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Reviews
Melancholie der Engel (2009)
A decent art house horror
Marian Dova's film was indeed a step up from Cannibal. It's a dream like visual art-house film that turns the graphic and grotesque into a beautiful piece of film making. I have to say the uncut version I'm reviewing was in German language with no subtitles but that was not a major issue as there is no real narrative. The film appears to be about death and decay. We see old dolls, dead birds, insects, pigs, cats, fish, insects, and copses in coffins, cigars burning down, and old bones. The scenes involve sexual violence towards women, mutilation, urine, the smearing of excrement and general extreme horror that would normally shock. However, this is no exploitation movie; all the scenes have a dream like quality and an unsettling atmosphere which leave for an emotional experience. Good cinematography and a score by David Hess make this better than it really should be. Lots of sex, nudity and masturbation which is in no way erotic and scenes that would be controversial if in a different picture. At over two and a half hours long it's best to watch in two or three sittings as this is not a movie to grip or even shock you, just a decent piece of extreme horror art-house.
Cannibal (2006)
Well acted and directed
This movie by Marian Dora comes with a reputation. It is the true story of a couple of men meeting on the internet. One wants to eat another person and one wants to be devoured. From the opening credits the viewer can tell it's well filmed on a moderate budget and the props used in the credits are successful in leaving an unnerving feel. The film feels right for an extreme horror – grim tone and totally devoid of any humour. The intimate scenes between the two men show a tender side to the two personalities that feel very real and the lack of dialogue really works throughout the film due to the good use of sound. The film has gore and sexual scenes but at nearly an hour and a half some of the scenes appear over-long or unnecessary. A good, if not very entertaining film that deserves a watch for extreme horror fans but most would decide not to revisit it.