Many an iconic horror/exploitation moviemaker has, for better or worse, matured in his old age. Here’s one who hasn’t: Frank Henenlotter, who remains best known for the 1982 no-budgeter BASKET CASE, and who was in his late fifties when he directed the supremely immature “Godawful Love Story” BAD BIOLOGY (2008).
Made after an unrewarding sojourn in mainstream Hollywood, BAD BIOLOGY inspired a fair amount of controversy (with its most prominent theatrical playdate being a February 2010 screening at LA’s late Cinefamily), taking two years to appear on DVD. It’s the wildest of Henenlotter’s films (no small claim), and certainly the only “woman with an overactive vagina meeting a guy with a mutant penis” movie ever made.
It’s the wildest of Henenlotter’s films (no small claim), and certainly the only “woman with an overactive vagina meeting a guy with a mutant penis” movie ever made.
The gal is Jennifer (Charlee Danielson) and the guy Batz (Anthony Sneed). She’s an erotic photographer who due to a severely accelerated metabolism is an insatiable nymphomaniac who invariably gives birth to a mutant child after having sex, while he suffers from a decreased libido that, due to the ingestion of mass steroids, has resulted in a severely enlarged penis with a mind of its own.
Jennifer first encounters Batz on a photo shoot at a Brooklyn mansion where he happens to be staying. She’s intrigued upon coming into contact with a prostitute who after sampling Batz’s member is sent into a state of perpetual orgasm. Jennifer becomes determined to experience this herself, only to find that Batz’s penis has detached from his body and embarked on a rampage.
Frank Henenlotter’s films are similar to those of John Waters in their tacky black humored veneers, which must be if not excused then at least endured. What’s lacking are the sophisticated undertones of Waters’ films, and also (in Waters’ later efforts) the prominent actors. BAD BIOLOGY’s leads Charlee Danielson and Anthony Sneed deserve credit for performing acts few established performers would attempt, but their emoting isn’t anyone’s idea of “good.”
…only to find that Batz’s penis has detached from his body and embarked on a rampage.
One curious addition is the very un-Henenlotter inclusion of a hip-hop infused soundtrack, courtesy of co-writer/producer/co-star R.A. “The Rugged Man” Thorburn, who was instrumental in financing and casting the project (which features many of Thorburn’s hip-hop pals in the cast and on the soundtrack). His is the most recognizable name associated with the film, along with that of SUICIDE CULT and THE EXTERMINATOR director (and executive producer of three previous Henenlotter films) James Glickenhaus in a rare acting appearance. Horror buffs may also recognize the film’s co-editor Scooter McCrae, of the esteemed shot on video epics SHATTER DEAD, SIXTEEN TONGUES and SAINT FRANKENSTEIN.
What BAD BIOLOGY has in its favor is, as with Henenlotter’s previous films, a core concept so ingeniously warped it compels attention in spite of all the problems. I’ll also give credit to the old school special effects, with stop motion animation (the sight of Batz’s disembodied stop motion penis slinking down a hallway directly recalls similar shots of the mutated Bilial in BASKET CASE) and prosthetic critters taking the place of the expected CGI, and in my view that’s a very good thing indeed.
Vital Statistics
BAD BIOLOGY
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Director: Frank Henenlotter
Producer: R.A. The Rugged Man Thorburn
Screenplay: Frank Henenlotter, R.A. The Rugged Man Thorburn
Cinematography: Nicholas Deeg
Editing: Albert Cadabra, Scooter McCrae
Cast: Charlee Danielson, Anthony Sneed, Mark Wilson, Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn, Remedy, Tom Kohut, James Shell, Vivian Sanchez, Jessie Jayne Clancy, R.A. The Rugged Man Thorburn, Bjorn Milz, Laura Pelage, Megan McGee, Pete Dicenso, Ginger Starr, Vladislav S., Jzone, ‘Rude’ Jude Angelini, James Glickenhaus