Violent Shit
Encyclopedia
Violent Shit is an ultra-low budget
horror film, most notable as the first feature-length film directed by Andreas Schnaas
.
, after she reprimands him for returning home late. Twenty years later, in the mid-1970s, the imprisoned Karl is being transported to an unspecified location by the police, but manages to kill his captors and escape into the wilderness, somehow acquiring a cleaver in the process. Over the course of several days, Karl commits a series of murders across the countryside, mutilating and occasionally cannibalizing
his victims. After one double homicide, Karl faints and has a flashback to the day he murdered his mother, revealing he had been coerced into killing her by a demon (which a line of dialogue indicates may be his father) he had encountered in the cellar after she had locked him in it.
At one point, Karl also encounters an apparition of Jesus
crucified in the forest, which he hacks open, and crawls inside. After this encounter, Karl commits an additional dual murder outside a church, then collapses in a field, where his skin (which had been inexplicably decaying throughout the film) rots off, and he dies ripping himself open, revealing a baby covered in blood.
Contrary to popular belief, director Andrea Schnaas does not portray Karl. He does appear as the unnamed landscaper who Karl dismembers with a tree-trimming saw, however.
. Although the country's first direct-to-video
film, Violent Shit was immediately banned by German authorities for its explicit violence and soon became an underground cult hit. It played midnight showings for years before receiving a proper video release.
In 2010, Synapse Films
announced they will be releasing the film on DVD
in the United States
.
because of its cover art (which seemingly mimics their covers). The effects are amateurish, but still quite grisly. It was filmed over the course of several days in 1987. Many of the sequences involve graphic sexual mutilation, which greatly upset censors upon its initial release.
Its somewhat-infamous name was taken from a conversation the director had with a friend, who referred to his low-budget film ventures as "Nothing more than violent shit."
and Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom (Zombie Doom in the US), as well as two spinoffs - Nikos the Impaler
(which features a similarly-masked villain) and Karl the Butcher vs. Axe. Although all five films feature a sword-wielding masked killer played by Schnaas, the films are otherwise unrelated.
The song "Red Red Wine
" is also used illegally in a driving sequence.
Z movie
The term Z movie arose in the mid-1960s as an informal description of certain unequivocally non-A films. It was soon adopted to characterize low-budget pictures with quality standards well below those of most B movies and even so-called C movies...
horror film, most notable as the first feature-length film directed by Andreas Schnaas
Andreas Schnaas
Andreas Schnaas is a German director and actor, working exclusively in the horror genre. Since he first appeared on the film scene in 1989, Schnaas has become a leader in Germany's ultra-violent low-budget horror film industry.- Early years :Andreas Schnaas was born in Hamburg and embraced cinema...
.
Plot
The film begins with a young boy named Karl Berger (a surname given in the sequel) murdering his mother with a meat cleaverCleaver (knife)
A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic....
, after she reprimands him for returning home late. Twenty years later, in the mid-1970s, the imprisoned Karl is being transported to an unspecified location by the police, but manages to kill his captors and escape into the wilderness, somehow acquiring a cleaver in the process. Over the course of several days, Karl commits a series of murders across the countryside, mutilating and occasionally cannibalizing
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
his victims. After one double homicide, Karl faints and has a flashback to the day he murdered his mother, revealing he had been coerced into killing her by a demon (which a line of dialogue indicates may be his father) he had encountered in the cellar after she had locked him in it.
At one point, Karl also encounters an apparition of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
crucified in the forest, which he hacks open, and crawls inside. After this encounter, Karl commits an additional dual murder outside a church, then collapses in a field, where his skin (which had been inexplicably decaying throughout the film) rots off, and he dies ripping himself open, revealing a baby covered in blood.
Cast
- Karl Inger as Karl "The Butcher" Berger (as K. The Butcher Shitter)
- Gabi Bäzner
- Wolfgang Hinz as Wolfgang
- Volker Mechter
- Christian Biallas
- Uwe Boldt
- Marco Hegele
- Lars Warncke
- Werner Knifke
- Bettina X.
- Maren Y.
- Beate Z.
Contrary to popular belief, director Andrea Schnaas does not portray Karl. He does appear as the unnamed landscaper who Karl dismembers with a tree-trimming saw, however.
Release
It was released on 20 January 1987 and on VHS in the year 1989 in West GermanyWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. Although the country's first direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
film, Violent Shit was immediately banned by German authorities for its explicit violence and soon became an underground cult hit. It played midnight showings for years before receiving a proper video release.
In 2010, Synapse Films
Synapse Films
Synapse Films is a DVD/Blu-ray label owned and operated by Don May, Jr. and his business partners Jerry Chandler and Charles Fiedler. The company specializes in cult horror, science fiction, and exploitation films....
announced they will be releasing the film on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Production
The film is often mistaken for a mondo filmMondo film
A mondo film is an exploitation documentary film, sometimes resembling a pseudo-documentary, usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, and situations...
because of its cover art (which seemingly mimics their covers). The effects are amateurish, but still quite grisly. It was filmed over the course of several days in 1987. Many of the sequences involve graphic sexual mutilation, which greatly upset censors upon its initial release.
Its somewhat-infamous name was taken from a conversation the director had with a friend, who referred to his low-budget film ventures as "Nothing more than violent shit."
Sequel
It has spawned two direct sequels, Violent Shit II: Mother Hold My HandViolent Shit II: Mother Hold My Hand
Violent Shit II: Mother Hold My Hand is a 1992 slasher film written and directed by Andreas Schnaas, who also plays the film's main antagonist, Karl Berger, Jr...
and Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom (Zombie Doom in the US), as well as two spinoffs - Nikos the Impaler
Nikos (film)
Nikos the Impaler is a b-grade splatter film directed by and starring German arteur Andreas Schnaas. It follows a reincarnated barbarian as he wreaks havok on modern day New York City.- Synopsis :...
(which features a similarly-masked villain) and Karl the Butcher vs. Axe. Although all five films feature a sword-wielding masked killer played by Schnaas, the films are otherwise unrelated.
Soundtrack
The makers of this film illegally used a song by the metal band W.A.S.P. entitled "The Torture Never Stops" during a scene in the movie. Due to Violent Shits extremely low budget and international copyright laws, a lawsuit was never issued.The song "Red Red Wine
Red Red Wine
"Red Red Wine" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. It has been covered by Tony Tribe, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds, and more famously by British reggae group UB40, whose version topped the U.S. and UK singles charts...
" is also used illegally in a driving sequence.