''Killer Condom'' (original title ''Kondom des Grauens'' (English: Condom of Horror)) is a 1996 German horror comedy directed by Martin Walz. It is based on the

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

''Kondom des Grauens'' and ''Bis auf die Knochen'' ("Down to the Bones") by

Ralf König Ralf König (born 8 August 1960) is one of the best known and most commercially successful German comic book creators. His books have been translated into many languages. He has resided in Soest, Dortmund and Berlin and now lives in Cologne. ...

. It was distributed in the United States by

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...

, which promoted the film at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

with the help of "a six-foot-long fanged condom". ''Tagline:'' ''The rubber that rubs YOU out!''

Plot

Set in the seedy parts of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, ''Killer Condom'' follows

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

Detective Luigi Mackeroni (

Udo Samel Udo Samel (born 25 June 1953) is a German actor. He has appeared in more than 80 films and television shows since 1977. He starred in the 1994 film ''Back to Square One'', which was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival. Sele ...

), who has been hired to investigate a series of bizarre attacks at the Hotel Quickie in which male guests have all had their penises mysteriously bitten off. While at the crime scene, he enlists the services of a

gigolo A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifes ...

named Billy and invites him up to the crime room. Before the two men engage in sex, a carnivorous living condom interrupts them and bites off Mackeroni's right testicle. Now on a personal vendetta, Mackeroni begins his lone quest to not only bring a stop to the rash of condom attacks, but also face his true feelings toward Billy the gigolo.

Cast

Reception

At the time of its 1998 U.S. theatrical release, ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer Lawrence Van Gelder said that this Troma release had "a level of deadpan humor considerably above the company's usual adolescent subnorm", and that in addition to the usual gore, the film "also deals with dislocation, urban anomie, love and tolerance". On the other hand, ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' critic Kevin Thomas called it a "strained, tedious sex-horror comedy that doesn't travel well". Kevin Thomas
"Screening room"
''

'', October 15, 1998.

Otto Sander Otto Sander (; 30 June 1941 – 12 September 2013) was a German film, theater, and voice actor. Life Education and early career Sander grew up in Kassel, where he graduated in 1961 from the Friedrichgymnasium. After leaving school he s ...

's "manic" performance in this "cult classic" has been cited as a "good example of his comic gifts". In an essay entitled "When Condoms Go Bad: From Safe Sex to Five Microns to Killer Condom", film critic Thuy Daojensen has written that the film, despite its "third rate special effects", provides "comic relief while reflecting tension and anxiety over sexual activity for procreation versus merely for pleasure."Thuy DaoJensen, "When Condoms Go Bad: From Safe Sex to Five Microns to ''Killer Condom''", in

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1996 films 1990s comedy horror films 1996 LGBT-related films German comedy horror films German LGBT-related films Swiss comedy horror films 1990s German-language films LGBT-related comedy horror films Films based on German comics Troma Entertainment films Films set in New York City Live-action films based on comics 1996 comedy films 1990s German films Foreign films set in the United States

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links