Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Review based upon the Revolver DVD release
I grew up on Frank Henenlotter films, which probably says a lot more about me than it does about him.
For the uninitiated, Henenlotter is the schlock-meister (this really is the best way to describe him) who gave us “Basket Case” as well as its two sequels, “Brain Damage” and “Frankenhooker”. After 5 films he disappeared from movies in 1990, and his distinctive style seemed to have been lost. Until now, that is.
“Bad Biology” is Henenlotter’s first film in 18 years, and is a superior piece of work in many respects but still retains his distinctive sense of depravity. All his movies focus on what could affectionately be termed as ‘body horror’, a theme he shares most with the early work of David Cronenberg. In “Basket Case” he examined the mind of a deformed Siamese twin, “Brain Damage” concerned a parasite in the human brain, and “Frankenhooker” told the tale of reanimated body parts from prostitutes. With “Bad Biology”, Henenlotter goes even further by taking a perverse look at sex and the organs associated with the act itself.
Jennifer (Charlee Danielson) is a woman with a genetic mutation that means she is constantly looking for sexual stimulation, only to kill her partner in a fit of heightened emotion and give birth to mutant babies all within 2 hours. Batz (Anthony Sneed) is a ma
n with a rather large problem of his own, as through his own insecurities he had injected his manhood with steroids for years, turning the member into a massive organ with a mind of it’s own. The two of them seem to be searching for each other, but will they ever meet? And what on earth will happen if they do?“Bad Biology” is not the kind of flick that is easily comparable with anything else. Part David Lynch, part David Cronenberg, and all bizarre, Henenlotter has directed a picture that will totally polarize audiences as many will find it nothing but offensive. The truth is that this is aimed at people with a dark sense of humour, as most of it's hilarious.
As you might expect the acting isn’t exactly Oscar worthy, and some of the dialogue (the script was written by Henenlotter and the oddly named R.A. ‘The Rugged Man’ Thorburn) is a little stilted. It also tends to flip erratically between documentary-style camera monologues and conventional narrative with no apparent logic. However, those of us who enjoy the director’s work will forgive him for all of this, as everything he’s ever created has had similar (and in many cases even worse) issues to overcome.
The style of the film is low budget, but “Bad Biology” still looks a million times better than “Basket Case”, offering a rich and warm colour scheme that actually contrasts strikingly with what’s happening on-screen. The effects are also quite impressive, most memorable being the first encounter with Jennifer and her post-coital insanity where she uncontrollably bashes her lover’s head in.
“Bad Biology” is a very interesting and unusual work, which will hopefully encourage an audience unfamiliar w
ith Henenlotter’s other movies to explore his back catalogue of insanity. For those of you who still aren’t sure whether this picture is for you, ask yourself the following question: could the sight of a rogue stop-motion animated gigantic penis running crazily through an apartment building make you laugh? If the answer is yes, then “Bad Biology” is the flick for you. Otherwise, approach with caution as this is probably unlike anything else you’ve seen before… certainly not for the last 18 years anyway.Crazy, sick, twisted and absolutely demented, Henenlotter is back on top form here. Let’s hope he doesn’t wait as long before unleashing his next flick on an unsuspecting audience.
4 out of 5
A dark and twisted view of sex... shocking and hilarious in equal measure
