[tabby title=”Schramm”]
It’s obvious that I will never like any of Jörg Buttgereit films. I didn’t enjoy Nekromantik 1 and Nekromantik 2, I didn’t get around to watching Der Todesking, as I knew I wouldn’t like it and finally, I subjected myself to the torture known as Schramm. I don’t like artsy fartsy torture porn gore and Schramm is exactly that. It puts you in the mind of a serial killer, which consists of a whole lot of dick scenes, one which involves it being nailed to a chair. Why do I need to see this shit? Well, it’s because Cult Epics knows how to release a damn impressive Blu-ray and I can’t help not check them out and review them. Once again, the trend of kickassness in the Blu department continues as Cult Epics gives us a solid features package for any of the fans of Schramm, whoever they may be.
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Product Information”]DISCS: 1
RUN-TIME: 65 min
ASPECT RATIO: 1.33:1
RESOLUTION: 1080p
AUDIO: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
LANGUAGE: German
SUBTITLES: English
REGION: A
RATING: NR
PRODUCTION DATE: 1993
RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2016
The story of a deranged serial killer from the director of Nekromantik. Lothar Schramm (Florian Koemer von Gustorf) is dying, face down in a pool of his own blood. Behind his closed eyes, fractured memories repeat themselves. He runs by the sea. He lusts after the whore (Nekromantik 2’s Monika M.) across the hall. He staggers through life uncertainly. He kills. Schramm is the story of the notorious Lipstick Killer Lothar Schramm’s last days on earth. Revealed in a series of tightly constructed flashbacks, the film offers an unflinching look into the mind of a serial killer. Uncompromising in its depictions of violence and perversion, Schramm is a poetic masterpiece of horror guaranteed to make you squirm.
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Do you really want to know what Schramm is all about? If so, let me break it down for you. A serial killer by the name of Lothar Schramm (Florian Koemer von Gustorf), falls from a ladder while he is painting over the blood of his previous victims. He cracks his head and is on the verge of dying. We enter his mind to replay his past few days, which involve a whole lot of weirdness. We get to see Lothar having sex with a blow-up torso. We see Lothar nail his penis to a chair. We even get to bask in the glory of him being scared of a vagina monster lurking in his bed. Also, Monika M. (Nekromantik 2) shows up to befriend Lothar, but really she is just using him for his car. Ugh, don’t you just hate that! After the 65-minute runtime finishes, you wish you hadn’t bothered as nothing makes a lick of sense in the end. Was the random scene of a man shooting himself in the head a metaphor for how most of the viewers will be feeling?
Schramm is made to disgust you. Director Jörg Buttgereit goes to extremes to get a rise out of the viewer, but the only rise he is getting out of me is the bile in my throat. When I watch a movie I expect a plot that will at least be somewhat consistent. Schramm, however, doesn’t bother to provide any sort of consistency. It bounces through scenes, spewing nonsense at you to invoke a reaction. The only reaction I was getting was the urge to turn the film off. When I think about it, maybe Jörg Buttgereit did succeed in what he sought out to do. I certainly felt disgusted with myself for having watched this “film.”
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Blu-ray Opinion”]I really wish Cult Epics would branch out to some other films, as they really know how to deliver a Blu-ray that is worthy of being on your shelf. They are always solid in the audio and video side of things and they excel completely in the special features section. Schramm comes with a solid 35-minute Making of that is far more entertaining than the movie. It’s all archive interviews and behind the scenes footage, but it’s funny and shows you that everyone was having a good time making the movie, even if it turned out to be a flick that I couldn’t stand.
We also get a bunch of short films from director Jörg Buttgereit, which I guess some will enjoy. I once again didn’t. If you liked the music in the movie (surprisingly, I did), you’ll enjoy the soundtrack feature which provides you with 54-minutes of music to listen to, preferably while either having sex with a rubber torso or nailing your cock to a chair. Rounding the features out are some trailers and two commentaries, one with Jörg Buttgereit and another with actors Florian Koemer von Gustorf and Monika M.
[tabbyending] [tabby title=”Special Features”]• New Director’s Approved HD Transfer (taken from the original 16mm negative)
• Exclusive Introduction by Jorg Buttgereit
• Audio Commentary by Jorg Buttgereit and writer Franz Rodenkirchen
• Audio Commentary 2 by Actors Florian Koemer von Gustorf and Monika M.
• The Making of Schramm
• Still Photo Gallery
• JB HD Trailers
• Short film: Horror Heaven HD with optional Audio Commentary by Jorg Buttgereit
• Short film: Blutige Exzesse im Fuhrerbunker (Bloody Excess in the Leaders Bunker) HD
• Short film: Mein Papi (My Father)
• Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• New DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround
• Collectible new Blu-ray Artwork
As you can already surmise, I did not enjoy Schramm. It’s just not my kind of flick. However, there are fans of this one out there and Cult Epics knows how to treat them with respect. Schramm on Blu-ray is a solid release for those fans.
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