Bad Biology

...and that's about all you need to know about the plot.

Dudes & dudettes, BAD BIOLOGY is about 100% pure Henenlotter. Almost a little like TEETH on drugs & steroids. If you're a fan of his previous movies (probably BRAIN DAMAGE in particular), then you won't be disappointed. People who aren't a fan, they shouldn't even think about trying to watch this. It's totally crazy, though it doesn't have much over-the-top humor in it like FRANKENHOOKER had (but it does have a few hilarious scenes). It's gross, outrageous, offensive and funny, with a much more "indie" feel to it than you'd expect from Henenlotter. Lots of nudity too, haha! And Gabriel Bartalos provided once again deliciously nasty special effects. BAD BIOLOGY had me thinking: Screw lame PG-13 stuff - because that's what I like to call it - like ONE EYED MONSTER; BAD BIOLOGY does all the things ONE EYED MONSTER didn't have the balls to do. You'll understand that when you see it.

There was a time, many moons ago, in particular after I had watched the first BASKET CASE (for the first time), when I thought Frank Henenlotter made bad movies. Well, I was wrong and he doesn't. He makes his *own* movies, and the only work he seems influenced by, is that of himself. And that's not to say the man repeats himself. No, it feels like with every movie he surpasses himself on at least some levels. And it's no different with BAD BIOLOGY. Also, this film has a weird way of telling its story. Especially during the first half hour, Charlee Danielson (who plays Jennifer with the seven clits) often addresses herself straight to the audience in a monologue to give background information about her character. But you'll get used to it and things do not become boring. Both Henenlotter with his warped mind and Bartalos with his crazy effects made sure of that.

If you watch it, make sure you listen to the lyrics of the rap-song featured on the end-credits. This film was mainly produced by a rapper (R.A., The Rugged Man), and his lyrics on that final song, are about the making of the movie. A lot of trivia stuff in there. I even learned Henenlotter was diagnosed with cancer, just prior to shooting the film. Also their lead actress bailed out, two weeks before shooting would commence. All the more kudos to actual leading lady Charlee Danielson (her part was the most demanding of all).

A stunning, sex mad girl with 7 clits, who gives birth to deformed little creatures after every sexual escapade. Where have you seen THAT before??

Delightfully crass, immature, inappropriate, tasteless, and just plain wrong.

I loved it!

DONT watch it with mum and dad.. or anyone else, for that matter!

The lead actress did a stellar job, and is super hot to boot!

This film is the ultimate guilty pleasure, and could become a cult classic.

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.

You know, I'm still trying to think of how to review this movie. It's disgusting as hell, and also about as sleazy as you can get, but that's exactly what Frank Henenlotter was shooting for, and he exceeds as always. We start with the story of a woman that has seven clits, and is constantly getting off, or looking to get off. And not only that, but after each time she gets it on with a guy, she has a mutant baby within two hours, which she just flat out discards. Now that should be enough, but nope, there is also a dude that has a huge penis that pretty much thinks for itself, and requires constant stimulation to keep the dude from going insane. So he has this jerking off machine which is a hoot, and also plenty of drugs from his fixer to keep him totally screwed up, which helps in handling his huge, and I mean HUGE monster penis. So here we have, a woman with a 24 hour a day sex drive, and a man with the male equivalent. Perfect match so you say?? Not so fast.... By the time they meet, the monster prick has taken off on its own, leaving the poor dude behind. Yep, a monster prick that goes around searching for women, and having not much of a problem finding them. So how does this all end? Well, that's why you watch the movie. Frank Henenlotter is definitely a unique filmmaker, with a few of the most amazing gore films ever made, and I love his work. This movie is a little different, because it was basically written by a rap artist, who is also the producer. The commentary explains all of that, because it's him and Frank doing the talking, and they seem to be having fun. Many of the roles in the film are also rap artists, and the music is pretty much all rap or close to it. It doesn't make much difference, because there are so many naked gorgeous women mostly with large breasts in this movie, that I didn't pay a lot of attention to the music. Some people might almost call this movie soft porn, and I doubt the filmmakers would disagree, but it does have a big Frank Henenlotter blood and gore element to it, and also all that strangeness we find in only his movies. For me, I like it, it's certainly a lot better than "Black Devil Doll", which I have still not reviewed. Those two movies are really not that similar, but they do both feature a lot of naked women with large breasts. Soooo, yes, you definitely need to have this one in your collection, if for no other reason, than it's a Frank Henenlotter film, and those are far and few between, which is sad to me, because it is definitely a one of a kind.