Schramm [Import]

What a brutal, gory movie - for intense gore fans ONLY. Do not get this DVD if you're the LEAST bit squeamish. Brought to you by Joerg Buttgereit, creator of "Nekromantik", this is a raw, bloody look at a pretty twisted guy named Lothar Schramm. Though the movie itself is relatively short (only a little over an hour), this DVD is packed with goodness - extras aplenty here, folks. I'm rather pleasantly surprised it's even here, as Nekromantik wasn't available here last I checked. In conclusion, if you think you can handle the rather disturbing subject matter of the film, by all means, grab this baby while you can... it'll be worth your money.

"Schramm" is a movie that got my attention in a video store, both with the cover and the back cover that exclaimed that it was similar to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, one of my favorite horror films. If you've seen Henry, you realize that there's actually a pretty big restraint on blood and gore. It's existent, but it's not that bad. The movie used atmosphere and Michael Rooker's performance to creep you out. Schramm goes up another level on that. In Schramm you get a no holds barred look at the life of a serial killer... And it's all done in 64 minutes, which makes it kind of impressive. This movie also is probably the truest account of what goes on behind a serial killers' door. Movies about serial killers show that they kill and, sometimes, why. But few films show the really dirty things about serial killers. This film gives us the self-mutilation, necrophilia, and sexual deviancy. The movie is in German and I got to praise the Germans for making a movie like this. I don't think an American director would touch this kind of material with a ten-foot pole. And if he did, he'd tone it down a lot. I, regrettably, don't remember the main characters name...But I know this. The movie begins with a newspaper headline that explains that the Lipstick Killer has died. He is, of course, our aforementioned killer. The movie works its way back from that. The prostitute that lives across the hall from him, whom he's actually good friends with, sets something off in his head that makes him begin to kill. In the movie, the body count is pretty low...But this is still very gory. One scene which is bound to make men who watch this cringe, involve the guy taking his d**k and pounding nails through it. There's also one of the most interesting and unique ideas I've seen. A disembodied vag**a with teeth. The movie suffers from a disjointed timeline. The movie's about an insane serial killer...But the look of the movie implies it's about a schizophrenic serial killer. The grainy, old movieish look the film has, however, also helps with the creepiness. This is not a "good" movie, but it's effective and does something that other movies about serial killers should do (instead of crap like Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Gacy, etc.). If you want to see a movie that frequently has you asking yourself "What the f**k?" This is a good movie for you.

GRADE: B-

Buttgereit, infamous for 'Nekromantik', delivers us a poetic masterpiece and a hideous journey into the mind of Lothar Schramm, the Lipstick killer. It is a brutal and intriguing display and details many fascinating characters in abstract flashback. This is what real extreme cinema is all about.

As usual, Buttgereit delivers images full of visceral insanity, so gory and vicious that unless you're familiar with either his works or those of his peers, this little piece might be a bit much. Barrel Entertainment have done an incredible job, the print is almost perfect and the extras tantilising (commentaries, trailers and a special 'making of'). Sad to see that this one is becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of - buy this one now, while you still can.