‘Nekromantik 2’ Blu-ray Review (Arrow Video)

Stars: Monika M, Mark Reeder, Lena Braun, Carola Ewers, Astrid Ewerts, Eva-Maria Kurz, Daktari Lorenz, Beatrice Manowski | Written by Jörg Buttgereit, Franz Rodenkirchen | Directed by Jörg Buttgereit

After the Arrow Film release of Nekromantik it was only a matter of time before Nekromantik 2 made its way onto Blu-ray. Another banned movie featuring people with an infatuation with the dead, this one takes things a little more extreme, if that was even possible.

When Monika (Monika M.) meets Mark (Mark Reeder) they soon become lovers, but this causes problems for the nurse. While Mark is handsome and trustworthy, the corpse is a better lover. How can she decide between the two?

Nekromantik 2 feels very much like the first film but with a bigger budget. This time though there is a satirical edge to the film which makes fun of the art film style with which it actually embraces at the same time. It also uses Mark’s job of dubbing adult films to good use, by mocking the love scenes between the two living members of the twisted love triangle.

Monika is an interesting character because she comes across in many ways a female version of Jeffrey Dahmer, even if the movie begins with a Ted Bundy quote. Where his affairs with the dead were to have lovers who didn’t react and bring out his shyness, her obsession with the dead appears to be very much about them being corpses. With this in mind it comes as no surprise that many scenes feature her interaction with the corpse which she uses for her own means.

The love of the corpse is what pushes Nekromantik 2 to the darker area of extreme cinema. The decaying corpse is repulsive to the audience with its slime covered skin and other juices flowing out of it. We have to ignore some common sense about embalming here, or the subject matter of Nekromantik 2 starts to fall apart. Saying this, if you think too much about the plot the film starts to fall apart anyway. It’s much more interesting to just be grossed out by what you see in the film.

One element similar to Nekromantik that I wasn’t happy to see the return of was animal cruelty. When you listen to the commentary there is a description of the scenes which feature animals which does lessen the impact of what you see. For many with a love of animals though you have been warned, it is a very graphic moment that you may not like.

In terms of special features this release is packed with them. There is a commentary track with the director and the main cast as well as documentaries about the making at the locations where the film was made. There are even some outtakes from the film, as well as some features about the soundtrack which is actually a highlight of the film.

Nekromantik 2 is actually a better film that Nekromantik, and actually feels more fleshed out. While it could do with some trimming the story of Monika and her lovers is interesting, as well as shocking. Maybe it is the fact that the end is more effective that makes Nekromantik 2 more interesting, but it stays with you longer and has greater impact. You just need a strong stomach to handle what you see in the film. With a name like Nekromantik 2 though what do you expect?

****½  4.5/5

Nekromantik 2 is available now in a limited edition from Arrow Video. Contents include:

DISC 1 [BLU-RAY] & DISC 2 [DVD] NEKROMANTIK 2

• Audio commentary with Buttgereit, co-writer Franz Rodenkirchen and actors Monika M. and Mark Reeder
• Introduction to the film with Buttgereit, Reeder, Monika M. and producer Manfred Jelinski
• Masters of Life and Death a brand new documentary looking at the film s production and release history, featuring interviews with Buttgereit, Reeder, Monika M. and Jelinski
• City of the Loving Dead a walking tour of some of the original Berlin locations with Reeder and Jelinski
• Necropolis: Jörg Buttgereit s Berlin film scholar Dr. Marcus Stiglegger on the significance of the German capital as the backdrop for Nekromantik 2
• The Making of Nekromantik 2 vintage documentary viewable with two different audio tracks: an English track comprising audio interviews with Buttgereit, Rodenkirchen and Monika M., and a German track featuring radio interviews with Buttgereit and Rodenkirchen, with optional English subtitles
• Nekro Waltz: The Music of Nekromantik 2 Reeder discusses his work on the film s score
• Outtakes Reel
• Nekromantik 2 Livekonzert footage from the 20th anniversary Nekromantik 2 concert, with Monika M. and friends performing the live score
• Nekromantik 2 Livekonzert the complete 20-track audio recording of the concert [BD/DVD-ROM content]
• Two Buttgereit short films: Bloody Excess in the Leader s Bunker (Blutige Exzesse im Führerbunker, 1982) and A Moment of Silence at the Grave of Ed Gein (2012)
• Two Buttgereit-directed music videos: Rise Up by Die Krupps (1997), starring Monika M., and Die Frau in der Musik by Stereo Total (2007)
• Complete collection of Buttgereit feature film trailers
• Extensive image gallery

DISC 3 [CD] NEKROMANTIK 2 SOUNDTRACK LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

• 24-track CD featuring the complete Nekromantik 2 score

100-PAGE BOOK ANATOMY OF DESIRE LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

Review originally posted on PissedOffGeek