Review: Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)
(aka Frankenstein 3D, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein)
Directed by: Paul Morrissey
Starring: Udo Kier, Joe Dallesandro, Monique van Vooren
Written by: Paul Morrissey
Music by: Claudio Gizzi
Country: Italy, France
Available on: 4K/Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome)
IMDb
“To know death, Otto, you have to fuck life … in the gall bladder!” Sound advice indeed from Udo Kier, who stars as Baron von Frankenstein in Paul Morrissey’s bizarre take on the classic story of a mad scientist who creates life from spare human parts. This version deviates a tad from Mary Shelly’s novel and James Whale’s film, however. von Frankenstein flirts with Nazi-esque eugenics in his obsessive quest for the perfect Serbian zombie slave. Along the way, he commits casual acts of butchery, fondles the open body cavity of a female subject while orgasming, chastises his horny assistant (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Pippin from Lord of the Rings; fool of a took, really, who deserves the disdain), and wades around in the misery of a passionless marriage to his … sister?
Flesh for Frankenstein is a classic gothic horror story told by weirdo perverts, which makes for a fascinating mashup. There are no human beings in this film; everyone in the cast, led by the brilliant Kier, is a squishy, sexy lump of cells that resembles a Homo sapien but speaks in an outer space accent and performs abundant sexual acts in ways that no actual person would ever conceive to. Foreplay in Morrissey’s X-rated wonderland consists of licking armpits, gorging on woolly man-thighs, and tongue-fucking sutures. It’s a kink. Intertwined in the carnal mayhem is a plethora of three-dimensional, radiantly crimson disembowelments and dismemberments. All in all, Flesh for Frankenstein is a sordid, provocative affair.
The plot is a wide, slow meander that never really kicks things above a casual stroll, but the flick is powered by a bevy of astonishingly abstruse performances that range from stares into the vague middle distance without a clear understanding of facial expression (Joe Dallesandro) to Kier’s nuclear histrionics. This early performance makes it clear Udo was destinated for genre infamy. Dalila Di Lazzaro is an unparalleled cinematic beauty, and though she has no lines as Frankenstein’s female zombie, she’s subtly wonderful.
This is a movie that prospers from its random eccentricity and incredibly sly sense of humor. A casual watch would never give anyone the impression that Morrissey was going for laughs, but small moments — such as the way the male zombie disgustedly eyes Frankenstein’s impaled guts as they sway closer towards him during Kier’s final, anguished speech — are hilarious. Provided you’ve got the stomach for it, Flesh for Frankenstein is a charming and grotesque arthouse oddity that overcomes its flaws in pacing and substance.
Overall rating: 8 out of 10
