Schramm (1993)

Director:

Jörg Buttgereit

Writers:

Jörg Buttgereit (writer)
Franz Rodenkirchen (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

...today I am dirty, but tomorrow I'll be just dirt.

Plot:

As serial killer Lothar Schramm lies dying in a pool of his own blood, choppy memories of his horrific life flash before his eyes.

Plot Keywords:

Necrophilia | Male Full Frontal Nudity | Vagina Dentata | Serial Killer | Blood

Cast

Florian Koerner von Gustorf	...	Lothar Schramm
Monika M.	...	Marianne
Micha Brendel	...	Der Gläubige
Carolina Harnisch	...	Die Gläubige
Xaver Schwarzenberger	...	Älterer Herr 1
Gerd Horvath	...	Älterer Herr 2
Michael Brynntrup	...	Jesus
Franz Rodenkirchen	...	Zahnarzt
Anne Presting	...	Zahnärztin
Eddi Zacharias	...	Liebhaber
Michael Romahn	...	Selbstmörder
Volker Hauptvogel	...	Kellner

Also Known As:

Schramm: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer (International: English title)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1994) | Finland:K-18 (2001) (self applied) | USA:Not Rated | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:(Banned) | Spain:18

Company:

Jelinski & Buttgereit

very weird and disturbing, but well done

So Lothar the Lipstick Killer lies dying in his apartment, after trying to do some painting to cover up the blood all over the walls, and his twisted little life passes before his eyes, so we, the viewers, are treated to some of the highlights. Whoa. The thing about this is that Lothar seems so mild-mannered and at times one feels sympathy for him...he's a kind of slightly chubby balding guy that looks quite harmless, but then on the other hand we're treated to him making use of hammer and nails in a very odd way that will definitely make you squirm in your seat. And he politely invites some Jehovah's Witness types into his home only to attack and slaughter them after he's offered them some refreshments. I ask, who hasn't ever wanted to do THAT? Well, I haven't, mainly because I say "No thanks" and close the door with them on the outside. But I did admire the sentiment. Lothar is also a helpful guy, going along with his hooker neighbor to one of her jobs to wait outside like a good chaperon, but then drugging her and taking pictures of her when they get back, all of course, without her knowledge, but then in the morning he's his old sweet self. As I said one feels some sympathy for the perpetrator but he is rather a monster too, although a courteous and polite one. And perhaps that makes this all the more chilling because of his demeanor. This isn't all that coherent, really, but then again it is flashbacks of someone's life passing before their eyes as they're dying, so one needs to make allowances, I guess. 8 out of 10, well done, but definitely not for all tastes.