Frankenhooker (1990) 2022 Revisit

 Jeffrey examining Zorro, the Pimp's hookers for certain body parts in order to assemble his lawnmower shredded fiance (whose head is still intact) anew says all that is needed in order to get an idea of the kind of bad taste Frank Henenlotter doled out to us with his 1990 film, "Frankenhooker". When talking to Joe Bob Briggs during the Last Drive-In Valentine's Day special, Heartbreak Trailer Park, Henenlotter told him that this film was actually inspired by The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), not what Joe Bob thought (Gordon Lewis' "Blood Feast" (1963)). 

Exploding hookers due to very potent "super crack" while they were hitting the pipe, dancing, giggling, removing their tops, and having a grand old time, with Zorro knocking in the cheap motel room door only to get knocked unconscious by a spiraling head popping off the body of his last remaining prostitute; this kind of movie is made for a very specific audience. This is the kind of cinema that is in such poor taste, I can't imagine how you even pitch it to a Hollywood with certain standards and protocols that just will no longer tolerate such warped shenanigans.

Henenlotter told James Lorinz when he asked him about why his Jeffrey was drilling different parts of his head/brain, Frank just set his mind at ease by retorting, "Oh, it's funny. It's funny. Don't worry about it."

Jeffrey dressed as a doctor while visiting the hookers to get their measurements, looking as if he was doing a bit on a variety show just cracks me up every time.

Henenlotter talking about a video store called "Video Shack" in Manhattan while Joe Bob asked about the box for "Frankenhooker" (a button you could press responds, "Wanna date?" is such a great reason why The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs is worth its weight in gold.

Jeffrey going through Gabe Bartalos' legs, boobs, and arms props (they don't look at all realistic), as he uses a welder, among other tools to assemble his beloved Elizabeth, including his rush to file from one of the hooker feet bunions (!!!) is so wonderfully outrageous. 

Of course, Bartalos getting to create grotesque multi-part "body monsters", born out of Jeffrey's purple preservation soup, lured out of the freezer in his garage by Zorro and his crack seems perfectly fitting for this ridiculous horror comedy. Especially twitchy Elizabeth with her "electric kiss" and "electric fuck", stitched together by hooker parts eventually back in her right mind when Jeffrey is able to get her back to his garage, is one of my favorite absurdist characters in all of 90s horror.

Darcy as Elizabeth cosplay is FANTASTIC! She is such a fan of Frankenhooker, and Joe Bob tells us Darcy LOVES this film and the character. She really nails it! I liked how Joe Bob lets Darcy know how he appreciates her. This Valentine's Special was awesome, one of my favorites of the Shudder Drive-In era.

The bar and hotel and just the New York City locations are right out of the 80s Henenlotter era. This film might be dated 1990, but I delight in how "Frankenhooker" feels from the same time as "Basket Case".