Best Of The Worst: Frankenhooker

From director Frank Henenlotter, “Frankenhooker” is a bizarre blast from the past horror comedy that will leave you on a high.

For my next “Best of the Worst” feature, the inspiration for my pick came from a very unexpected source. In fact, it came from watching a multiple Academy Award-winning film, Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos.

The similarities between Poor Things and Frankenhooker are disturbingly similar.

Not only are both inspired by the Mary Shelley novel Frankenstein, but both center around women, not only in the sex work industry, being sex positive and women having sexual awakenings. But women who have experienced great tragedy brought back from the dead have to deal with new bodies and a whole new world.

As a woman, both films spoke to me on a level that hit deep. But I’m here to talk about the best of the worst horrors, and FRANKENHOOKER will take you on a wild ride.

Our story begins with a young couple, Elizabeth Shelley (played by Patty Mullen) and Jeffrey Franken (played by James Lorinz), at a birthday barbecue. Notice the last names — a neat little detail.

When the power lawn mower strikes poor Elizabeth, leaving her shredded into pieces, Jeffrey finds himself overwhelmed with loneliness. This leads him to spiral down a disturbing path.

Having dropped out of medical school, he has the tools to bring Elizabeth back from the dead. However, he’s missing some body parts. Where does he get them from? He gets them from what the film refers to as hookers.

The film seems to comment on the tragedy of working girls of the 80s and 90s in downtown New York.

Men saw these girls as having no lives, shells of women to be used for their own pleasures and twisted fantasies. The assumption that this was their only way to survive and make money is still prevailing today. Unfortunately, many of these girls would go missing without anyone ever caring.

Jeffrey simply waltzes in to take these girls to what can only be described as an explosive party, leaving the night with their coveted body parts. The only person who ends up caring is their pimp, Zorro (Joseph Gonzalez), who actually goes as far as to brand these young girls with a Z.

But I don’t want to put a depressing note on this film because, at its heart, it’s a horror comedy, and it really leans into the satire of it all, almost feeling like a parody film at times.

This movie is full of technicolor. Although some of the effects at times are laughable, it ends up bleeding with charm. But I will commend the pyrotechnic department who really worked overtime on this film with some very impressive shots within the film.

This film is jam-packed with nudity and Cronenberg-esque creature designs; it doesn’t shy away.

Once we get into the swing of what we are really here to see, Frankenhooker herself begins to wreak havoc on the men of Times Square.

Patty Mullen’s performance as Elizabeth is such an iconic piece of cinema that it has led her to gain a massive fan base. To this day, she visits horror conventions worldwide, where fans line up to get a photo opportunity with her. She puts her all into this character with facial expressions, the way she walks, and the constant repetition of lines we’ve heard from the hookers before.

Unfortunately, Patty left the film industry in 2009, but her dedication to her Frankenhooker fans is undeniable.

To promote this film, Sharpiro-Glickenhaus Home Video released a special VHS tape with a push button that said the iconic line “Date Me.” Many fans will tell you they can still hear that line in their heads whenever the film is mentioned. The film’s iconic box art is so instantly recognizable that even those who have never seen Frankenhooker are familiar with its memorable imagery.

Perhaps the funniest marketing choice was having a quote from Bill Murry on the cover: “If you only see one movie this year, it should be Frankenhooker.”

Cited as many fans’ favorite Trash Horror film, Frankenhooker is 100 percent worth the watch, with a bonkers ending that will leave you laughing out loud.

It truly is one of the titans of so bad it’s good horror.