Sometimes the best part about attending a screening of a horror film isn’t seeing the movie amongst your peers and fellow fright fans, but rather sharing the experience with people who aren’t really deeply into the genre at all. These are the people who still seem to have some sense of cinematic morality, their revulsion permeating the theater at the very scenes which make your heart scream with filthy joy.
In short, if the “normal folk” start getting appalled, then you really know you’ve found something special.
Such was the case a few months ago when I attended a screening of Bad Biology, the latest flick from this week’s Cult Filmmaker You Should Know, Frank Henenlotter. Halfway through said film, there is a pivotal moment when one of the lead character’s comically enlarged penis begins to flail and whip about like a fire hose left unattended at full blast. The scene is obviously meant to be played for comic effect, and to be sure, it did earn a hearty chuckle from us sleaze enthusiasts peppered throughout the theater. However, the woman seated to my immediate right was definitely not one of those laughing. In fact, the second the ferocious phallus hit the screen, I’m fairly certain she grunted with what can only be described as pure, abject disgust.
However, rather than be mad at this prudish woman’s obvious lack of humor, I couldn’t help but feel elated. You see, I’m one of those people who believe that good art is always going to piss someone off. So, in seeing this woman react to the scene before us in total horror, how could I not consider it a success? Granted, one does have to wonder exactly what she thought she was going to get. The film’s premise, about a woman with a violent need to orgasm, was made clear to us all before entering the screening space. It’s not like we were sold the idea that we were going to be watching Kramer vs. Kramer only to get slapped across the face with a massive cock.
But, I digress. The painfully simple point of the matter is that this was a horror film, and this woman was horrified. In my book, that’s a movie doing its job. Now, whether or not she liked the feelings of disgust and terror she experienced is a completely different discussion for another time. The fact remains that many of us horror fans too easily become jaded, and forget that the movies we go see aren’t the norm. Because of this, we occasionally need to be reminded through the appalled mainstream that what we are seeing is different, and though occasionally disgusting, is purely exceptional and audacious art.
Art pushes boundaries, and no matter how grotesquely we may dress that art up, if it forces you to reassess the world or your own base desires, then it is art nonetheless.
In the case of Frank Henenlotter, pushing boundaries comes naturally, and not just because he likes making his audience stare at a gargantuan penis. In fact, this imagery is generally par for course when looking at the whole of Henenlotter’s filmic oeuvre.
The lens of this cult craftsman is often focused on the human infatuation with biological and sexual impulses, taking those desires and curiosities and turning them into something grotesque and offensive. In the world of Frank Henenlotter, as fun as the sex looks (and it probably will be), it’s likely that you’re going to regret it in the final reel. Crafting an intricate universe of intense body horror and physical maladies, it’s safe to assume that even David Cronenberg would shiver at the types of things suggested in Henenlotter’s work.
However, as disarming as the horror Henenlotter creates can be, the audience is easily misdirected by the simple fact that it’s often as funny as it is gross. Just like a 12 year-old boy, Henenlotter finds the most disgusting things endlessly amusing, and this ultimately proves to be the keystone of his work. When Henenlotter puts something truly grotesque before us, you get the sense that he can’t help but laugh. As laughter is contagious, the audience tends to absorb this vibe of maniacal glee and inevitably joins Frank in a good chuckle
It’s the rare artist who can make us look at that which truly offends with a sense of humor, but Frank Henenlotter does so almost effortlessly. More so, usually after an individual has discovered Henenlotter’s work, they almost always return for another heaping helping of disgust.
Undeniably, these hallmarks of Henenlotter’s work are indicative of the greater truth that he is, simply put, a master of his craft.
For the uninitiated, Frank Henenlotter is probably best known to the greater cult community for his 1982 film, Basket Case. A popular rental choice during the VHS horror boom of the 80s, Basket Case concerns a young man who carries his deformed twin around in a basket. The pair, who were once conjoined, plot bloody revenge on the doctors who separated them without permission. Playing on the fact that people often find the topic of physical deformity uncomfortable, Basket Case became an instant trash classic for its outrageous presentation and extremely well-executed creature effects. Spawning two sequels (each with an equally rabid fan base), Basket Case set the mold for Henenlotter’s brand of discomforting body terror, and true to form, encouraged people to embrace their neuroses by parlaying them into a popular horror franchise.
For many, Basket Case is not only Henenlotter’s definitive film, but also a pinnacle moment in independent horror. Gritty and original, the film defied the rote Hollywood slasher script that was so prevalent at the time and encouraged a generation of independent filmmakers to be as innovative and gross as they possibly could. Whether Basket Case was Henenlotter’s best or not is really in the eye of the beholder, but the fact remains, the film is now an essential part of the modern horror pantheon.
Henenlotter’s follow-up to Basket Case, a film called Brain Damage, only further cemented the motifs that had won the director so many fans in the previous film. Concerning itself with a young man who falls prey to an alien parasite, Brain Damage colorfully dealt with the physical realities of drug addiction by depicting the film’s lead character being dosed with a highly addictive substance by the aforementioned alien. Metaphorical and raunchy, Henenlotter’s movie made the pains of addiction largely more entertaining than they’d ever be in life. Once again, by dealing with the unsettling physical realities of existence in an exploitative way, Henenlotter had crafted a truly remarkable and fresh form of fear.
However, if Basket Case and Brain Damage had seemingly set the mold for Henenlotter’s desire to make the audience face physical discomfort, it must’ve shocked many that his film Frankenhooker, at initial glance, seemed based on that physical sensation that everyone wanted: sex. Of course, as you might have guessed, it’s not that simple.
The film, which quite liberally borrows from the Mary Shelley story its title references, concerns a man whose girlfriend is tragically killed, but rather than let go, attempts to resurrect her using the body parts of dead hookers. Unfortunately, once his onetime paramour returns from the grave, the lusty impulses of the hookers from which she is built take over. What ensues is sex-drenched violence and mayhem, essentially turning the very impulses that make us feel good into our enemy.
Although I enjoy all of Henenlotter’s films, Frankenhooker is easily my favorite. With its gaudy sense of presentation, a ridiculous over-the-top sexuality, and outfits that would make the most flawed drag queen cry, Frankenhooker is the film that most lends itself to being a midnight movie. On a few occasions I’ve hosted little Frankenhooker screenings for friends, and the film is always met with riotous enjoyment. If you’re the kind of cult film fan who likes the movies because of the sense of community they engender, then I strongly urge you to watch Frankenhooker… I consider it to be the most impeccable of community-builders.
Whether it be the physical fright of Basket Case, the awkward sexuality of Frankenhooker, or a strange amalgam of the two (the aforementioned Bad Biology), it cannot be denied that Frank Henenlotter has carved out a special niche for himself in the world of horror and exploitation cinema. His unique sense of vision, which is apparent in all his works, gives him the distinction of being a true trailblazer that a generation of aspiring cult filmmakers can look to for inspiration. His unrelenting and unabashed style is irreverent, but also commands a respect that is certainly not lost on those of us who have long been immersed in this world of sleaze cinema. If his films alone were his only legacy to the annals of cult, he’d assuredly already be a legend.
But you see, my dear children of the popcorn, Frank Henenlotter’s films alone are not the reason he is so very important to our world of cult. In addition to making films that we love, Frank Henenlotter also loves films.
He shares our passion for exploitation and obscure cinema, and because of this devotion to filmic trash, has become part of an entity called Something Weird Video. The folks at Something Weird specialize in rescuing and restoring lost and obscure exploitation flicks. Thanks to this phenomenal company, works by such seminal cult filmmakers as Herschell Gordon Lewis, Doris Wishman, and Joe Sarno have been rescued from obscurity and put out to fans who long thought such material was gone forever. By joining forces with Something Weird, Henenlotter has been personally involved in the rescuing and resurrection of many films which would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. Many of these films have been released through Something Weird under a specialty logo, “Frank Henenlotter’s Sexy Shockers”, allowing further credit to be given to the man who rescued them from a dark fate.
Ultimately, Frank Henenlotter earns his spot as a Cult Filmmaker You Should Know not only because he makes phenomenal films, but also because he, like the rest of us, is a fan. His work leaves behind an excellent personal legacy, but also ensures that there are a vast number of other cult filmmakers we may continue on knowing.
Now, with all that said, take a moment to consider that this remarkable body of work was achieved by the very same man whose onscreen penis humor made the stuffy woman in the seat next to me snort with disgust, and you’ll see why I love him so very much.
…and I guarantee if you take a chance on the works of Frank Henenlotter, you’ll love him too.
Until next time.
