BAD BIOLOGY (2008)
By Chris Ward
‘Bad Biology’ is only the sixth movie by director Frank Henenlotter since bursting onto the horror movie scene with the cult hit ‘Basket Case’ in 1982 (the last being ‘Basket Case 3’ in 1992), and like all of his movies, trying to explain it – and, more often than not, defend it – is a pretty pointless task. If you’re not familiar with his previous works, and you’re not sure if it’s your thing, some of the titles include ‘Frankenhooker’ and ‘Brain Damage’, and bear in mind that the opening line of this movie is "I was born with seven clits" – I guess that pretty much tells you what you need to know!
Jennifer (Charlee Danielson) has a problem when it comes to sex – she has seven clitoris’, and if that wasn’t enough, the condition means she has accelerated reproductive organs; every time she has sex, within two hours, she gives birth to a mutant baby, which she casually disregards as she believes the babies aren’t real children. Also, in the same town, there’s Batz (Anthony Sneed), who, after having his penis cut off at birth and re-attached, injects it with steroids to keep it functioning correctly. Unfortunately for him, he’s injected it with so much crap over the years that it’s now grown to an absurd length and has developed a conscience of its own, meaning Batz has to keep it’s insatiable appetites sedated. These two characters are both looking for a sex life they can call ‘normal’, and after a series of fatal encounters with various partners, they happen to meet…
And that is basically it. Not much of a plot, but then neither has any other of Henenlotter’s movies. That said, ‘Bad Biology’ fits in well with all of his previous movies and if you’re a fan (like me), then you won’t be disappointed. All of Henenlotter’s movies have bodily disfuction as their main theme – an individual who is normally being controlled by a corrupt body part, or body parts going wrong – and, to be honest, the sight of a three-foot mutant penis detatching itself from the body and going on the rampage in an apartment block full of big breasted women in showers pretty much tops the lot. So very wrong, but yet, so very right! If that description doesn’t sell it to you, then how about topless women wearing clitoris masks? Or a very tasteful camera shot from inside Jennifer’s privates (not really, just a prosthetic one) showing all seven clits almost chattering with anticipation on what they’re going to be getting? No, then how about the offspring that is born when the mutated genitalia finally catches up with Jennifer? Really needs to be seen to be believed!
Although the movie has better production values than the earlier works, it still retains the air of trash and seediness that made them all so great. The acting is terrible, but what did you expect? It almost adds to the general feel of the movie, and the gorgeous Danielson does show real promise as a B-movie star of the future – almost a female version of Bruce Campbell, although, just a bit more ability to deliver a line would be nice. And, from a fan’s point of view, that’s where the real downpoint of the movie lies – the humour that was so prevelant in ‘Frankenhooker’ and the ‘Basket Case’ movies seems to be missing. The movie is a lot darker in tone to the earlier movies, but the inept delivery of some of the lines means that the humour is lost; it is there – the subject matter couldn’t really be handled without any humour at all – but just feels like it’s taken a little bit too seriously by the cast to really come across. The special effects are suitably gruesome and splattery, and in perfect keeping with the rest of the movie – even the stop-motion penis running around the apartment block doesn’t seem out of context – and, as is the case with all of Frank’s movies, the ending is very satisfactory.
Overall, this movie is a real blast; the kind of movie that doesn’t really get made nowadays. On the one hand it’s tasteless, crass, fairly pointless and badly acted. On the other, it has gratuitous sex, over the top violence and gore, a ludicrous story, is fast paced and very entertaining on a basic level, and exhibits all the director’s trademark flair and seedy stylings – and is utterly superb for it. All credit to Frank Henenlotter for sticking to his guns and making movies the way he wants to – unencumbered by studio interference and making cuts for mainstream acceptance . Let’s hope he doesn’t leave it so long next time.
