Frankenhooker (1990)

A medical student sets out to recreate his decapitated fiancée by building her a new body made of Manhattan street prostitutes.

Director:

Frank Henenlotter

Writers:

Robert Martin, Frank Henenlotter

Stars:

James Lorinz, Joanne Ritchie, Patty Mullen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Lorinz	...	Jeffrey
Joanne Ritchie	...	Mrs. Shelley
Patty Mullen	...	Elizabeth
J.J. Clark	...	Mr. Shelley
C.K. Steefel	...	Dolores (as Carissa Channing)
Shirl Bernheim	...	Elizabeth's Grandmother
Judy Grafe	...	Newscaster
Helmar Augustus Cooper	...	Detective Anderson (as Helmar Cooper)
Louise Lasser	...	Jeffrey's Mother
John Zacherle	...	Weatherman
Charlotte J. Helmkamp	...	Honey (as Charlotte Helmkamp)
Kimberly Taylor	...	Amber
Shirley Stoler	...	Spike the Bartender
Joseph Gonzalez	...	Zorro
Ari M. Roussimoff	...	Zorro's Customer (as Ari Roussimoff)

Storyline

A medical school dropout loses his fiancée in a tragic lawnmower incident, and decides to bring her back. Unfortunately, he was only able to save her head, so he goes to the red light district in the city and lures prostitutes into a hotel room so he can get parts for his girlfriend.

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Plot Keywords:

hooker | prostitute | psychotronic film | breasts | grindhouse film | 

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Taglines:

Wanna Date?

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for gore, drugs and sensuality, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish

Release Date:

1 June 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

FRanken Puta

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$205,068

Company Credits

Production Co:

Levins-Henenlotter,Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The hooker talk show is a parody of The Morton Downey Jr. Show (1987).

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Goofs

Incorrectly regarded as goof: As 'Frankenhooker' is an homage to writer Mary Shelley, the 'Frankenstein' films and the low budget gore movies of the 1960s and 1970s, the FX, make-up and prosthetics are deliberately clumsy.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeffrey Franken: [Jeffrey examines his creation of a human eyeball on the inside of a human brain] Just watch my hand. Watch it. Watch my hand now. Nice and slow, back and forth. Watch the hand.
Jeffrey Franken: [Jeffrey begins snapping] Come on. Do something, wake up. Let's go! Let's see that peeper.
Jeffrey Franken: [Jeffrey pauses before pulling out a scalpel] Be very careful here. I'm gonna give it a lobotomy.
Jeffrey Franken: [the brain and eye begins to move rapidly] Jesus - That's it, that's it. That's right. Now follow my hand. Look at the hand...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

No animals or people were killed or injured in the making of this movie.

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Connections

Spoofs The Morton Downey Jr. Show (1987)

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Soundtracks

Pandora's Box
Written by Roger Greenawalt and Clifford Lane
Performed by Roger Greenawalt and Clifford Lane

User Reviews

Great fun!! Frank Hennenlotter...it's about time you make a comeback!

If you're a tiny bit familiar with the more light-headed and grotesque 80's horror cheese, the name Frank Hennenlotter won't sound new to you. "Basket Case" and "Brain Damage" are classics that prove creativity and dynamic motivation are actually all that is needed in order to make a fresh-looking horror film. Another triumph of ingeniousness in Hennenlotter's career is this "Frankenhooker". His most comic and personal film to date. It looks like slapstick, yet with a fair amount of gore, but it never at one point becomes entirely ridiculous or dumb. It's actually hysterical and imaginative (unless you're one of the humorless critics like so many on this review-list). A young electrician/brain surgeon (funny combination, isn't it?) loses his girl in a nasty lawnmower accident. Now, that thing alone actually made me chuckle! He wants to resurrect her, but since most of her body got hacked up, he has to collect new "parts". And where better to find those but in the red-light district of New Jersey. Naturally, both the preparations as the operation itself go horribly wrong and the 'hero' has to face absurd consequences. Like few other directors can manage, Frank Hennenlotter inserts his trademarks and typical styles. Frankenhooker is silly, but also very imaginative (exploding whores, anyone?) and it doesn't feature one dull moment. Hennenlotter surely was one of the most talented and self-educated directors in the horror industry. If he would have slightly more movies, I'm sure he would now enjoy a more justified status. I keep on hearing he will return in 2005 with a project called "Sick in the Head". Well I, for one, really hope it's true.