Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Nekromantik

  • 1988
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 11m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Nekromantik (1988)
Body HorrorDark ComedySplatter HorrorHorror

A street sweeper who cleans up after grisly accidents brings home a full corpse for him and his wife to enjoy sexually, but is dismayed to see that his wife prefers the corpse over him.A street sweeper who cleans up after grisly accidents brings home a full corpse for him and his wife to enjoy sexually, but is dismayed to see that his wife prefers the corpse over him.A street sweeper who cleans up after grisly accidents brings home a full corpse for him and his wife to enjoy sexually, but is dismayed to see that his wife prefers the corpse over him.

  • Director
    • Jörg Buttgereit
  • Writers
    • Jörg Buttgereit
    • Franz Rodenkirchen
  • Stars
    • Bernd Daktari Lorenz
    • Beatrice Manowski
    • Harald Lundt
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jörg Buttgereit
    • Writers
      • Jörg Buttgereit
      • Franz Rodenkirchen
    • Stars
      • Bernd Daktari Lorenz
      • Beatrice Manowski
      • Harald Lundt
    • 121User reviews
    • 97Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 0:56
    Trailer

    Photos112

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 106
    View Poster

    Top cast37

    Edit
    Bernd Daktari Lorenz
    • Rob
    • (as Daktari Lorenz)
    Beatrice Manowski
    • Betty
    • (as Beatrice M.)
    Harald Lundt
    • Bruno
    Collosseo
    • Joe
    Henri Boeck
    • J.S.A.
    Clemens Schwender
    • J.S.A.
    • (as Clemens Schwenter)
    Jörg Buttgereit
    Jörg Buttgereit
    • J.S.A.
    Holger Suhr
    • J.S.A.
    Volker Hauptvogel
    • Man with Gun
    Harald Weis
    • Dead in Garden
    Heike Surban
    • Prostitute
    • (as Heike S.)
    Patricia Leipold
    • Prostitute
    Elke Fuchs
    • Prostitute
    Margit Im Schlaa
    • Prostitute
    Suza Kohlstedt
    • Vera
    • (as Susa Kohlstedt)
    Franz Rodenkirchen
    Franz Rodenkirchen
    • Pornokiller
    Heinz Langner
    • Cop
    Christiane Baumgarten
    • Woman in Dream
    • Director
      • Jörg Buttgereit
    • Writers
      • Jörg Buttgereit
      • Franz Rodenkirchen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews121

    4.811.8K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7czar-10

    Sick gore fest not for many people

    For the uninitiated, Nekromantik is one of the most notorious horror movies ever made. It may actually be reviled more than it is admired, even in horror circles, but it's one of those few movies that's provocative, in the truest sense of the word. Nekromantik is the story of a nice young couple with unusual sexual proclivities. Specifically, in order to get off, they require congress with a human corpse -- or at least a nice selection of pickled organs. Fortunately for these two, the fella (Daktari Lorenz) has a good job on the clean-up crew that tidies up automobile accidents, and eventually winds up with a real find, a half-rotten carcass dragged out of a swamp. He brings it home, where he and Betty (Beatrice M.) give it a warm welcome in a distended love scene involving a striking optical-printing technique that leaves motion trails on the screen as someone (presumably Lorenz, who doubled as composer of the score) pounds out the lyrical love theme on a piano. It's not all hugs and corpses, however, and when Betty abandons Rob after a tiff, the corpse goes with her.
    grob248

    The best necrophiliac love story ever told

    Jorg Buttgereit's most famous movie. And just for the record, the combined cost of both, "Nekromantik" and "Nekromantik 2" was something like $45,000. Anyway, I happen to like this movie, or, to be exact, this necrophiliac love story. A good thing about it is that it's not some stupid exploitation flick, and its ultra low budget and cheap special effects fit well into the whole mode. I love this whole primitive, underground feel of it all. Buttgereit and the star Daktari Lorenz actually managed to make a likable character out of a necrophiliac. Poor Rob, he just couldn't get no satisfaction until his own unfortunate demise. And the "love" scenes were all consumed by these artsy blurs and twinkles. It's weird, but the most brutal scene in the movie seemed to be the documentary footage of a farmer skinning a rabbit. Finally, to top it off, the film's soundtrack was strangely compelling and evocative. "Nekromantik" is a pure underground cult classic, no doubt about it.
    5tonosov-51238

    Exactly what you paid for

    The director said it himself: It was made to spite German censors. And that's exactly what you get. A few scenes are mildly entertaining, and the film is thankfully short.
    DJ Inferno

    The art of horror

    Obviously filmed on super8-format Jörg Buttgereit´s masterpiece "Nekromantik" looks much more professional and expensive than it´s actually is! Being banned in many countries the most people only see a depraved and disgusting horror movie in it, but to me it is a disturbing, but simultaneously beautiful film about a weird fetish! The whole film is surrounded by an almost apocalyptic poetry and the wonderful piano score emphazises the sinister death-is-everywhere atmosphere perfectly! Some may be offended by gross scenes like the suicide masturbation, the autopsy, the rabbit dissection, the beheading of an old cemetery gardener or the climax when Robert and Betty have sex with the corpse (A very esthetical scene by the way...), but exactly that´s the stuff which makes this movie so unique: the surreal combination of bizarre symbolic, gore and dream like mood! Watch it whenever wherever you can!
    4lthseldy1

    Gross.... Pure Gross

    This movie is the sickest movie that I have ever seen. One good thing about the movie is that it did have a decent plot during the movie enough for me to go by. I couldn't believe some of the scenes that I was watching and I had to even close my eyes during the scenes of animal mutilation. This one is a good one to churn your stomach a little, or a lot. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone into some real gross stuff, give this one a look.

    Best Emmys Moments

    Best Emmys Moments
    Discover nominees and winners, red carpet looks, and more from the Emmys!

    More like this

    Nekromantik 2
    5.2
    Nekromantik 2
    Schramm
    5.7
    Schramm
    The Death King
    6.3
    The Death King
    Melancholie der Engel
    3.3
    Melancholie der Engel
    Guinea Pig 5: Mermaid in the Manhole
    5.5
    Guinea Pig 5: Mermaid in the Manhole
    August Underground
    3.5
    August Underground
    Necromantic
    Necromantic
    German Angst
    5.3
    German Angst
    Murder-Set-Pieces
    3.7
    Murder-Set-Pieces
    August Underground's Mordum
    3.0
    August Underground's Mordum
    Necromantic
    Necromantic
    August Underground's Penance
    3.5
    August Underground's Penance

    Related interests

    Jeff Goldblum in The Fly (1986)
    Body Horror
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Shawnee Smith in Saw (2004)
    Splatter Horror
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jörg Buttgereit said in an interview that he never intended to be a director and Nekromantik was just a film to rebel against the German film rating system, trying to shock as many people as possible.
    • Quotes

      Betty: [on a note] Left for good. Took the corpse.

    • Alternate versions
      Allegedly, the Japanese theatrical version was heavily cut, and edited together with Nekromantik 2 (also heavily cut) to make one long film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Nekromantik 2 (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Ménage à trois
      (uncredited)

      Written & performed by John Boy Walton

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How long is Nekromantik?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 25, 2014 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • NEKRomantik
    • Filming locations
      • Berlin, Germany
    • Production company
      • Jelinski & Buttgereit
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 11m(71 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.