least the makers tried to put as much on screen as they could even if they didn't have either the talent or budget to do their ideas justice. Apparently director Henenlotter improvised the pitch for Frankenhooker to a producer when his original didn't impress the money men, he has a small cameo as one of the passengers on the subway train.With a supposed budget of about $2,500,000 this was filmed in New York & some of the seedy nightlife locations add a certain dubious atmosphere. The acting is alright, no-one seems to be taking things seriously which is just as well although it's the Frankenhooker herself Patty Mullen who gives the most watchable performance here.Frankenhooker is a fun little horror comedy with plenty of sleaze & bad taste humour, it's not amazing or life changing but it is fun for what it is & I liked it well enough.