Director: Gerald Kargl
Year: 1983
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Austrian director Gerald Kargl explores the mind of a psychopathic, sadistic killer in his one and only film "Angst" (1983). We guess if you're only going to make one movie, it's a good idea to make it as controversial as possible so it will live in infamy as a cult classic (special thanks to Gaspar Noé, who named it a favorite of his). This film is partially based on the exploits of Austrian mass murderer Werner Kniesek, who killed a family of three while on parole. Most of the talking in the film comes in the form of a voice-over monologue as the killer (Erwin Leder) explains what he thinks and how he feels as he is committing his crimes. This voice-over is meant to be an interview conducted with a psychiatrist who is determining if the murderer is mentally competent to stand trial. Much of the dialogue that is said is taken from actual quotes from the confessions of killers like the previously mentioned Kniesek, as well as notorious serial killer Peter Kurten, known as 'The Vampire of Dusseldorf.'
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| Photo: Erwin Leder stars as K., the Psychopath in the 1983 dramatic horror movie "Angst." (Image Source) |
"Angst" (1983) is very frantic and grossly voyeuristic, anchored by an equally crazy, unsettling performance from Erwin Leder as the unnamed killer "K." We hear his inner thoughts and the meticulous planning of the murders only for nothing to work out as he imagined. K drips gobs of sweat, eats in a repellant manner, and we feel anxiety and general revulsion watching him go about his horrid business. The camera follows K around and is frequently fixed on him so he stays steady while the background frenetically shakes and moves behind him, putting us closer to the killer than we ever want to be. It almost makes us feel like we're taking part in his horrific crimes. The murders themselves are meant to look as realistic and as gritty as possible and are all the more disturbing as K fails to perform them as he imagined and is often forced to improvise poorly. K also receives some sort of sexual gratification from hurting and torturing others, making him particularly vile. This part of the film might be a hard line for some people, though Kargl does do a good job making K as disgusting as humanly possible and never absolves him of the awful things he does.
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| Photo: Edith Rosset's character Mother clings to her last breath in "Angst" (1983), a cult classic directed by Gerard Kargl. (Image Source) |
"Angst" (1983) isn't a movie we would call an enjoyable experience, and it sure isn't fun to watch, but it does manage to give a compellingly gross, repelling-but-artful look into the psyche of a killer. If Kargl set out to make one of the most unsettling dramatic murder thrillers, he kind of nailed it.
My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.4/10
RT Rating: 100%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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