I Am Jesus and You Are the Devil

German Angst Review

German Angst | Repulsive Reviews | Horror Movies

A couple of years back it felt as though a new anthology film was being released every other week.  Tons of great filmmakers were able to flex their skills amongst their peers in features like The ABCs of Death and V/H/S/ franchises. Like most trends in horror, the anthology wave seemed to be dying down. That is, until the great folks over at Artsploitation Films decided to give us both A Taste of Phobia and German Angst.

Consisting of three short films by perhaps some of Germany’s most recognizable horror directors, German Angst is full of original storytelling, great performances, and some of the best gore effects I’ve seen in a while.

Jorg Buttgereit’s “Final Girl” tells of a young girl who lives with her pet guinea pig and happens to have a man bound and gagged in one of the bedrooms of her house.

In Michael Kosakowski’s “Make a Wish,” a deaf couple are exploring an abandoned building when they run into some not-so-friendly strangers. These strangers, a group of neo-nazi punks, want to have a little fun with their new friends by causing them tremendous amounts of pain.  Little do they know that the couple have in their possession a very powerful talisman of old family magic.

Finally, Andreas Marschall’s “Alraune” is the story of a photographer, feeling lonely after his girlfriend leaves him, who meets a porn star online and sets up a real-life date.  After meeting at a local club, the two fool around a little, but “Snow White” runs away suddenly, Eden giving chase.  Following his new infatuation to a secret sex club, Eden decides to pay the price to become a member himself. He quickly finds out that this place isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and breaking the rules has some very bad consequences.

Right from the opening scene of the first short, you know you’re in for something special with German Angst.  When I first heard about Jorg Buttgereit being one of the contributors to this anthology, years ago, my excitement shot through the roof.  While his past films, things like Nekromantik and Schramm aren’t necessarily my favorite movies, I have a lot of respect and admiration for what he was able to accomplish with them. I can gladly say that my excitement was fulfilled as Buttgereit once again brought his best to this one.  It is shot beautifully and contains some amazingly disgusting special effects that will have every gore hound out there rejoicing!

The blood doesn’t stop flowing there, as both Michael Kosakowski and Andreas Marschall bring their special brand of horror to the screen, as well.  I am not familiar with either of these directors’ previous projects, but I can assure you, you will not be disappointed with what they’ve done here.  Both of their segments were innovative and original, wonderfully acted, and engaging enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen for their entirety. The quality of all three pieces was top-notch, way better than expected actually, and I hope to see more work from all three filmmakers in the very near future.

Angst is defined as a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general. I can profoundly say that this film does a remarkable job of portraying that definition in many ways.  You will certainly feel dread as you watch what each director brings to the table.  If you are a fan of any of these guys or just want to see a new anthology, one that is equally entertaining and shocking, look no further than German Angst.  You can pick up a copy on Blu-ray from Artsploitation Films today!

I give this film 4.5 burning bodies out of 5.

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