If you’re a fan of horror and looking for some binge-worthy German series for the upcoming lockdown 2.0, we just might have a recommendation for you. Check out “Hausen”, the new horror series available on Sky – especially if you agree that giant East German apartment blocks have something monstrous about them.
We haven’t done a new “Serie/ous Addiction” post in a while mostly due to the fact that we’ve covered the new Berlin-related TV shows either individually – like Babylon Berlin or 4 Blocks – or paired with movies – such as this massive listing. But a recent new Netflix show has spiked my desire again to write about addictive shows and paired with the occurrence of Halloween I thought it would make a lot of sense to write up a new round of recommendation with the theme of horror.
Scary and suspenseful shows have always fascinated me (with The X Files being my first favorite show as a teenager) but to be honest, it’s rare that this genre creates something truly original or surprisingly frightening. But for some reason, this year (possibly inspired by the horrific politics in the world) saw the release of quite a lot really good horror shows. And maybe you haven’t heard of some of them, so here are my recommendations.
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu
With Halloween coming up in just a month, we thought we’d embrace the everyday spooky scenarios we are constantly exposed to in Berlin. And while the standard Berliner does not get intimidated by darkness, demons, or ghosts, and, as a matter of fact, is usually rather encouraging of experiencing any amount of supernatural visions, there are still some things that make us freak out. We’ve selected 5 top examples for both your reading pleasure and party inspo – I personally can’t think of a cooler way to boost up your Halloween game than arriving dressed up as a letter from Waldorf Frommer.
photos: trouble.place
We’re all young and poor at some point. And being young and poor in Berlin is not immediately a reason to freak out. But, for many it is the start of one storyline: “You, your room, and that WG”. For some this is just a short act on their way to “Me and my first own place”, for others it’s a longer narrative they won’t escape until their late thirties, or maybe they’ll never… It is a story that can take unexpected turns, creepy twists or just ends up being one absurd sitcom. We collected some hilarious Berlin WG stories. Maybe you can relate…
It’s hard to think of a film that has tapped so well into the Berlin party scene. Last year’s Victoria opened on a club night, but quickly took us elsewhere. Certain soundtracks have used adrenaline-fueled techno to help tell their film’s stories – Run Lola Run comes to mind. And certainly there have been films about partying specifically, like 24-Hour Party People or Berlin Calling. But Der Nachtmahr might be the best film ever to weave the pounding, textural sounds that define Berlin into an immersive, exciting story. And it’s amazing!
We open on a warning: “The strobe effects in this movie may cause seizures”. Also: “This movie should be played loud!” And it’s true! There’s a special feeling of being in a loud, intense club – it’s one of frenzy, euphoria and disorientation, punctuated by surreal melodies and anchored to powerful beats. Der Nachtmahr is full of these things, but it doesn’t use these sights and sounds gratuitously – it all makes sense, often underscoring the psychological state of the protagonist.
The movie is a thriller. Not quite a horror, not gory, not gross. It does keep your heart rate up, does have some gasps and edge-of-your-seat moments. The lead girl is super cool and really easy on the eyes, and her struggle is an intense, fun one to identify with. The overall meaning of the plot is labyrinthine and ambiguous – I certainly cannot say what really happened, even. In this sense, it’s sort of a Lynchian film, with some Requiem for a Dream vibes. It’s a super cool movie and everyone should check it out!
How amazing is the latest season of American Horror Story? God, I love “Hotel” so much and despite all the criticism I think Lady Gaga is fantastic in it and the Golden Globe totally deserved (though I understand why that was criticized).
Comparing the episodic film German Angst by veteran Horror directors Jörg Buttgereit, Michal Kosakowski and Andreas Marschall with the high gloss TV show might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s pretty much as close as it gets me to write “Berlin Horror Story”. And it makes me wonder, if there ever was such a thing as a Berlin version of AHS, what would be the theme of each season? Getting rejected at the Berghain door after being a loyal guest for years? Getting busted for Schwarzfahren for the third time? Being gentrified out of your favorite shabby district? Oh my, our Berlin horrors seem to be quite minor… In the case of German Angst the three themes are domestic abuse, snuff porn and Nazis. Well, it figures.
If you have strong, strong guts and like a portion of real German horror you should check out the free screening of German Angst at the Flimmerzimmern event on January 21. See the trailer after the jump (it’s real extreme, don’t watch if you can’t handle some horror realness).
At the end of last week Halloween sort of came back again unexpectedly with a special haunted house performance titled fernsehensüchtig by Justin Kennedy at the parish hall of the church at Immanuelkirchstrasse. Unlike most of the rather less scary haunted houses that I have seen at and around Halloween, this one was quite different, very elaborate with many different scenes, actors and performers, and truly scary and disturbing. Obviously a large portion of the walk-though performance took place in darkness or with very little lighting, so I was forced to photograph with flash which might take a bit away from the actual atmosphere in the pictures. Nevertheless I would like to give you a small tour of this crazy haunted house with some photos and a couple of GIF animations. Hold your breath and walk into the darkness after the jump.
Being from Cologne it’s fascinating to me that although it’s neither November 11th nor that much loved week in February, talk of the town is dressing up and all wigs are sold out. The American Halloween is taking over and I’m not entirely sure what to think about that.
So because I have carnival and no urge to get dressed up in colourful or scary costumes in between the „sessions“, there was plenty of time to watch one of my favourite films of all time again. Definitely still a Halloween event, as the film inspires one of THE Halloween costumes: Carrie!
I think the high budget short film Vessel by Clark Baker is the perfect choice for appropriate on-board entertainment of any long-distance flight. Surely better then any of the films I was forced to go through on my recent flight to Buenos Aires. If you are not scared to death by films such as Alien or The Thing you might want to watch this flick after the jump.