To quote the immortal words of Fidget from John Waters' biting black comedy Cecil B. Crazy “Hey, hey MPAA, how many movies have you censored today?” While many don’t think much about the movie rating system, it has long been contested by many filmmakers and fans for its controversial choices and apparent biases in what they consider acceptable.
However, the Motion Picture Association tends to adhere to a very strict set of rules in their ratings. You have the current system of G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. So when a movie from the 90s comes out, horror satirical comedy Frankenstein It was rated “S”, was out of character for the MPAA and angered the director. The film in question is Frank Henenlotter's Franken HookerWe will look at what happened with Franken Hooker How it got an “S” rating, and how the film overcame MPAA scruples to become a beloved classic.
Franken Hooker Plot and Cast
Jeffrey Franken, an eccentric inventor who dropped out of medical school, has managed to find a normal life with his fiancée Elizabeth. However, after a family party sees Elizabeth killed by one of his inventions, Jeffrey decides to marry another woman. She becomes depressed and desperately starts looking for a way to bring her back to life.Jeffrey decides he needs to use other people's body parts to rebuild her, but when his experience brings her back from the dead, she endures the actions and words of the various sex workers he had to kill in order to give her a new body. Elizabeth began walking the streets of New York, asking people if they “wanted to date,” Jeffrey must navigate the infamous underbelly of New York's 42nd Street to retrieve his bride.
The movie was Directed by Frank Henenlotter, known for his work in Trash can filmsThe film stars James Lorenz as Jeffrey Franken. Lorenz, who is beloved by fans for his eccentric performance throughout the film, Franken Hooker He has largely stuck to smaller roles throughout his career, including a brief appearance in the classic exploitation film Garbage in the streetsPatty Mullen, who is also a fan favorite, has no other roles after the horror-comedy. The film also features a few minor cameos, including a cameo by late-night horror TV host John Zacherley and Shirley Stoller from honeymoon killers (1970) Fame, Louise Lasser from the 1970s sitcom Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
“It was this electric mower that brought a swift end to the life of 21-year-old bride, Elizabeth Shelley. Like wood passing through a lawnmower, the hulking bride disappeared beneath the blades of a crazy lawnmower that made her figure rain down on her birthday party. In a blaze of blood, bones and body parts, the vibrant little girl was instantly transformed into a human body, a body that police are still trying to piece together, a body that was once called Elizabeth.” Franken Hooker Newscaster
Why is Frankenhooker rated “S”?
In the commentary track on the DVD release of Frankenhooker with Frank Henenlotter (co-writer/director) and James Lorenz (actor), the problems the film faced when it faced the MPAA are addressed. Henenlotter recalls a phone call with Richard Hefner who said, “Congratulations, you're the first movie to get an S rating.” When asked what that meant, He was told that the “S” stood for “sh*t”. Henenlotter expressed his deep hurt at the time, and felt that They had no right to comment on how they felt about the film.This led to a dispute over the film's rating, and producer James Glickenhaus publicly announced that he would respond to the dispute.
The film eventually received an X rating. (Which was in use before being phased out in the same year, 1990, in favor of NC-17). Henenlotter and his team refused to be rated and released the film without cuts or ratings.which came with its own distribution problems. Franken Hooker He was It eventually got an R rating when they cut some of the sex worker explosion scenes to six minutes out of seven.This once again reflects how petty and superficial the MPAA is in its decisions.
However, this is the kind of territory where Frank Henenlotter, as an exploitation/horror filmmaker, thrived. In an interview with The Skinny, the director went into great detail about his career and how he was constantly bumping up against the Hollywood system. His approach to Franken Hooker The fame he later acquired can best be summed up when he says:
“You usually don’t have the money to compete with Hollywood, so you compete by making a movie that deals with a subject that Hollywood doesn’t care to embrace. And every time Hollywood embraces a controversial subject, there’s been an exploitation movie or a hundred that beat Hollywood to it.”
Franken Hooker deserves a cult following.
Frank Hawkeralong with Henenlotter's Trash can and brain damageThey have gained huge popularity among fans.It's easy to see why, with all the movies. A mix of black humor filled with memorable dialogue, blood-soaked horror, and over-the-top creature effects..L Franken Hooker, There's the wonderful Patty Mullen who plays the movie's eponymous monster as he wanders the streets of New York asking random strangers if they “want to date a woman?” and there's the infamous scene where several sex workers explode after taking “super cocaine.” Here are some of the scenes that made the movie. Franken Hooker A crowd favorite.
For many people, Henenlotter The work also deals with the ancient and exciting culture of 42nd Street in New York. When it was a center of drugs, corruption and some of the most exciting artistic movements. Many other films depict this era, from classics like cabby To your favorite horror movies like obsessedBut few do it with such a wickedly funny edge. Franken Hooker. Despite being released in 1990, Frankenhooker truly represents 80s horror at its best.Fans of the era should check out Frank Henenlotter's horror comedy.
You can broadcast Franken Hooker On AMC+, Peacock, Troma Now, Tubi, Plex, or Freevee.
