Ohh! How Romantik.... Nekromantik.

After reading about Der Todesking from a source I really can't remember, this is the second [director]#s film that I have always wanted to see, but could never get a hold of for a relatively small amount of money, or in the right region setting for me. However, after waiting so long, I finally saw it! And my god, was it a worth while wait! 

Right from the get go there is blood, (literal) guts and gore. We follow Rob Schmadtke, the lead protagonist of the film through his job as a less than legit forensic cleaner, and how his infatuation with dead bodies is not just from his job. After cleaning the first of the many bodies up from public areas, Rob returns home, where we see him add some fresh body parts to his already huge collection of dead oddities, only to find the love of his life, Betty, come up behind him. At first we are a bit taken a back when she comes into the picture, but after she gives him a smile and checks out the new additions, we find out that they are both, in fact collectors together. 

After a fair few beautifully cinematographed scenes of Betty taking a blood bath, his manager moaning about him not doing the job correctly, the slow and long scene of a rabbit being killed and skinned, and such other story builders, we finally get to one of the most hard to watch (and that is coming from me!) scenes of the film. After cleaning up another incident, Rob is given the job of removing the already decomposing body from the company van whilst the other workers head off home. But instead of bringing in the body for examinations, decides to take this newly befriended body to meet his girlfriend. I think you can tell how this rendezvous continues... 

  

So after a lovely few days in utter bliss (every BODY should enjoy pleasure, right?) the orgasmic dream for the couple are broken when the moany manager convinces his boss to fire Rob, which means that neither will get to enjoy the ripe organs of the job anymore. Betty leaves and takes their new acquaintance with her, which of course leaves Rob upset. After a few lonely scenes of Rob going to the movies alone, enjoying a bloody bath at the expense of a newly found feline friend, and having a pill and alcohol induced undead dream about himself, we see Rob check out the local lady prostitutes in his area. 

Cliché as it is, Rob takes his paid for friend to a graveyard (so romantik) where gives her the old, as Alex from A Clockwork Orange would say, in out. Unfortunately, the lady of the night is not a creature of the night, and so Rob finds it hard to get aroused. Being the lovely, caring woman that she is, the prostitute laughs at his misfortune and so Rob rectifies the problem by strangling her to death... and finally finishes the job. The morning arises (hehehe) and the graveyard caretaker appears, Rob deals with the situation, and, you guessed it, kills again. 

Now comes the best closing scene for a film that I have seen in a very long while. As Rob gets home, we see him study a sharp and crusty old knife that was, I presume, used to cut up the organs displayed in the copious glass jars that adorn his display. He lays on his bed with the knife pointing to his gut, and before penetrating himself, releases himself for the best orgasm of his life. As he stabs himself, he orgasms, and orgasms.... and orgasms. (Please, no notes on how this feature displays a comment on male penetration and the homoerrotisism of men etc... that was explored long ago in the movie when he slept with a male corpse!) 

The closing scenes after the fountains of cum and blood, we see Rob's grave in a peaceful and almost romanti(k) setting.... Which is then broken by a ladys foot digging in a shovel. I wonder who this mystery lady is, dundundun!

All in all, I really loved Nekromantik. It is really refreshing to see a film that has, in my opinion, a different, yet simple story line. The affects, considering this was a low budget film with none entirely  experienced directors and actors (which I have no problem with at all) the effects are wonderful, and although I am not an expert with body parts or skeletons, look really realistic! This realism adds to the gross-out factor that the film is filled with, which is another one of the features I am in love with.

For all you horror/exploitation/sick bastards out there with an urge to push your boundaries, you need to see this film sharpish! You will not regret it at all.

Until next time, 

Jessiefer. 

Ps: At the time of writing this, I have only seen Nekromantik once, but would like, after a few more watches, to possibly do a more psychoanalytical review on the movie. I don't know how long that will take (if I ever do it) for me to do an analysis on the film (along with a few other of Jorg Buttgereit's films), but if I ever do, there will be a link here, as well as a full post on this blog.