Frankenhooker

Inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, writer/director Frank Henenlotter's bizarre horror-comedy stars James Lorinz as a would-be scientist who attempts to bring back his girlfriend (Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen) after she's dismembered in a ridiculous lawnmower accident. Needing body parts to fill out his Frankenstein-ish creation, Jeff targets Crack-addicted New York hookers who he kills off through the use of his new drug which make the group of half-naked women each explode in one of the film's most memorable moments.

A B-movie in every way, the wacky script and special effects are often better than the film's performances which are quite mixed throughout. While Jeff's experiment works, and Elizabeth is reborn as Frankenhooker, in an amnesiac haze she attempts to return to prostitution. Eventually Jeff brings her mind back but not before more gory shenanigans.

While quite campy by today's standards, the film's theatrical release was delayed given the struggle to obtain an R rating from the MPAA. A box office failure, the film found more success on cable and home video where it has been released on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray over the years. Very much a product of its time, Frankenhooker doesn't really work for me (not scary enough with its horror, not funny enough with its comedy, and not really all that sexually explicit given its subject matter), it still works as an unusual film experience. Whatever it actually amounts to, it's far from boring.

• Title: Frankenhooker
• IMDb: link