Angst (1983/I)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Gerald Kargl

Writers:

Gerald Kargl (writer)
Zbigniew Rybczynski (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Horror

Plot:

A man is released from prison after serving four years for murdering an elderly woman. He quickly begins to feel the compulsion to kill again...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Violence | Rape | House | Stabbing

Cast

Erwin Leder	...	The Psychopath
Robert Hunger-Bühler	...	Off-Text (voice)
Silvia Rabenreither	...	Tochter
Karin Springer	...	Tochter (voice)
Edith Rosset	...	Mutter
Josefine Lakatha	...	Mutter (voice)
Rudolf Götz	...	Sohn
Renate Kastelik	...	Taxilenkerin
Hermann Groissenberger	...	Gast im Café
Claudia Schinko	...	Gast im Café
Beate Jurkowitsch	...	Gast im Café
Rosa Schandl	...	Kellnerin im Café
Rolf Bock	...	Polizist
Emil Polaczek

Also Known As:

Fear (USA)

Runtime:

Belgium:94 min (video version)

Country:

Austria

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Certification:

Germany:18

Company:

Gerald Kargl

Trivia:

The narration quotes confessions of real-life killers like Peter Kürten, known as the 'Vampire of Düsseldorf'.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Psychopath: The fear in her eyes and the knife in the chest. That's my last memory of my mother. That's why I had to go to prison for four years, even though she survived.

The Best in its Genre

I have always been a fan of the genre of serial killer movies. Not to get confused with slasher flicks because the serial killer movies are usually sophisticated with a realistic feel to them, causing an unnerving and disturbing feel. Not to take away from the slasher because there is fun in those movies. Angst is the best of the serial killer movies, in my personal opinion. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is marvelous and Amoklauf is also a great film, but as far as putting you right in the serial killers mind, this movie does the best and it is very frightening.

The story starts with the lead character (basically the only lead character) walking up to a house. He knocks on the door and when the door opens he murders the person who answers with a hand gun. After being in jail for 10 years he is released. Upon his release he instantly gets started again murdering a mother and her grown children. One of which a retarded man in a wheelchair.

The storyline may seem simple but in no means is the character simple. After he murders the person at the beginning of the movie we are shown events in documentary form leading up to the murder and him going into jail. So we become familiar with the character. But being familiar with the character and suddenly being put in the characters shoes are two different things.

The whole movie when he is released from jail is narrated by the killer, almost like he is thinking and we can hear his thoughts. When he goes into a restaurant and sits down at the table he starts getting uncomfortable after watching two young woman sitting at the bar. He starts thinking of sick things to do to them and as a result gets the feeling that everyone in the restaurant is watching him. So right away we, as the audience, get this uncomfortable feeling as well and we are also introduced to how paranoid the character is. Much of the movie is like this.

The moments in which he is murdering the family is almost unbearable and rather disturbing. I don't want to give to much away but be prepared to be disturbed. It's not the violent nature in which he kills these people it's almost the inevitable lead up to it.

Well, I hope this review helps. This is a very difficult film to find so good luck in the search. Sources from IMDb tell me that this will be released in the states eventually. If you find it before then... enjoy. 10/10