Frank Henenlotter (born August 29, 1950 in New York City), is an American screenwriter, director and film historian. He is known primarily for his horror comedies, though he would prefer to be classified as an "exploitation" filmmaker (rather than horror). "I never felt that I made ‘horror films’, he has said. "I always felt that I made exploitation films. Exploitation films have an attitude more than anything – an attitude that you don’t find with mainstream Hollywood productions. They’re a little ruder, a little raunchier, they deal with material people don’t usually touch on, whether it’s sex or drugs or rock and roll."

Biography

Henelotter's films were inspired by the exploitation and sexploitation films he loved, the kind which played on 42nd Street in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s. His films are low-budget and filled with gore and special effects. They are considered by many to be B-movies, but they also turn the conventions of these films upon themselves. Although many of his films are somewhat obscure, his most well-known are Basket Case, Brain Damage and Frankenhooker.