Bad Biology

In the late 80s, cult horror auteur Frank Henenlotter got a bad case of sequelitis, churning out two follow-ups to his low-budget masterpiece of splatter Basket Case in quick succession. Then he virtually disappeared.

Now, after a sixteen year hiatus from movie directing, he's finally back with something original—and my god, do I mean original!! Opening with the amazing line 'I was born with seven clits', the latest offering from Henenlotter is completely insane from the word go—a fabulously fun and filthy farrago of sordid sex, crazy violence and insatiable, self-conscious genitalia that is without a doubt the director's sleaziest effort so far.

Charlee Danielson plays Jennifer, the owner of the aforementioned multi-buttoned beaver, whose bizarre biology causes her to feed on orgasms and give birth to partially-formed mutant babies just two hours after sex. Understandably a little unbalanced, Jennifer has developed an uncontrollable rage that sometimes results in the death of her sexual partners. What she really needs is someone equipped to fully satisfy her urges... someone like Batz (Anthony Sneed) whose penis has grown to massive proportions after being repeatedly injected with a cocktail of drugs (many of which were designed for use on farm animals!).

Obviously, with a demented plot like that, Bad Biology is aimed at those discerning movie lovers who enjoy their entertainment 'out-there', and they will definitely not be disappointed: Henenlotter's bonkers script sees Jennifer enthusiastically work her way through several lovers, leave her screaming new born babies abandoned in the trash, and bash in one poor guy's head with a bedside lamp, pausing occasionally to apologise for her behaviour. Meanwhile, Batz wrestles with his prehensile member, tries to score obscure drugs from a local dealer, straps himself into a massive piston-driven sex toy for some fun, and causes a hooker to go into a never-ending spasm of pleasure. Eventually, his member detaches itself to go in search of action on its own, before locating Jennifer and allowing her to experience a state of rapture.

Given the bizarre nature of his films, Henenlotter has always had to fund his own work, and unfortunately, this time around, the lack of cash is obvious, with the film having a nasty, cheap look to it (despite reportedly being shot on 35mm film), and a cast who could do with a few more acting lessons. Other than that, however, the film is just too weird not to love: Gabe Bartalos, the man who made Henenlotter's lovable creatures Belial and Aylmer, is once again responsible for some rather shonky creations, including Jennifer's mutant snatch and Batz's thrashing schlong, but somehow the naffness of the effects only makes them more endearing (hell, I've almost forgiven the man for directing Skinned Deep); there's wall-to-wall nudity from a bevy of fit women (including a photo-shoot featuring topless models wearing vagina masks); and the film ends with the birth of a walking penis baby!! Now don't tell me that hasn't piqued your interest...

One of those movies, that when the credits roll all you can say is "wtf did i just watch?!". Frank Henenlotter is one of my favorite horror directors out there. Movies like Basket Case & Frankenhooker are some of my favorite horror films of all time. I love his weird style and how different his movies could be, so watching Bad Biology was bound to happen, considering it was a Henenlotter film i haven't seen. Lets just say that this may be the weirdest movie i've ever seen. You follow both Jennifer & Batz throughout the movie.

Jennifer is a woman who has seven clits and can have a baby within hours, and needs sex like a drug addict needs drugs. Batz is a man who accidentally had his penis cut off during birth. He has had it sewn on since then, but still couldn't properly function it so he put all sorts of drugs into it. The penis then got a mind of its own. Based on the plot synopsis i would hope you know what you're getting into. This is basically a porno. It's full of uncomfortable sex scenes and body horror, but it's not a good enough mix to be something completely my speed.

I was just sitting there watching this movie unfold in front of my eyes, and not completely enjoying it. I never once thought i would ever see someone give cpr to a mutant penis, but here we are. I never thought i would see someone have an orgasm for 40 minutes but here we are. Overall i appreciate you Frank Henenlotter for being the opposite of dime a dozen and generic, and making a movie i would've never thought of, even if i was on a million different drugs. But the actual movie experience here wasn't doing it for me. I would say if you enjoy the style of Henenlotter's Basket Case sequels then you'll enjoy this one a lot. Just know what you're getting yourself into.

Bad Biology is a weird one. The story itself is okay. It's perverse, imaginative and just plain screwy. But when put on film, it's a unfunny, kinda boring flick that felt like it tried too hard. There are some ideas that would be better to be put on paper format, and some on celluloid. Bad Biology would have been a great novella, but a 90 minute flick with bad unlikeable characters, mediocre writing with jokes that fall flat every which way, and ridiculous but still unfunny situations, the story all but fails. There's a lot of nudity, that's the plus side.

The story is supposed to be a "God Awful Love Story", but it's anything but. It's basically just two freaks who end up meeting one another, and there is zero love anywhere. Just that dumb chick speaking to the camera on how she's special, which I guess, is supposed to make us think she deserves love. The dude barely pays attention to her. I know it's supposed to be an awful love story, but there's zero love in it. It's a god awful sex story, that's for sure.

I had high hopes for Hennenlotter's latest because it did sound pretty good. If the movie had any chance of succeeding it would have been in the comedy department. A recent flick that's slightly horror/comedy like this that did a much better job was Teeth. Instead of revolving around the two freaks, they should have focused more on the freak babies. Eh, whatever. Besides the plethora of nudity it was also fun seeing Rude Jude from Jenny Jones.

Amongst the true die-hard fanatics of trashy grindhouse exploitation/horror cinema, a select but obsessive alliance of which I'm a proud member, the comeback of writer/director Frank Hennenlotter was pretty much of one the most anticipated events of the new millennium. The legendary director of trash-classics like "Brain Damage" and "Frankenhooker" hadn't made any films since the disappointing sequels to his classic "Basket Case" in the early 90's. It may have taken Hennenlotter 16 years to direct another film, but he certainly hasn't lost his sense of tastelessness yet. Quite the contrary, I'd say, "Bad Biology" is probably the trashiest and most lurid film in many years. Not bad for a nearly 60-year-old director who hasn't been active in all those years. Right from the opening monologue already, you know exactly what type of movie this will be. A young girl, named Jennifer, enlightens us about her unusual anatomic condition: "I was born with seven clits". The poor girl is sexually insatiable, obviously, and often becomes so involved in the act that she murders her bed partners. If that isn't enough yet, she also gives birth to creepy mutant babies barely two hours after intercourse. With her job as erotic photographer, Jennifer comes into contact with her male antipole. Batz has a monstrous penis, a result of steroid overdose as a teenager, with a mind and sex hunger of its own. The penis causes prostitutes to have orgasms that last hours and goes out alone at night for a raping stroll.

Although I overall really enjoyed my viewing of "Bad Biology", I can't say it was the successful return feature that I wanted it to be. The film contains a handful of terrific basic ideas (like the mutant babies) and some hilarious sequences (throbbing penis penetrates walls), but the wholesome feels somewhat too forced. Hennenlotter tries a little too hard to demonstrate that he is still his old sick-in-the-head self or even that he has become even more perverted during his absence. The main storyline, appropriately described in the tagline as "one god-awful love story" is too thin and Hennenlotter doesn't succeed in holding the viewer's attention until the ending. The wannabe blackly comical jokes and situations often miss their effect and the script is actually at its funniest when reverting to blunt and tasteless images, like a POV shot from inside a vagina or the sight of a man wrestling with his own penis. "Bad Biology" is gory enough to satisfy trash-lovers, with some stupendously over-the-top and gratuitous make-up effects and crazy scenery. Even at barely 85 minutes of playtime, the film contains quite a lot of pointless padding footage, like a couple of teenagers discussing legendary porn star John Holmes in a snack bar and a couple of crack-addicted junkies arguing to each other. All the players were amateurs with zilch experience, so I guess the acting – albeit very bad – could even have been a lot worse. I'm glad Hennenlotter returned, and I enjoyed his bonkers film a lot more than I enjoyed the nowadays overload of remakes and stupid teen slashers, but regretfully his comeback isn't the trash-triumph it could have been.

For those of you who know who Frank Henenlotter is, I have no pity for you. Absolutely none. You walked into this movie, knowing it was going to be trashy, gory, full of twisted eroticism, and without any socially redeeming value. And, yet, here you are, shocked after having seen Bad Biology. All I can say is: shame on you. Shame on you for being offended. Shame on you for watching it. Shame on you for saying, "I liked Frankenhooker, but..." Come on! Give me a break. Frankenhooker wasn't some cinematic masterpiece. It was awesome for what it was, and that's all. If this movie pushed the boundaries too far, then I can't wait to see what you say when you watch Henenlotter's next movie, should we be blessed with another.

For those of you who don't know who Frank Henenlotter is, I'd probably caution you against watching this movie, unless you're already familiar with grindhouse/trash cinema, such as Lloyd Kaufman and John Waters. While I think some of the exaggerated (and somewhat melodramatic) reactions are funny, it's probably better to be safe than sorry, when it comes to such transgressive art. Rape, murder, and abortion are all played for laughs. Does that offend you? Good -- that means that you don't suffer from whatever mental illness makes the rest of us laugh. Go in peace, and know that you're normal, in at least this one area. Even if you're a social deviant who has no sacred cows, then I'd still suggest that you wait until watching some of Henenlotter's other movies before you watch this one, because it's a rather stark and offensive introduction. Frankenhooker, Brain Damage, and Basket Case would all be good starting points and would be much more gentle introductions to Henenlotter. If you like his style, then come back and try this movie. You might not like it, you might be offended, or maybe you'll think he was trying too hard, but at least you'll have been a bit more informed about the director's style and sick sense of humor.

Honestly, I didn't think it was all that offensive or transgressive, but that's probably because I'm desensitized. If you consider yourself a sensitive person (or a person of good taste and refinement), then this probably isn't a good movie to watch. Instead, I'd suggest something a bit more mainstream, like Waters' later work (Crybaby, Hairspray, Serial Mom, Pecker, etc). While still brilliant and subversive, these movies don't quite push social boundaries like Pink Flamingos or Bad Biology.