Honourable Mention: Angst

Director Gerald Kargl is, career wise, probably better known for documentaries but his 1983 film Angst, whilst based on the case of Austrian serial killer Werner Kniesek is most definitely a feature rather than a documentary. Kniesek had been incarcerated twice for attempted murder – in the film his second attempt is described as actual murder – and did go on to commit a triple homicide. In this the psychopath (Erwin Leder), as the primary character is credited, becomes an amalgam of several killers as Kargl looks to enter the killer's mind. The primary dialogue is provided through a first-person narration, by Robert Hunger-Bühler though they are the psychopath’s inner monologue, which includes quotes from other serial killers including Peter Kürten, the “Vampire of Düsseldorf”.

Erwin Leder as the Psychopath

This film sees the psychopath released from prison and he immediately seeks out a new victim to fulfil his fantasies. Having stopped at a café where he considered taking two young women (Claudia Schinko & Beate Jurkowitsch), eventually dismissing the idea due to the public location, he gets a taxi. He then decides to kill the female taxi driver (Renate Kastelik). He takes a lace out of his shoe (to strangle her) but she is suspicious and stops the car. In a panic he runs into woods.

Edith Rosset as the mother

Now, it has to be said that his actions are less precise than his thoughts – to the point of sometimes bungling and ofttimes frantic. In the woods he finds a secluded house and breaks in (smashing a large window). At first the house seems abandoned but then he discovers a wheelchair bound man (Rudolf Götz) with clear learning difficulties. Soon a car arrives, in which are the man’s mother (Edith Rosset, voiced by Josefine Lakatha) and his sister (Silvia Ryder, voiced by Karin Springer) – plus their dachshund.

drinking blood

What ensues is the brutal terrorisation of the family but, as mentioned above, it is frenetic with nothing quite going to plan. What the viewer experiences, however, is made more visceral as the calm narration continues over the action. You will already have correctly assumed that the reason for including this as an honourable mention is due to the use of Kürten quotation – remembering the habit the press has of sensationally naming certain serial killers as vampires. However it is also due to the part of the film where he brutally stabs a victim repeatedly and then drinks her blood from a neck wound – realistically being sick afterwards as the blood acts as an emetic.

the dachshund is a star

The film is not an easy watch but it is both captivating and an astounding piece of cinema. The camera work is astounding, from the sweeping shots of the prison in the opening to the use of extreme close up to convey a claustrophobia, conspiring with Klaus Schulze’s electronic soundtrack. Within that claustrophobic space is the often explosive, always expressive, performance by Erwin Leder. Indeed, the filmmakers even make the dachshund expressive. No it isn’t a vampire film but the blood drinking and unstated use of Peter Kürten make it of genre interest and if you like your films challenging but astounding also then it needs to be watched.

The imdb page is here.

On DVD @ Amazon US

On DVD @ Amazon UK