German underground horror is a subgenre of the

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

, which has achieved cult popularity since first appearing in the mid-1980s. Horror films produced by the German underground scene are usually trademarked by their intensity, taking on topics that are culturally taboo such as

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

necrophilia Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction or acts involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ''International ...

, and extreme violence.

History of German underground horror

In an attempt to shed its violent image, horror films were very rarely made in Germany after the fall of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

. Movies such as '' Horrors of Spider Island'', '' The Blood Demon'', and '' The Head'' were filmed and released in the decades following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but to very little success. In 1987, filmmaker

Jörg Buttgereit Jörg Buttgereit (born 20 December 1963) is a German writer/director known for his controversial films. He was born in Berlin and has lived there his entire life. He is best known for his horror films '' Nekromantik'' (1987), '' Der Todesking' ...

wrote and directed '' Nekromantik''. Two years later, amateur filmmaker Andreas Schnaas made the movie '' Violent Shit'' for a reported $2000. Released as Germany's first

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

film, it was a modest hit amongst fans of independent horror. Both films were banned by the German government, but their popularity influenced other filmmakers such as Olaf Ittenbach to bring Germany's underground horror film scene further into the media spotlight. Since then, many other filmmakers have emerged from the German underground horror scene, including

Uwe Boll Uwe Boll (; born 22 June 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises. Released theatrically, the films were critical and commercial failures; his Alone in the Dark (2005 film), ...

and Timo Rose. Uwe Boll is notable as the only underground German director who has gone on to a career in big budget cinema.

Legality in Germany

Films that glorify violence are not technically illegal in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, but titles (meaning a specific medium) can be "confiscated" () by courts. However, the term is very misleading, because private possession is completely legal (excluding only child and youth pornography, although no film of the horror genre with this content is currently known). But handing out or advertising such a medium to minors is a criminal offense. Distribution and making available to the public is also punishable, although "distribution" is not to be understood in the conventional sense. Legal commentaries on this law explain that distribution (sale, gifting, etc.) for personal use within a small, controllable group of people does not fall under the term "distribution", provided no further distribution of the medium is intended.NK-StGB/Ostendorf/Kuhli StGB § 131 Rn. 7-7b Film exchange fairs with separate adult areas for booths selling restricted movies are therefore possible and are regularly organized in Germany. Production, purchase, delivery, keeping in stock, offering, advertising, importing or exporting are only permitted as long as they do not serve the above-mentioned prohibited purposes. Popular examples of "confiscated" movies are '' Braindead'', '' Halloween II'', '' The Beyond'', '' City of the Living Dead'', ''

Cannibal Holocaust ''Cannibal Holocaust'' is a 1980 Italian cannibal film directed by Ruggero Deodato and written by Gianfranco Clerici. It stars Robert Kerman as Harold Monroe, an anthropologist who leads a rescue team into the Amazon rainforest to locate a ...

'', '' I Spit on Your Grave 2'', '' Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines'', '' Day of the Dead'' and '' Hobo with a Shotgun''.

Ratings' effect on German underground horror

Once a film has been rated by the German ratings board, that is its rating for both cinema and video releases. It is legal to have two versions of a film. Often, there is a cut "FSK 16" version (equivalent to the R-rating by the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, the mini-major Amazon MGM Studios, as well as the video streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. F ...

) released in cinemas and an uncut "FSK 18" version (equivalent to an NC-17 rating) on video. Films rated "FSK 18" are not stocked by all video shops, which affects rentals of violent German horror. In Germany, there is also a category above "FSK 18" entitled "indiziert" or "on the index". "Indizierte" films are treated the same way as pornography. Distribution companies, cinemas, and video shops cannot advertise these films, nor can they be openly on display—unless a shop is open to "adults only". However, it is legal to sell and buy such material. Many video rental stores have back rooms or basements for such merchandise. Examples of "indizierte" films include '' Cannibal Ferox'', ''

'', '' Last House on the Left'', '' From Dusk till Dawn'', and

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...

's '' Profondo Rosso'' (Deep Red). Several of these films were released uncut in Germany, but were subject to the limitations listed. Others were edited and then released as "indiziert".

References

{{Film genres Film genres Culture of Germany * 1980s in film

History of German underground horror

Legality in Germany

Ratings' effect on German underground horror

See also

References