It seems like only yesterday when we were checking out The Devil of Kreuzberg (2015), a
respectably accomplished modern gothic horror film directed by Alexander Bakshaev that’s gotten a lot
of due praise, and now, seemingly out of nowhere, Alex and the great folks involved follow it up with a killer Jess Franco tribute S & M: Les Sadiques.
I had viewed a lot of compelling images of
this film when it was in production, and one of the images, which did not end
up in the cut of S & M that I
watched, displayed lead actor Nadine Pape
channeling an iconic image of late ‘60s, early ‘70s Franco lead Soledad Miranda,
and I thought it looked cool. It captured the original spirit but also had a
different energy about it that was trying to impart a new vision, something
that’s not only a great tribute but also works on a number of other levels,
which is something that could also be said about the overall film.
It’s always been interesting to get to know fellow film
bloggers through their writing or vlogs. You come across a lot of great writers
with a mutual passion for European genre and horror movies, yet some of them
have a passion that goes beyond just talking about the movies; they make them
too. Now, I confess to knowing nothing about filmmaking and I probably never
will, but I can only imagine what kind of intense commitment and passion must
go in to making a genre love letter like The
Devil of Kreuzberg, a medium-length German gothic horror film from indie
filmmaker, and I might point out fellow film blogger, Alexander Bakshaev.
I’ve followed Alex on Trash Film Addict for a few years now, so I was familiar
with what kind of films he’s interested in and looking forward to how someone
who knows a lot about vintage gothic horror would tackle a low-budget gothic
horror film in 2015, and I’ve got to say I was impressed.
