Has anyone seen this film? It's a pretty rare film to find in both its cut and uncut form but if you do find yourself able to get in possession of it, don't hesitate. It's a German film directed by Gerald Kargl and features relatively unknown German actors; more about them below. The storyline is pretty simple and understandable: a German adult male just released from prison after serving 10 years for murdering an elderly woman enters back into the world. From the moment he's released you know he has no other prerogative than to continue killing. After a failed attempt to murder a taxi driver he wanders off into the woods until he comes upon a house completely isolated from society and it's in that house that he continues his murderous rampage. The owners of the house are a young woman, a grandmother, and a mentally challenged wheelchair bound brother and it's during their drawn-out murders that the truly chilling aspect of the entire film comes into play. We find out through the murderer's constant monologues that he had a nightmarish childhood spawned from both mental and physical abuse from his mother, sister, grandmother, and biological father which eerily correlates to the brutality occurring on screen to the new victims as he's torturing and eventually killing them and gives you more insight than you would probably want with this antagonist but in a way, it's the most perfect representation of mental illness that I have ever witnessed in a film. The murders are by far some of the most realistic and disturbing I have ever bore witness to, as well. It's similar to the current trend of murder stories but for a film of its age it's well ahead of its time and that adds the ultimate kicker to the entire film. By the end, I felt I knew more about mental illnesses that inspire murder more than any film afterwards has been able to convey. All this leads up to the chilling finale which doesn't quite play out as the psychopath predicted in the very beginning of the film. I won't ruin the ending for those who haven't had the opportunity to see the film and while justice was served at the end, I was really hoping that after the success that the film had with its extended murder sequences the ending would be able to top all that but unfortunately it doesn't quite pan out like that but it's definitely not a wasted viewing. In all honesty, if there's one thing better than the actual act of the murders it's the unbearably tense build up to them. For the first 30 minutes the camera acts as a silent second person through the clever use of constant handheld camera setups and very rarely does this film use static shots and for that I'm grateful. It's as if you, the viewer, are actually bearing witness to the atrocities happening on screen and in very many cases, it's as if you're standing right over the murderer's shoulder watching them happen. You will want to help the victims even though you never find anything at all out about them. That's also another rarity for a film of this type. For the next 30 minutes you watch as the characters for the most part do their absolute best to escape this madman but ultimately you know what happens. There are absolutely no wasted shots in this film as everything you see on the screen plays a part in the film at one point or another; I couldn't find one single useless shot. Every loose end was tied up which is getting increasingly more rare in this genre of film to this day. It's not for sensitive viewers as a lot of the images (even the harmless ones) are unbearably intense in their execution and even though the film is short at 75 minutes (73 minus credits) it accomplishes everything it sets out to do with pinpoint precision. I honestly cannot recommend this anymore than I already have to both hardcore and newbie horror fans. Lastly, this film is subtitled and despite that, you find yourself unable to take your eyes off the screen. There is A LOT of dialogue but most of it being internal monologues from the character which are chilling in and upon itself. You will no doubt feel very dirty after watching this film but unlike Wolf Creek (the only movie prior to this one that I felt disgusting just watching) it's a much better film. Apparently a longer version running 83 minutes does exist but that's even more rare to find than the current version and does add in a few interesting additions but nothing really groundbreaking to scour every corner of the earth for. What we do have is definitely more than enough. My rating: 5/5

As a fun side note, this film was influenced by real life mass murderer Werner Kniesek. Also, the narration quotes confessions of real-life killers like Peter K�rten, better known as the 'Vampire of D�sseldorf'. Researching these two historical figures either prior to viewing the film or afterwards really helps add to the atmosphere of the film. Peter K�rten is referenced rather frequently in American literature such as Stephen King's novel, 'Salem's Lot (incorrectly referenced as Kurtin throughout), D.M. Thomas's The White Hotel (the protagonist is haunted by K�rten's story in chapter 4), and James Patterson's Swimsuit (the antagonist references K�rten while recounting his own crimes for an autobiography). He was also rumored to be the influence of the antagonist of Fritz Lang's M though Lang denied it. In the world of film, K�rten was referenced in the 1995 film, Copycat (yes, the Sigourney Weaver one), where the antagonist used his name as one of his aliases which Weaver's character explains the reference later on. Very little can be found on Werner Kniesek though. There's a German Wiki page for him but the translation wouldn't go through when I tried translating it so I know very little regarding this villian as a result. The only thing I did come across is this: his persona and crimes stand as a threatening symbol of senseless death and destruction for its own sake. The film Angst was also interestingly enough a heavy influence on Gasper Noe's French thriller, Irreversible, though the story lines are completely separate.

The coolest side note I found was that the unnamed antagonist, played by German actor Erwin Leder, went on to do work for some pretty big name films: he is credited for playing a Waffen SS officer in Spielberg's Schindler's List, a peasant in the 1993 Charlie Sheen adaptation of The Three Musketeers, Johann from Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot, and most recently he played Singe from 2003's vampire-werewolf film Underworld along with more than 65 other German films and television series, all of which I have not heard of. The actor that offered his voice for the finale's narration, Robert Hunger-B�hler, went on to have an extensive resume in over 20 more German films. The rest of the cast however were never to be seen in film again.

Anyway, definitely check this out if you can. You may or may not regret it (depending on your film tastes and sensibilities) but one thing is for certain: you won't soon forget it.