ROCK 'N' ROLL FRANKENSTEIN A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): **
ROCK 'N' ROLL FRANKENSTEIN's writer and director Brian O'Hara deserves credit for his unflinchingly audacious approach to satire. Making the Farrelly brothers (ME, MYSELF & IRENE) look like a couple of choir boys in comparison, O'Hara purposely makes a film that attempts to be good by being very, very bad. It's a tough way to make a buck, but at least he's honest and doesn't pull any of his punches. But a film this scatological, sacrilegious and down-right gross will not be something that many filmgoers will be able to stomach. Some of its "best" scenes shock your system so that you don't know whether to regurgitate or laugh.
A low budget horror film, it pokes fun at its own poverty through use of excessively cheesy props -- think of it as an Ed Wood and young John Waters collaboration. In a film with no limits, ripping opening a victim's stomach isn't anywhere near the movie's worst image. The unlucky character doesn't even get a name in the script. The credits list her simply as Gutted Groupie.
Now for those of you that are still with me, we'll talk some about the story itself, which is rather clever. Record producer Bernie Stein (Barry Feterman) has had it with arrogant rock stars, who abandon him when they hit the big time, so he has arranged for his nephew, Frankie Stein (Jayson Spence), to build him a rocker out of spare parts, but not just any parts. Uncle Bernie wants a rocker composed of parts of the great rock 'n' rollers of history from Elvis on down, literally. Since the head comes from Elvis's grave, the monster (Graig Guggenheim) sounds like and is known as the King.
Everyone in the story is pretty weird. Frankie likes to curl up in bed with the Coroner's Quarterly as his equivalent of Playboy. A spaced-out druggie named Iggy (Hiram Jacob Segarra) and his fellow dudes are contracted by Bernie to rob the graves. Iggy's fried brain contains a simple philosophy ("A mind is a terrible thing not to get wasted.") Soon newspaper headlines read "Dead Rockers' Graves Are Being Desecrated."
The result of the big operation isn't exactly what the great doctor -- actually a fired coroner -- expects. With all of the energy of a department store mannequin, King's future doesn't initially look bright. But with a few injections he finds his voice, and he and his band, Unnatural Urges, hit the big time. Some parts of King's body prove more successful than others, which allows the movie to sink to new lows in the pursuit of its gross brand of humor.
Given the antics of some of our more infamous rock stars, this film may make you think twice about their origins, but the movie does not appear to be based on a true story. One thing about the film is certain. It is liable to dichotomize the audiences into those who walk out in disgust in the first few minutes and those who manage to find its irreverent and sick brand of humor funny. If there ever was a movie that would best be seen only in the wee hours, this is it. Locally, it will be showing as a midnight madness movie -- just the right time.
ROCK 'N' ROLL FRANKENSTEIN runs a long 1:28. It is not rated but would probably be NC-17 for graphic violence, strong gore, explicit sex, nudity, language, drug usage and probably a bunch of other offensive stuff which I've already forgotten. It would not be acceptable for anyone under 18.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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