Hager

Besides classics like Nosferatu or Caligari, German cinema is not known for imaginative horror. Luckily this has changed over the last few years with young German filmmakers creating daring and interesting new horror flicks.

HAGER is definitely one of them. Kopacka'a debut is a creative explosion of dread inducing atmosphere with images and sounds to match. The story of cop Til Hager who is tasked with tracking down a new drug that supposedly invokes visions of hell is told in a way that makes the viewers feel as if they had just taken said drug. With each scene we're plunged deeper into the depths of hell.

While the hypnotic psychedelic visuals and abstract form of narrative will surely find its fans, it's the clever parallels to Dante's Divine Comedy that really impressed me. The film is much more than it lets on and the director clearly knows his Greek mythology.

Very happy for this addition to a (hopefully) new Era of modern European horror.