''Frisk'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by Todd Verow, based on the 1991 novel of the same name by author

Dennis Cooper Dennis Cooper (born January 10, 1953) is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist. He is best known for the ''George Miles Cycle'', a series of five semi-autobiographical novels published between 1989 and 2000 and describe ...

. It is a first-person narrative about a serial killer. Dennis ( Michael Gunther) describes a series of ritual murders in letters to his sometime lover and best friend Julian (

Jaie Laplante Jaie Laplante is a Canadian- American screenwriter, actor and curator. Born in Alberta, Canada, Laplante's notable credits include co-screenwriter of ''Sugar'', for which he received a nomination in the Best Adapted Screenplay category of the 20 ...

) and Julian's younger brother Kevin ( Raoul O'Connell), an object of desire to Dennis. Verow once explained in an interview "we really need to concentrate on what makes us unique, what makes us interesting and what makes us dangerous". It is banned in the UK due to its content. It was rejected by the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works (su ...

in 1998, and although still banned in UK, it has been shown without a certificate at London's ICA cinema. It was the closing night attraction at the 1996 San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. When screened in Manhattan, several cinema viewers left during the violent scenes.

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar (American band), Sugar in the 1990s. Early ...

mooted scoring the film in 1993. Dennis Cooper's work, he said, "deals with a lot of fetishes and fantasies and free-floating imagery, which I like a lot. I've read the book. It's pretty harsh. It's pretty gay."

Cast

* Michael Gunther as Dennis *

Craig Chester Craig Chester (born November 8, 1965) is an American actor, writer, and screenwriter. Early life Chester was born in West Covina, California, the son of Cecil, lead singer in the rock band “Whiskey”, and Linda, a homemaker. He moved with hi ...

as Henry *

Michael Stock Michael James Tiberius Stock (born 1971) is a professor of cinema studies and programmer of the cinema series at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Additionally, he is a DJ of the weekly radio show ''Part Time Punks'' on ...

as Uhrs * Raoul O'Connell as Kevin *

as Julian *

Parker Posey Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress. Known for playing eccentric characters in independent films, she was named "Queen of the Indies" by ''Time'' in 1997. She has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

as Ferguson * James Lyons as Gypsy Pete *

Alexis Arquette Alexis Arquette (; July 28, 1969 – September 11, 2016) was an American actress and transgender activist. Born in Los Angeles, she was the fourth of five children to Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (née Now ...

as Punk (victim #3) * Michael Waite as Gary * Alyssa Wendt as Susan *

Mark Ewert Marcus Ewert, previously known as Mark Ewert, is an American writer, actor and director, living in San Francisco. Ewert began making and appearing in films in the 1990s. He has appeared in the Gus Van Sant short film ''Four Boys on the Road in ...

as Young Dennis / Jan (victim #1) / Young Boy in park (victim #4) * Dustin Schell as Snuff Photographer * Michael Wilson as Party Goer * Paul B. Riley as Party Goer * Donald Mosner as Party Goer

Reviews

In 1996, Stephen Holden of the ''New York Times'' called the film "harshly repellent" and "realistic but messy style that might be called cold porn for its utter lack of erotic warmth". It is "meandering and narratively diffuse, but it is also disturbingly well acted".

References

External links

* 1995 films Films based on American novels American LGBTQ-related films 1995 LGBTQ-related films 1990s serial killer films American serial killer films American crime drama films 1995 crime drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films LGBTQ-related crime drama films English-language crime drama films {{LGBT-drama-film-stub