6 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.9 |
Robert Schmadtke works at a streetcleaning agency. He has a strange kind of hobby; he collects body parts and conserves them on alcohol. His girlfriend adores him, mainly because of his job, and his sexually attraction to corpses. One day Robert brings home a complete corpse. Betty gets really exited... until Robert looses his job. Without Robs job, whos gonna get new corpses...?
Starring: Bernd Daktari Lorenz, Beatrice Manowski, Harald Lundt, Colloseo Schulzendorf, Franz RodenkirchenHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 40% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.31:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
Dolby Digital 5.1 track on the standard presentation only, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo for both presentations are @192kbps.
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Jörg Buttgereit's "Nekromantik" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; promotional materials; archival Q&A session with director Jörg Buttgereit; making of featurette; grindhouse version of the main feature; the entire original soundtrack; and more. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The brave girl
Presented in an aspect 1.31:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jörg Buttgereit's Nekromantik arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Culr Epics.
There are two versions of the film included on this release. The Restored Version uses a new transfer which has been approved by the German director, while the Grindhouse Version uses a new transfer struck from the only existing 35mm print of the film. On the Grindhouse Version no restoration work has been performed and as a result there are white burned-in/printed English subtitles on it.
Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:
Screencaptures #1-21 are from the Restored Version.
Screencaptures # 23-33 are from the Grindhouse Version.
The Restored Version is sourced from the same master that Arrow Video accessed when they prepared the Region-B release that we reviewed here. Unsurprisingly, the same traces of various denoising corrections are present, and again the dynamic range appears to have been compromised. On the other hand, because the film was shot on Super 8 and with a very small budget, there are all sorts of other native limitations that have impacted depth and clarity. Frankly, despite the various scratches and debris that are visible on the Grindhouse Version, I think that it is actually preferable because it has a much more filmic dynamic range. Color saturation and contrast balance are more convincing on the Grindhouse Version as well, though it is difficult to tell exactly how accurate they are. All in all, I think that it is great that the two versions of the film are included on the disc so that people can choose the one they like better. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: German Dolby Digital 2.0 and German Dolby Digital 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Restored Version.
I did some direct comparisons with the Region-B release we reviewed in 2014 to see if there is a notable gap in quality between the lossy 2.0 track and the LPCM track and to be honest it is pretty difficult to tell if clarity or depth actually benefit from the lossless treatment. The new mix is very good, but on the other hand the original sound design is hardly impressive. Still, it would have been best if this release had a lossless track as well.
Jörg Buttgereit's Nekromantik belongs in the same category where you will discover Karim Hussain's Subconscious Cruelty and the recent Mondo Weirdo release from Cult Epics. In other words, it is for folks that like to be challenged with truly 'difficult' films. I don't mind being pushed to the edge from time to time, but Nekromantik is definitely not my cup of tea. If you have been looking for a quality release of the film, I think that this Blu-ray release from Cult Epics' will make you quite happy.
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