User reviews

The first thing I would like to point out for all potential viewers is that this is not a gory film as much as it might be mildly disturbing. There are scenes of blood, but this doesn't necessarily constitute 'gore'. This is just my opinion, though.

Schramm is, as most already know, based on a lonely psycho with issues, many of which revolve around women and 'unrequited love' as someone else put it. While I understood the base and idea behind the film, I was left wanting.

Schramm managed to pique my interest but did little more. There is nothing here to flesh out the serial killer; just hints of his self-loathing and dementia. I would have liked some kind of inner monologue at points in the movie, to hear what the killer was thinking during and after his murders. Did he hate his body or did he just enjoy pain? Was he afraid of women or really just somewhat of a necrophiliac? Did he hate was he was doing, though he could not stop, or was he laughing maniacally on the inside? What exactly drives him? Many questions, few answers. Perhaps that was the point though, to leave one thinking and drawing their own conclusions. Maybe not.

In the end, I found this film did not live up to the hype. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it most certainly could have been better.

For those interested in 'gore', find something else. Schramm will not entertain you.

...and I've seen "Salo," the grandfather by which all bizarre, sicko cinema is measured (but I still think it's a fascinating film). "Schramm" lies just beneath it as far as the weight of its images is concerned--in a lot of ways, it's like a serial-killer music-video filled with frames (including a Lynch-like, disembodied vagina with teeth) that burn themselves onto your frontal lobe with explicit authority. Director Jorg Buttgereit utilizes an effective, mood-setting score that helps to produce a film that is atmospheric, yet rich in character and psychology; "Schramm" is 62 minutes of celluloid that, if you choose to watch it, won't be easily forgotten.

7/10

Well for once I bought a movie only looking at the tag line.I really haven't seen any Jörg Buttgereit movies.The DVD I purchased had some trailers of his other movies, and comparing those with Schramm,I assume this is the most realistic movie he has ever made.It gives a good insight into the life of a loner/voyeur/serial killer and how things work out within his head.Right from the first scene till the scene he dies,the movie takes a look into the sick and disturbed mind of the protagonist himself.This film is intense,bizarre,weird,disturbing and most of all a bit original since no one would normally dare to go into the mind of the serial killers.Not in the same class of Jaime Rosales's "Hours of the Day" but still pretty OK.Definitely not for the squeamish and weak hearted only of you have a thing in for serial killer and extreme movies you can give it a shot (especially the scene where he nails his penis to the table .. OUCH!!!!).A 7/10 movie with some decent acting and bizarre scenes.

Schramm (1993)

*** (out of 4)

Lothar Schramm (Florian Koemer von Gustorf) is lying in a pool of his own blood where she's slowly dying. Through flashbacks we take a look at his relationship with a neighbor (Monika M) and learn how he became a serial killer.

SCHRAMM comes from German director Jorg Buttgereit and in many ways you could probably argue that it's the best of his early films. As with NEKROMANTIK, its sequel and DER TODESKING, this one here deals with the typical stuff like violence, sex, mutilation and murder. This one here also comes across more like an art film than just some cheap direct-to-video horror film. This one manages to work once again because the director clearly has talent and makes you realize it even if you might be turned off by the subject matter.

This one here clocks in at just 66-minutes so there's really no fat or scenes that are just dragged out for no reason. I really thought the director did a fine job at getting us into the mind of this killer and you can tell what a messed up person he is. I thought the relationship with the neighbor, who just happens to be a hooker, was quite believable and in a strange way you care for both of them. Both von Gustorf and Monika are good in their roles and this certainly helps.

SCHRAMM certainly isn't a movie that's going to appeal to everyone as there's a lot of blood, some really graphic violence and of course some bizarre sexual stuff. If you're a fan of the director's work then you should enjoy the picture, or at least enjoy it as far as your stomach can take.

German art house movie about a lonely, sexually frustrated, middle aged serial killer. Being a Manfred O.Jelinski/Jorg Buttgereit, production you can expect sex, death, extreme gore (despite what some reviewers claim, there are a few hard to stomach scenes here) and plenty of surrealism. Personally I found the plot hard to follow, even though it is quite basic, and had to read a full synopsis post viewing to fully understand it. This may now make a second viewing better. Buttgereit is a talented film maker,low budgets obviously not being an issue for him, however Schramm certainly did not live up to his two Nekromantic movies and overall I felt a little disappointed. I watched this on German VHS, here in Britain it still does not have a BBFC certificate but I'm confident that in these more enlightened times Schramm, should it ever get submitted, should be passed uncut without any fuss.

This film claims to be some sort of artistic, gore-horror masterpiece. What an utter lie that is. In reality, it is a trite, pseudo-intellectual attempt at being "artsy." Buttgereit attempts to use an absurd amount of repetition of imagery to make some sort of statement about the main character's depravity-- a good idea in theory, but taking 10 minutes of footage and repeating it in varying edits for an 65 minutes makes for a dreadfully uninteresting film. He did a far better job at exploring sexual deviance and death in his Nekromantik films...

I hear a lot about 'gore' movies and I try to watch all the ones that I hear good things about because I am a fan of the genre. However, recently I have managed to watch a slew of bad movies, including this one. Schramm really didn't make any sense to me because there really isn't a lot going on. Maybe if you are a fan of the director you will be more prone to liking this film, but from the standpoint of a casual viewing I would say that it is seriously lacking substance. The movie is short (62 minutes), which is one of the few things I liked, but unless you REALLY want to see this film I would save that hour for something a little more useful.

I must say that out of all the Jörg Buttgereit movies I have seen so far this is by far the best. It uses all of the same themes as his other movies (nudity, sex, mutilation, violence, killings, death) but it's more successful with it than usual, making this an artistic successful one, as well as an powerful one that is being effective with its themes.

The movie gives us a real look inside the head of a serial killer/rapist/necrophiliac. We see his weird fantasies of extreme violence and sex but we also see his fantasies of how he truly wants to be. The movie doesn't present its main character as a deranged psycho but more as a man who can't help being the way he is. He's struggling with it himself at points but in the end he just can't help being the man that he is. With self mutilation he tries to fight the feelings and punish himself for the deeds he has done but it's all in vein.

Yes, it's a quite odd movie, due to its themes and the way it's being brought to the screen. Jörg Buttgereit often picks the artistic approach and uses some symbolism and metaphors. For this movie he obviously got inspired by Luis Buñuel's work. Jörg Buttgereit is like the German Luis Buñuel and Takashi Miike, though not all of his movies work out as well as this one does.

It shows the world as a dirty place. Not only with it's extreme violence or people living in it but also with its almost depressing settings. The main characters apartment looks like it's an outdated '70's bachelor shack, in the middle of a bad and poor neighborhood.

It's a movie that works on so many levels with its themes and with the story it tries to tell. Jörg Buttgereit always aspires all of his movies to be like this but not all of his work works out as well and successful as this one does though.

9/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

I have known and heard of this movie ages ago. I was expecting something along the lines of Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, and Hostel, but i got something new here.

Compared to the director's previous works of Nekromantik and it's sequel, this movie actually seems to be meaningful. The idea and the gore visuals are awesome. This is the first time that we are watching exactly through the killer's mind.

It is sort of similar to the movies like The Untold Story, Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, and Angst, as we just follow our main lead. Compared to the three films i just listed, this movie actually showcases how our main character is struggling, how he is truly lonely, and how he actually has schizophrenia, and you actually feel sorry for him. However, also compared to all the previous three films, all three of the films were made better, plot-wise and technically-wise.

Now it's time for the negatives: None of our characters really have any depth. Angst just is a pitch-black dark movie, and you care, here it's really a mixed bag. The movie repeats it's scenes that we have already seen and that's pretty annoying. At the start of the movie, we learned that our main character is dead, which sort of spoiled the ending.

I feel like i have to rewatch this a second time, but this movie is just a mixed bag.

Well, this one's pretty hard to describe. Some people might say, this is one of those movies you either love or hate. Some might ask, if it's art or trash. First of all it's a movie about a serial killer. But in my opinion it can't be compared with other serial killer movies, because it's too different. And it's supposed to be. If you like to watch a story like the ones about Ted Bundy or Jeff Dahmer you better let this one pass by. In the mood for some funny, gory horror-stuff to watch with your friends having some beer and some laughs? Wrong choice! "Schramm" is weird, disturbing, almost bizarr. Or do you think, every man should for once in his life pin down his penis on a table using 2-inch-nails? Schramm does. If you like stuff like David Lynch's "Eraserhead" or the Japanese "Tetsuo" you might probably love "Schramm". And even if it serves some gore it might be stuff to think about for some among you. Try to get its message...- it's worth a watch!

I think of Schramm like a train and you're tied to the tracks. Its a primitive film, full of aggression and violation. Buttgereit's film Nekromantik was snide and built up a cult, Schramm has more narrative than his film Der Todesking but its definitely not linear. Schramm retains the trademark cinematic dissociation Buttgereit does so well and which makes this film disturbing. Its the cheapness of the gore and the ordinariness of the surroundings which makes the dissociation possible. Odd to say, but there's a scary realism here in the blankness and bleakness. Its grosser than ever in Buttgereit land and this tale of a self-abusing, disturbed killer is compulsive viewing if you can

Jorg Buttgereit's "Schramm" is one of the most disturbing movies ever made.This film about a lonely man,a serial killer named Lothar Schramm is very tragic and sad.It has some very interesting shots/angles and offers plenty of disturbing images.The scene where Lothar nails through his penis with a hammer is truly revolting.The soundtrack is excellent-very gloomy and depressing."Schramm" is definitely my favourite Buttgereit's film,so anyone who likes serial killer cinema won't be disappointed.There are also two gruesome serial killer movies made in Europe,but I haven't seen them yet:Uwe Boll's very disturbing and grim "Amoklauf"(1992)and Gerald Kargl's "Angst"(1983),Austrian serial killer film that is as intense and disturbing as they come.All three movies are very worthy of mention and research.

This has to be one of the best serial killer films if not for the camerawork or editing (much better than Buttgereits previous stuff) for its deadly realism. The special thing about this one is that it doesn't depict - instead it forces viewers to see from the killers eyes and think the killer's way.

Moreover, and mainly because of the obvious improval of the technic (it LOOKS much more professional than, say, Nekromantik, even if it's not, and I know because I watched the special edition where we see how they filmed this thing) , this film might appeal to other people as well, apart from sickos and people on weird / gore films.

I can imagine that some serious cinema-lovers could take this very seriously and consider it a great film as it is.

Almost two decades ago, when VHS was king, a mate of mine got hold of an nth generation copy of Jörg Buttgereit's Nekromantik, the latest tape doing the rounds in underground horror circles. With extreme scenes of animal mutilation, corpse-shagging, and other assorted depravity, it was a real eye-opener—my first experience of independent German ultra-gore (you never forget your first time!).

Fast forward to 2007, and I've finally gotten around to viewing my second film by the twisted genius that is Mr. Buttgereit: Schramm—an amazingly disturbing look into the mind of a sexually inadequate serial killer, which has made me wish that I had followed this film-maker's career a little more closely!

The movie begins with our protagonist, Lothar Schramm, falling off a ladder whilst trying to paint over bloodstains on his apartment walls; as he lays on the floor dying, we are shown glimpses of his life via a series of flashbacks. And what a twisted individual he turns out to be.

Lothar likes to spend his spare time humping his inflatable rubber female torso, hallucinating (mostly about his leg falling off and a weird tentacled vagina-monster with teeth), nailing his tally-whacker to a table, and killing unwelcome visitors before arranging their lifeless bodies in a variety of sexual positions.

He also likes to pass the time with the pretty prostitute from across the hall, although his inability to interact normally with the opposite sex (or anyone else, come to think of it) eventually leads him to abuse his friendship...

Buttgereit delivers a decidedly grimy tale of an unhinged individual that is disturbing, shocking and visually arresting. The direction is assured, with some well considered camera movements and a nice use of a non-linear time-line; the low-grade film stock used gives the film a suitably 'cheap' look and the whole affair is complemented perfectly by a hauntingly oppressive score.

There are plenty of surreal moments that will delight fans of avant-garde horror/shock cinema—some hallucinatory gore (with an amazingly yucky eyeball gouging), a bizarre suicide, an ambiguous ending (for one character, at least)—but it is the scene in which Schramm fixes his tadger to a table that is guaranteed to stick in the minds of most viewers the longest: using real nails, a real lump-hammer, and, worst of all, a real penis, it is a total shocker and not for the faint-hearted! 7.5, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

More of an art-house film than a horror really. But this German "poetic" film really doesn't disappoint at all, it surprises! And it's not something that should not be missed. Often compared to such great serial killer films as "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "Maniac" probably because the movie wants to show us the story from the killers point of view. It tries to lead us into the mind of the murderer. Schramm does this in the best way, it's a really bizarre experience. This may seem weird, but the movie is actually very beautiful. Of course not everything in it is. But some of the scenes in Schramm have such wonderful cinematography that really hard to imagine that it's such a low budget film. Buttgereit really has a great artistic style.

Many people think that the film is just another gore film, from the guy who made "Nekromantic", well I can tell them that they're wrong. This film is not something you would see for gore and blood. Even there are a few really nasty scenes, which are really nasty.

Now the music is one of the best highlights of the movie, it really has a special atmosphere, a very dark and weird atmosphere too. And if you get the 2-disc DVD you get the movie soundtrack on a CD which I personally recommend.

Not for the general horror fan, but defiantly for any Buttgereit fans. Some would say that the movie is a little slow, but I don't agree. Watch it twice.

All I can say about this movie is "what?" Granted I watched it in the wee hours of the morning, and perhaps my perceptions were skewed but...wow. Very strange. And what was with the Hammer and Nails on the map? this movie comes off as very choppy and incoherent. I'm always glad to incorporate new and different titles into my library... but i don't think I want to admit to having this one. True it is far better than most serial killer movies, because this shows what's going on with the serial killer and not the detectives investigating him. there wasn't a single cop in the movie. Kind of makes you think how he was getting away with everything. especially when he seems so inept to being able to get through the day sanely. I do believe i am now scarred for life.