Austrian Horror Films
Austrian Horror Films
Trying to find an Austrian horror film is like looking for a musical starring Steven Seagal: you’re in for a long, frustrating search. Of course, we’re talking about a country that produced an average of 20 motion pictures per year from 2000 to 2005, so it’s unlikely that many of them are going to be devoted to teenagers getting hacked apart. But fear not, dear reader, for I’ve combed through the depths of the Internet to put together a list of the few available horror flicks from the same land that brought us Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Silent Bloodnight (2006) - Filmed in Austria with lines delivered in English, Silent Bloodnight features numerous thick accents stumbling over their non-native language. The lesson here is clear: if you sexually molest a mentally challenged girl, expect retribution from a mysterious serial killer. Vanessa Vee is the standout member of the cast as a plucky reporter who gets on the trail of the story and winds up being stalked herself. Not a classic by any means, but the killings are bloody and nudity--both male and female--abounds.
- Dead in Three Days (2006) - Director Andreas Prochaska turned out the first Austrian slasher film with Dead in Three Days, and it enjoyed surprising success at home and abroad. As a group of childhood pals prepare to graduate from high school, they all receive the same text message informing them they’ll be dead within three days. The group initially chalks it up to their resident jokester, but the first death quickly clues them in to the severity of the situation. It’s similar to I Know What You Did Last Summer in places, but fans of Austrian horror films can’t afford to be picky. Besides, it did make Austrian film history, even if it’s the kind of history that most cinema purists look down on.
- Dead in Three Days 2 (2008) - After the success of the original, director Andreas Prochaska wasted no time in cranking out a sequel to his film about a mysterious killer slicing up high school students. Set two years later, the lone survivor of the first film receives a text from a friend begging for assistance. But our heroine has no idea where to start looking, and so she embarks on a harrowing journey that will lead her deep into the wilderness and face-to-face with a family of deranged cannibals. The film builds slowly, but the blistering and bloody climax (not to mention a twist ending) will more than make up for the rest.
- Funny Games (1997) - Technically, it’s a psychological thriller, but this disturbing film from Michael Haneke has more than enough elements to scare the hell out of most viewers. A wealthy German family heads to their Austrian vacation home to relax, and they soon encounter a pair of homicidal youths bent on putting them through a series of sadistic games. The fourth wall is broken with regularity, and the audience’s expectations are frequently acknowledged and subverted to great effect. Not an easy film to watch, but still highly effective in making the viewer complicit to the on-screen events. Haneke would also write and direct an American remake 11 years later with Tim Roth and Naomi Watts in the lead roles.
- Parapsycho - Spectrum of Fear (1975) - Part of the film movement known as New Austrian Cinema, this bizarre horror flick weaves three stories of ESP, reincarnation, and the supernatural. In the first tale, a man does the nasty with a doomed woman. That’s followed by the tale of a family tormented by a ghost, while the final installment deals with murder via telepathy. An unusual work that’s recommended only for the most hardcore of Austrian film devotees.
- The Hands of Orlac (1924) - Directed by Robert Wiene (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), this silent film stars Conrad Veidt as Paul Orlac, a celebrated pianist who loses his hands in an accident. But after undergoing an experimental procedure, he gets replacement parts thanks to a recently executed murderer. Initially overjoyed, Paul’s enthusiasm turns to dread as he begins to fear that he’s also inherited his donor’s lust for death. One of the first films to feature the notion of new body parts influencing their owner, The Hands of Orlac would be remade twice and inspire such later films as The Hand and Hands of a Stranger.
Things may be looking up for fans of Austrian horror films. In 2006, Dead in Three Days become the country’s highest-grossing film of the year, and it’s already generated a sequel. With a proven record of financial success, maybe this will spark an extra Austrian horror film or two each year.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 at 12:28 pm and is filed under Horror Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.