Nigel P With 'Frankenhooker', chances are you get what you expect. 'Trash' and 'screwball' describe the knockabout humour on display here as Jeffrey (James Lorinz) brings back to life his decapitated fiancée by 'building her a new body of Manhatten street prostitutes'.A lot of the first part of the film relies on Lorinz, who is required to carry scenes by himself. He is somewhat expressionless but enters into the spirit of the proceedings with little inhibition. The second part is indebted to Patty Mullen as Elizabeth, parading under patchwork prosthetics, being seduced by a selection of horrendous macho 1990's muscle men. Her jerky wide-eyed movements recall a certain sense of Elsa Lanchester from the original 'Bride of Frankenstein (1935)'.There's plenty of flesh, lots of rubber limbs and some fairly graphic titillation on offer. Only when Elizabeth regains her memories does the grotesque humour make way for actual emotion, but that's fine. "There wasn't enough left of you to fry an egg with," explains Jeffrey in one of his final pronouncements.An acquired taste, especially now its garish, coarse visuals have a very dated quality, this is what it is. Deliberately goofy, wobbly, sleazy, popcorn nonsense worth a giggle.

Lee Eisenberg Another "Frankenstein" spoof? Yes, and "Frankenhooker" does what not even "Young Frankenstein" thought of. In this case, we have a medical student trying to reanimate his bride (whom he lost to a runaway lawnmower). Looking for new parts, he gives prostitutes crack, and let's just say that you've never seen anything like this! It's one of those movies that's not afraid to do anything that it wants, and I have no doubt that they had a lot of fun making it. I mean, how often do we get to see a pimp freak out as a head hurtles towards him? The only cast member whom I recognized was Louise Lasser, who was married to Woody Allen from 1966 to 1970, and starred in his movies "Take the Money and Run", "Bananas" and "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex" (she more recently appeared as Hank Azaria's mom in "Mystery Men" and one of Ellen Burstyn's friends in "Requiem for a Dream"). She was also the star of the sitcom "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". Let's just say that this is a VERY different movie for her. It's one of those movies that you watch just to appreciate the fact that they were willing to put a lot of this on the screen. A really fun time.

jadavix "Frankenhooker" is a movie whose entire first half is dictated by its title. Yeah, it's about a mad scientist, a Victor Frankenstein type, who uses hooker body parts to create an undead woman. The small moments of originality in this first half of the movie are gobsmackingly lame. For example, the main character finds inspiration for his science experiment by, get this, drilling through his brain with a power drill. Yeah, that'll do the trick. I'm not joking: he doesn't know what to do next, pulls out a drill, goes through his brain with it and, ta da! Instant breakthrough. Why there's no blood whatsoever as a result of this, nor the need for instant medical attention, is unexplained.Another weird, unexplained twist: he makes a type of crack cocaine that, when smoked, causes the smoker to explode. That's not the weirdest part. While searching for "the perfect woman" among a bevy of whores, the hero brings a brick of explosive crack rocks to the party, but when the girls find them, does everything he can to stop them from smoking them, to no avail.Huh?If he didn't want these hookers to smoke the crack, why'd he bring it to them? Why did he make it in the first place?Huh?The second half of the movie is better, simply by virtue of featuring the "Frankenhooker" of the title, played by an actress with more charisma than every one else in the movie. You get used to the lifeless hero, who doesn't even seem obsessed, or that interested in, his work. The undead hooker makes a very welcome change."Frankenhooker" is regarded as a horror comedy, but aside from the title it doesn't contain a single joke. I guess the rather predictable twist ending could be seen as humorous.Overall it is a movie with a totally lame first half, and a second half which is far too little, far too late.

Paul Andrews 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.