Zombie Fuel

  Aylmer, the parasite. by Bone Jawnson This past weekend, I viewed the Frank Henenlotter film "Brain Damage." (1988) This was an exciting film, as it had a bit more of an intimate feel than the previous films I viewed by Henenlotter. It was concentrated around one particular character, Brian, and the almost drug-like euphoria provided by the main antagonist and ancient parasite, Aylmer. As far as the back story is concerned, the parasite Alymer was known to have existed since the Middle Ages. He was coveted by many people of power and eventually ended up in the hands of an elderly couple from whom he escaped. At the beginning of the film, Aylmer's hosts seem to keep him satisfied by feeding him animal brains rather than the human brains he desired. After he escapes from their bathtub, where he is being kept, he finds another host, Brian, who is able to manipulate him to provide him access to humans. This enables the Aylmer to feed on the human brains in exchange for pu...

  Photo credit: mubi.com by Bone Jawnson Looking for a date?! Got any money?! This past weekend, I dove into the Frank Henenlotter cult film, "Frankenhooker," which was full of sluts and bolts. This film was loosely based on Mary Shelley’s classic book” Frankenstein, emphasizing the loose. The film starts off abruptly with Jeffery, the main character witnessing his fiancé Elizabeth becoming body-deficient. Jeffery, played by James Lorinz, focused on reconstructing the body of his beloved with reluctant human specimens. While researching this film, I came across a few accounts stating that Frank Henenlotter came up with the idea for "Frankenhooker" off the top of his head while in a film pitch meeting. I appreciate the automatism approach to filmmaking, in which one's subconscious mind is allowed to sway the creative process while the conscious mind is suppressed. The movie was fun for several reasons. I adored watching James Lorinz play Jeffery because he was ...

  Photo Credit: gonewiththetwins.com by Bone Jawnson This past weekend, I tied up the Basket Case trilogy this past weekend by watching "Basket Case 3: The Progeny." After viewing the original "Basket Case," I became a big fan of Frank Henenlotter's passion for low-budget horror comedy filmmaking. There were more "freaks," some more effects, and the birth of Belial's offspring, although a bit less blood, which I believe, was attributed to the producer's input. Even though I could not find clear budget information for this third installment, I imagine it was close to the first sequel's budget of $2.5 million dollars. Once again, Annie Ross's performance stuck out as genuine and sincere. As I learned in "Basket Case 2," her character, Granny Ruth, created a safe haven of sorts, for many freaks’ that were cast out of society and their homes. She included them in her home, took care of them, and ensured that they were motivated t...

  Photo credit: blu-ray.com by Bone Jawnson Upon the release of Basket Case (1982), writer, and director Frank Henenlotter was adamant that no sequel would be made. The idea for the sequel came up sarcastically when Henenlotter was having a conversation with his friend, and movie producer, James Glickenhaus. Thus, we now have Basket Case 2. This movie has a very different vibe than its original namesake. It picks up immediately during the ending incidents of the first movie and launches good ol' Beliel and his detached bro, Duane, into a sort of "rescue house for freaks." Without giving away too much of the plot, they are essentially hiding out and attempting to live a life away from mainstream society. Beliel is introduced to an attic full of freaks, who quickly accept him as one of their own, especially the one who develops googly eyes for him.  This viewing took me a little while to get into, as it seemed there was an attempt to create a larger storyline than I thought...