Director – Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik 2)
Starring – Bernd Daktari Lorenz (Horror Heaven), Beatrice Manowski (Nekromantik 2), and Harald Lundt (The Death King)
Release Date – 1988
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “Death is just the beginning”
There are some films that spark controversy when released and these films quickly make a name for themselves. These films are able to reach cult status just from providing a shock value. Most use the shock value as the main reason to make a movie while others make a movie and then throws in the shock value as an added bonus to the film. Either way these films are made to get a rise out of the viewer.
I can’t think of a film that has caused such a stir like the 1988 German necrophilia flick Nekromantik. I have never had a desire to see this film until recently but the price prevented me from ordering my very own copy. The cheapest I could find this film on DVD was roughly $75 and that is too damn much for one movie. Luckily, reviewer Zombie13 had a copy he let me borrow.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows Robert Schmadtke (Lorenz) who works for a company that picks up corpses at the scene of accidents. He has a twisted hobby of collecting body parts in jars of preserving fluids. However, his hobby is about to be taken to a whole new level when he finds a decomposing corpse and instead of disposing of it the proper way he takes it home with him.
His wife takes a liking to the cadaver and uses a lead pipe as a makeshift cock to fuck it. Soon after Robert loses his job and his wife leaves him because he is after all a deadbeat. She also takes the corpse with her which sends Robert over the edge. He kills the cat, showers in it’s blood, and then picks up a prostitute. He then murders her and an elderly man who catches him before heading home to kill himself while he rubs one out.**Spoiler Alert**
When I hear about a film from word of mouth alone I always wonder if it will live up to the hype. I rarely find a film that does but I still meet each and every one with enthusiasm. With the rise of the extreme horror film I often like to look back at some of the films that I think may have inspired it. I personally see Nekromantik as one of those films that can easily be threw in as one of the originators of the modern extreme film movement. With that being said, I was not really a fan of the film. The film has a lot going for it but the pacing of the film is painfully slow.
The film could have been one hell of a horror flick but was rather lacking in the story department. The story started out on the right foot but when the film hit the half way mark it started to drag on and the film felt like the remaining scenes were just there to extend the film’s running time. If the film could have kept the flow the first half of the film had then it would have finished on what I felt would have been a positive note. Instead it just feels threw together at the end.
The acting is actually fun by both leads. They made their roles fun while staying in character and that goes a long way in a film that is dealing with a taboo subject especially one like necrophilia. I think both characters and think they were cast perfectly. Finally, those looking for great special effects and on screen kills will find them both here. The special effects are superb and shows that the 80s was the best period for practical effects. I liked the special effects so much in this film that I will start comparing any film I watch to this one. Overall, this is one slow moving film that tries to tell a short story in a long period of time but does house some amazing special effects and on screen kills. I recommend it for at least one viewing but that’s it.
