Dr. Hackenstein

Last updated
Dr. Hackenstein
Dr hackenstein vhs cover.jpg
VHS cover for 'Dr. Hackenstein'
Directed byRichard Clark
Written byRichard Clark
Produced byMegan Barnett
Jerry Feifer
Jim Hanson
Tony Miller
Renza Mizbani
StarringDavid Muir
Michael Ensign
Cathy Cahn
Stacey Travis
Anne Ramsey
Logan Ramsey
CinematographyJens Sturup
Edited byTony Miller [1]
Music byRandy Miller
Distributed by Troma Entertainment
Release date
  • 1988 (1988)
Running time
87 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Dr. Hackenstein is a 1988 comedy horror film, written and directed by Richard Clark and distributed by Troma Entertainment.

Contents

Plot

After the death of his wife, the widower Dr. Hackenstein (David Muir) concocts the perfect plan: with the help of a few graverobbers and a couple of lost girls, he can use the spare parts to reanimate his dead spouse and build a better woman.

Casting

Comedian Phyllis Diller has a small part in the film, along with Oscar nominee Anne Ramsey (d. 1988) in her last role. [2] [3]

Release

It was shown at Cannes Film Festival in May, 1989, having been released on home video in January. Shooting was comparatively swift, principal photography having begun in May the previous year. [3] It was given a commercial re-release fifteen years later (2004), on DVD format. [4]

Sources used

The film's visible contemporary influences include Re-Animator and Young Frankenstein . [4] Critic Sandra Brennan characterized it as a parody of the "Frankenstein" films. [5] Identifying it as "among the first films to blend pure gore with slapstick comedy", Rotten Tomatoes deemed it a precursor and trendsetter to later films, such as Scary Movie , which draw on those genres. [6]

Reception

DVD Verdict columnist David Johnson, though singling out production values as impressive within its low-budget class, found the gore–comedy outing failed to succeed on either count. [7] Bill Gibron of DVD Talk wrote similarly unenthusiastically that its flashes of wit and effective segments notwithstanding, the romance and physical humor plot elements were ineffective, ultimately concluding it lay "somewhere in the middle between complete piece of crap and pretty cool comedy". [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Toxic Avenger</i> (1984 film) 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman

The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film produced and directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by Joe Ritter, based on a story by Kaufman. The film was produced and released by Troma Entertainment. It is the first installment in The Toxic Avenger film series and generated a media franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troma Entertainment</span> American film production and distribution company

Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, or "B movies", primarily of the horror comedy genre, all geared exclusively to mature audiences. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore, and splatter.

<i>Death Race 2000</i> 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel

Death Race 2000 is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment. The screenplay is based on the 1956 short story "The Racer" by Ib Melchior.

<i>Boy Eats Girl</i> 2005 film

Boy Eats Girl is a 2005 horror-comedy film directed by Stephen Bradley and starring Samantha Mumba, produced and shot in Ireland. The plot tells of a teenage boy who comes back to life as a zombie, similar to the plot of the American film My Boyfriend's Back.

<i>The Spirit of 76</i> (1990 film) 1990 film

The Spirit of '76 is a 1990 American comedy film that spoofs American culture of the mid-1970s. Directed by Lucas Reiner, it stars David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Olivia d'Abo, and the rock groups Redd Kross and Devo. The film was released on October 12, 1990.

<i>Zombiegeddon</i> 2003 American film

Zombiegeddon is a 2003 American horror comedy film directed by Chris Watson. It stars Ari Bavel, Paul Darrigo, Felissa Rose, Edwin Neal, Linnea Quigley, Tom Savini, and Uwe Boll. It was distributed by Troma Entertainment, It was released to DVD on July 11, 2006.

<i>Fortress of Amerikkka</i> 1989 American film

Fortress of Amerikkka is a 1989 American action film directed by Eric Louzil and distributed by Troma Entertainment.

<i>The Hanging Woman</i> 1973 Spanish horror film

La orgía de los muertos a.k.a. The Hanging Woman, Beyond the Living Dead, Return of the Zombies and Bracula: Terror of the Living Dead, is a 1972 Spanish/ Italian horror film directed by José Luis Merino, starring Paul Naschy and Dyanik Zurakowska. The film was shot in March 1972, but wasn't shown in Spanish theaters until September 3, 1973. It was shown theatrically in the U.S. in 1974 as The Hanging Woman, and then was later re-released there as Beyond the Living Dead. It was released in Germany on April 6, 1976 as Der Totenchor der Knochenmanner/ Death Chorus of the Skeletons, and re-released in Germany on March 1, 1977 as Die Bestie aus dem Totenreich/ The Beast from the Death Realm. It was shown in the U.K. as Zombies - Terror of the Living Dead, in France as Les Orgies Macabres, and in Australia as Bracula, Terror of the Living Dead.

Special Needs is a dark comedy/satire about three reality TV producers creating a show about people with physical and mental disabilities. The film was written, produced, and directed by Isaak James, who also starred in it.

<i>Decampitated</i> 1998 film

Decampitated is a 1998 independent American horror comedy film. It was directed by Matt Cunningham and stars Mike Hart, Jonathon Scott, Thomas Martwick, Steve Ladden, and Cristina Patterson Ceret. It was given a limited release in theaters and distributed on video by Troma Entertainment. Decampitated was filmed in Colorado, and finishing funds were provided by Troma Entertainment.

<i>Die You Zombie Bastards!</i> 2007 film

Die You Zombie Bastards! is a 2005 American superhero comedy horror film directed by Caleb Emerson, written by Emerson and Haig Demarjian, and starring Tim Gerstmar, Geoff Mosher, and Pippi Zornoza. It is about a serial killer (Gerstmar) who must save his cannibal wife Violet (Zornoza) from zombies animated by Baron Nefarious (Mosher).

<i>Northville Cemetery Massacre</i> 1976 film by William Dear

Northville Cemetery Massacre is a 1976 outlaw biker film written and directed by William Dear and Thomas L. Dyke. Nick Nolte did an uncredited voice over for the film's lead actor, David Hyry.

<i>The Frankenstein Syndrome</i> 2010 American film

The Frankenstein Syndrome is a 2010 American science fiction-horror film written and directed by Sean Tretta. Scott Anthony Leet stars as a murdered security guard who is reanimated by a research institute in the tradition of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. It showed in film festivals in 2010 and then was released directly to DVD.

<i>Inn of the Damned</i> 1975 Australian film by Terry Bourke

Inn of the Damned is a 1975 Australian western horror film, directed by Terry Bourke. It has been called Australia's first "horror Western".

<i>The Frankenstein Theory</i> 2013 American film

The Frankenstein Theory is a 2013 American horror film directed by Andrew Weiner and stars Kris Lemche, Joe Egender, Timothy V. Murphy, and Eric Zuckerman. The film is distributed by Image Entertainment. It is presented as "found footage", pieced together from a film crew's footage. The film relates the story of a documentary film crew that follows a professor who journeys to the Arctic Circle in order to prove that Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, was based on fact.

Meat Weed Madness is a 2006 film written and directed by North Carolina–based writer/director Aiden Dillard.

Zombie Self-Defense Force is a 2006 Japanese zombie comedy directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu, written by Naoyuki Tomomatsu and Masami Teranishi, and starring Miyû Watase, Mihiro, Kenji Arai, Yû Machimura, Masayuki Hase, and Norman England. Mihiro plays a spoiled pop singer who barricades herself in a hotel with several soldiers during a zombie outbreak.

Battle Girl: The Living Dead in Tokyo Bay is a 1991 Japanese horror film directed by Kazuo Komizu. It stars Cutie Suzuki as a survivor of a zombie apocalypse in Tokyo.

References

  1. ↑ Brennan, Sandra. "Dr. Hackenstein – Cast". All Movie Guide, for NYTimes.com . Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Dr. Hackenstein Archived 2009-11-22 at the Wayback Machine ". Troma Entertainment. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Dr. Hackenstein (1988)". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Gibron, Bill. "Reviews – DVD Video Reviews – Dr. Hackenstein". DVD Talk . Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  5. ↑ Brennan, Sandra. "Dr. Hackenstein – Overview". All Movie Guide, for NYTimes.com. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  6. ↑ Gibron, Bill. "Dr. Hackenstein Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes . IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  7. ↑ Johnson, David. "DVD Verdict Review - Dr. Hackenstein". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on June 29, 2004. Retrieved February 6, 2010.


Comedy film icon 2.svg

This article about a comedy horror film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.