Now on Blu-ray from Synapse Films, the raunchy 1990 comedy
provides a delirious take on the Frankenstein legend, with crazed electrical worker Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz, "The Sweet Life") wanting to bring Elizabeth Shelley, his dead girlfriend (Patty Mullen, a former Penthouse Pet), back to life. Since she was killed by a runaway lawn mower, however, he has to reassemble her, using other people's limbs.
Wanting nothing but the best, he feeds a potent form of homemade crack to a room full of hired help — hookers, to be clear — collects the desired appendages from amid the carnage, and revives his true love. Problem is, when she comes to, she thinks she's a prostitute.
As the title heroine, Mullen gives a great performance, built largely on physical comedy. It's a shame she never worked again. Lorinz, who has to carry most of the film on his own, is a likable average Joe. With this whacked-out wonder, Henenlotter stops at nothing, and nothing is sacred, to the point where you may genuinely be bothered by what you first see. One of the better bad-taste gags has a pimp named Zorro knocked unconscious by the flying disembodied head of one of his girls.
One of those girls, Jennifer Delora, provides Synapse’s disc with a delicious pair of extras, including a narrated tour through her on-set photo collection. The best, however, is a brief interview with Mullen, who looks better than ever. —Rod Lott
