mike@projection-booth.com mike@projection-booth.com

February 29, 2012

Episode 52: Frankenhooker (1990)

Special Guest: Frank Henenlotter

Make sure you bring a date to this special episode of The Projection Booth. Episode 52 marks the one year mark for the podcast. And, what better film to discuss than Frankenhooker, an comic updating of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, in which love knows no bounds, even death.

Celebrating this milestone is the brand spanking new co-host of The Projection Booth, Rob St. Mary.

Links:
Buy Frankenhooker on Blu-Ray
Visit Hotel Broslin, the Frank Henenlotter fan site

Listen/Download Now:

Watch:

4 comments:

  1. Very gratifying to have you guys shed such light on Frankenhooker two decades later!
    When Frank & I settled on the ending, we didn't discuss it much, beyond the matter of it delivering poetic justice for Jeffrey's hubris -- it felt so right that it didn't merit further discussion. But for me, it pointed up the difference between love and sex -- Elizabeth was prepared for a happy ending as half of a lesbian couple. Jeffrey was incapable of that. This addresses the same character flaw that sent him on this path in the first place.
    When Jeffrey dismissed his estrogen-based formula as unimportant because it was only useful in preserving the lives of women, this was meant as a hint of his own misogyny -- a disregard for women's lives that allowed him to remain unconscious of the weight of his actions.

    Before I worked with Frank on Frankenhooker, we worked together on a short novel based on his Brain Damage screenplay, finished while he was still filming. It's available at Amazon as a cheap (99 cents!) e-book. http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Damage-Trip-Through-ebook/dp/B0062F692K

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rob,

      Thanks for checking in about the film! It's always great to hear from creators about what they think of the show and the Projection Booth's armchair analysis.

      Interesting about the ending - that hubris idea is very much in line with the original story of "Frankenstein". The idea that the character is killed by the thing he creates believing that he can control his own creation. I love the idea that they were going to end up an lesbian couple in the end! HA!

      Keep in touch and thanks for sharing a good word about the Projection Booth!

      CHEERS!

      Rob St. Mary - co-host

      Delete
  2. Amazing to hear from all parties involved. Having seen this as a kid, reflecting on it now brings new insight.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Really good episode and I loved hearing the interview with Frank Henrenlotter. I agree that Patty Mullen was great and that she had great comic timing. Will be checking out more episodes for sure

    ReplyDelete