For the uninitiated, Nekromantik is one of the most notorious horror movies ever made. It may actually be reviled more than it is admired, even in horror circles, but it's one of those few movies that's provocative, in the truest sense of the word. Nekromantik is the story of a nice young couple with unusual sexual proclivities. Specifically, in order to get off, they require congress with a human corpse -- or at least a nice selection of pickled organs. Fortunately for these two, the fella (Daktari Lorenz) has a good job on the clean-up crew that tidies up automobile accidents, and eventually winds up with a real find, a half-rotten carcass dragged out of a swamp. He brings it home, where he and Betty (Beatrice M.) give it a warm welcome in a distended love scene involving a striking optical-printing technique that leaves motion trails on the screen as someone (presumably Lorenz, who doubled as composer of the score) pounds out the lyrical love theme on a piano. It's not all hugs and corpses, however, and when Betty abandons Rob after a tiff, the corpse goes with her.

I would rate this film 5 out of 5 for trash cinema.

Nekromantik (1987) is written by Franz Rodenkirchen and directed by Jörg Buttgereit and I think this is their first feature film after couple of short films. This German classic (yeah!) tells us a fascinating story of a couple who has strange emptiness in their affair and death seems to appeal to them, and since the male can get some dead bodies or body parts (I'm not sure what is his job, but at least he goes to car crash scenes in his work etc.), he starts to take them home and soon the couple finds their real love....and it is pretty rotten and decayed love! Scenes of necrophilia are something that will repulse even jaded cinema fanatic because necrophilia as a thing is very disgusting and taboo as a subject matter. But this little film makes ugly things look incredibly beautiful with the power and magic of cinema.

This film shows exactly how talented film maker can show things in personal way and show disgusting things beautifully and with a taste. This film is not ugly or disgusting, but to say that, I think one has to be pretty tolerating and "difficult art loving" viewer since this is not easy to view if one cannot interpret movies. The scenes of necrophilia are shot gorgeously with different techniques and the most important element in Nekromantik is again the music, the unimaginable and hypnotic music. The music is among the most beautiful and gentle (and very dark and ominous at times) I've ever seen, and it is as touching as Riz Ortolani's music in Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust (Italy, 1979), one of the most important films ever. Nekromantik would not be Nekromantik without the music. Totally unforgettable element.

The infamous rabbit killing scene is often judged and not accepted, but the fact is that the film makers did NOT kill the creature, they only shoot the farmer doing his job, and the rabbit would've died without the film, too, because we eat meat everyday with or without Nekromantik in existence. And this is the meaning of the scene and we definitely should realize that eating meat means always that an animal has given its life that we can eat its juicy meat. I love animals very much but still I eat meat because I know that they are the only source to get it and in my opinion the rule of nature is that way that human beings are meant to use the resources of nature, but as we know the nature of human beings, do we really deserve all this from the nature as we exploit and destroy it every minute?

The movie's end is unforgettable and also the most shocking scene in the film, but so releasing and gives the final relief and salvation to the protagonist, and it is very beautiful scene with the music again as a strong element. This is something that is never before seen on screen and it is way too much for many. There are also other over the top gore and splatter scenes in the film and they are the ones that alienate the casual viewer. The disturbing "snuff" scene where a woman is sliced, is a part of the interpretation about "exploiting" (Nature or other human beings), which I explained in the rabbit paragraph above. Do we have any right to live or be in existence (not to mention eating and consuming the sources of Nature) since all this trash and sick entertainment exists and has its consumers? And this film itself is NOT that kind of a sick trash/exploitation as many consider: Nekromantik is a very challenging and symbolic piece of underground cinema, which has many things bubbling under its surface and the movie's core has to be found in order to understand it.

Nekromantik is one of the most noteworthy marginal and independent films I know and definitely one of the most unforgettable experiences in the field of cinema. I have seen this two times now, first on a videocassette and then in one festival in "big" screen! That latter was without a doubt very unforgettable experience and this is rarely seen in the big screen. So I recommend Nekromantik (and other Buttgereit's films) to the fans of intelligent and wonderful looking non-mainstream cinema and the cinema that has thousands of things to say and give to the interpreting viewer.

It's Jorg Buttgereit first movie after the serial of shorts "Hot Love". There is necrophilia inside - as everyone knows - , but also a lot of things besides. The effects are quite impressive ( although it's nothing besides "Aftermath" ), but what's excellent is the very unhealthy ambiance Jorg has managed to create. We fallow the life of a guy who works in a morgue service specialized in car crash. He shares with his girlfriend, in his flat ( look for the wonderful decoration ) a passion for Death which will lead them to necrophilia and suicide. A beautiful score, a touch of gore, of animal cruelty, of murders, of blood baths are completing the whole. Some scenes are also very weird ( he dreams playing rugby with guts, ... ).

I must say the filming is not very good ( same low budget as in Andreas Schnass or Olaf Ittenberg movies ), the lights are bad and the subtitles I had were awful. It can be repulsive for some people - more than the themes approached -, but I think it goes well with the glaucous aspect. You may be bored if you attempt to watch it for the gore, or just for the necrophilia (about 5 min in the movie ), but as a fan of weird/horror movies, you'll surely enjoy "Nekromantik". The sequel is different, less unhealthy, but still have some cool scenes ( the ending ).