Nekromantik 2

Director - Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik, Der Todesking)
Starring - Monika M. (Schramm: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer), Mark Reeder (The Party: Nature Morte), and Lena Braun
Release Date - 1991
Genre - Horror/Romance
Tagline - "The return of the loving dead"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Almost two years ago, January of 2014, I reviewed the film Nekromantik.  A friend sent me his Barrel DVD release to check out after I admitted to never seeing it.  The film was a quick dose of extreme horror with the subject of necrophilia being the film's focal point.  This had the potential to be one hell of a film but the film was actually pretty boring and did nothing for me in the way of entertainment.  The film did push the boundaries and break taboos but there is more to a movie than that and Nekromantik didn't have what I was looking for.  Several friends read my review for the film and told me I needed to check out the film's sequel.  They stated that the film's story had more substance.  Not long ago I learned that Cult Epics was releasing the film on blu.  I tried like hell to get a review copy but was unable to do so until here recently when the owner of Cult Epics found my email and we spoke. He was kind enough to send a review copy of the film my way.

     The film follows a young woman who digs up the body of Rob who killed himself at the end of Nekromantik.  She takes the body home where she appreciates the decay and falls in love with Rob in an unusual manner.  She displays his body all over her house and takes pictures with the deceased.  She is very happy with him but things turn complicated when she visits the local cinema and a stranger offers her a ticket after he was stood up by his girlfriend.  The two hit it off which puts the young woman in an awkward position to pick between the living and the dead.
     Nekromantik was a film that so many people told me to check out and joked around saying shit like I couldn't handle it.  Now, I have a strong constitution and can handle anything you throw at me but because a film is vulgar and vile doesn't mean that it's good.  Me not liking something does not mean that it got to me.  I need a film that tells me a story and not just takes me to the deep end of horror.  Nekromantik was not disturbing but it was boring as fuck (pun intended).  Fans of the film told me to check out the sequel because it had more to it.  They were and right and the film, in my opinion, is far superior to the first.  The acting in this one is more of what we got in the first film.  The characters are very flat with no depth what so ever but the cast is able to pull together some decent scenes that holds the story together just enough to make it enjoyable.  The story for this one is similar to the first film but with more substance added.  The film distances itself from the actual necrophilia and focuses more on the love angle.  This really was unexpected and was actually pretty fun when you consider the unimaginable love triangle the film churns up.  This was actually fun and very unique considering how the film could have easily went the way of the original film offering up nothing new.  The story is what makes this film so fun.  Also, the film does have one on screen kill and boy do they milk it.  The kill is fucking intense and extremely graphic.  The film could not over do the necrophilia present in the first one so they focused on death itself and the kill is extremely impressive.  The practical effects are great as well and really drive the kill home.  Finally, this release from Cult Epics has a new HD transfer that looks fantastic.  The picture is clear and looks great when compared to other DVD releases (check those out on YouTube).  Cult Epics really put a lot of time into restoring this one.  This release also has an introduction from filmmaker Jorg Buttgereit, commentary, making of featurette, live concert, A Moment of Silence at the Grave of Ed Gein - short, Half Girl music video, and original soundtrack. Overall, the Cult Epics release of Nekromantik 2 is a great release for a pretty decent film.  The film has a very unique love story unfolding and this release has some great special effects.  Need to check this one out if you enjoy the first film or you are in the mood for something different.