[Editorial] Where To Start With German Horror Films: 6 Recommendations

With its chilling folklore, medieval castles, twisted forests, and position firmly at the forefront of Western art since the Middle Ages, it’s no surprise that Germany has contributed some of the most infamously terrifying films to the genre of horror. In fact, Germany boasts what many consider the first true great work of horror in the form of 1920’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. With such a rich history of horror, it can be difficult to even know where to start. If you’re feeling daunted about dipping your toes into Deutsche dread, look no further and keep reading - you’re guaranteed to find something to satisfy your ‘sehnsucht’.

If you’re looking for folk horror…

HAGAZUSSA (2017, Lukas Heigelfield)

Hagazussa feels like the bleaker, crueller and arguably scarier older sister of Robert Eggers’ The VVitch. This 2017 debut feature from Lukas Heigelfield follows Albrun, an isolated goat-herder in the Alps, who is shunned from her community due to the actions of her mother. Hagazussa is full of enough ‘A24 vibes’ to satisfy those who like their horrors drenched in dread and aesthetically stunning, but it doesn’t shy away from depicting some truly ghastly events.

If you’re looking for true crime…

DER GOLDENE HANDSCHUH (2019, Fatih Akin)

Der Goldene Handschuh is a dramatization of the killer career of serial murderer Fritz Honka who terrorized sex workers in 70s Hamburg. Der Goldene Handschuh is violent, visceral and impossibly grim, reeking through the screen to twist your guts and refusing to shy away from portraying the repulsive reality of murder. Jonas Dassler presents an effectively disgusting portrayal of Honka – and for anyone who’s tired of Hollywood’s insistence of glamorizing mass murderers (cough Zac Efron cough), Der Goldene Handschuh is as far from glamorous as you could possibly get.

If you’re looking for classics…

NOSFERATU (1922, F.W. Murnau)

In an age of blockbusters, CGI splatter and roaring soundscapes that permeate our eardrums, it’s worth remembering that the roots of horror were far simpler and more minimalistic. F.W. Murnau’s 1922’s German expressionist piece is, of course, the classic vampire tale – one that has influenced everything from The Lost Boys to Let the Right One In. To an audience so far removed from the era of silent film, Nosferatu’s lack of dialogue only serves to amp up the atmosphere, while the infamous sight of Max Schreck’s looming shadow creeping silently up the stairs is still a monumentally scary moment. But if you are not ready to jump that far back in time, Werner Herzog’s 1979 remake is a gorgeously Gothic work of art that might be easier on the eye for those with more stylish sensibilities.

If you’re looking for gore…

NEKROMANTIK (1987, Jörg Buttgereit)

Created specifically as a ‘fuck you’ to strict German censorship laws, Jörg Buttgereit’s NEKRomantik has firmly cemented itself as a beloved extreme cult film, and a must-see for any gorehound. NEKRomantik follows corpse cleaner Rob who, along with his girlfriend Betty, has a penchant for the putrid. Rob brings a corpse home for the pair to enjoy and, well, you can imagine the rest. Make sure you stick around for the erm, explosive ending. And if NEKRomantik tickles your funny bone, make sure to check out Der Todesking which Buttgereit released three years later, and which is less an exercise in black comedy and more a bleak analysis of death in arguably its most brutal forms.

If you’re looking for artsy slow burns…


LUZ (2018, Tilman Singer)

Sophisticated and suspenseful, this directorial debut from Tilman Singer is a hypnotic homage to Euro horrors of the 80s with its grainy cinematography, liberal use of muted neon and experimental, stylistic scenes which showcase the talent of lead Luana Velis in the titular role. After an accident, Spanish taxi driver Luz drags herself to a police station – and an unconventional interrogation reveals that an unwanted presence might have followed her to Germany after all these years.

If you’re looking for horror comedy…

DER BUNKER (2015, Nikias Chryssos)

A particularly peculiar tale of a surreal nuclear family, German-Greek director Nikias Chryssos’ 2015 Der Bunker is impressively stacked full for a movie with only four characters and a singular location.

A nameless student rents a room at an isolated bunker to focus on his studies and soon finds himself embroiled in a bizarre family drama involving an offbeat, eccentric household of weirdos. There’s Klaus, a grown man who lives as an 8 year old boy, a father who insists Klaus will be the President of the USA once he learns all the capital cities of the world and Klaus’ mother who, as well as being ominously seductive, is harboring a Cronenberg-esque secret involving her wounded leg. Der Bunker is as surreal as it sounds, with a distinctly German sense of humour: as black and dry as a loaf of schwarzbrot.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

FUNNY GAMES (1997, Michael Haneke)

Austrian director Michael Haneke’s 1997 fourth-wall breaker about a home invasion is German in language alone, but is a must-see for anyone who likes their horror hopeless and as nihilistic as they come. 

SUSPIRIA (2018, Luca Guadagnino)

Although the original Suspiria and its remake were born from Italian directors, Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 retelling of Argento’s classic witch flick brings the setting of a bleak German Autumn to life just as vividly as the array of German characters. Set in 1977, a time of political upheaval for Germany, Suspiria (2018) explores the darker parts of the country’s history: Chloe Grace Moretz’s character belongs to a militant Marxist group and Josef Klemperer (expertly played by an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) lost his wife to the Holocaust death camps. 

ICH SEH, ICH SHE (2014, Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala)

Known internationally as Goodnight Mommy, Ich Seh is a spine-tingling slow burn that follows two twin boys, Elias and Lukas, as they try to figure out who - or what - is hiding behind the bandaged face of their mother. Impressively, Ich Seh marks the debut of the Austrian aunt/nephew film-making team who have since made waves internationally with The Lodge, and seems to have cemented their talent for sinister storytelling.

BLUE MY MIND (2017, Lisa Brühlmann)

Swiss director Lisa Brühlmann’s German language feature follows Mia, a seemingly normal 15 year-old girl dealing with all the trials of entering puberty. Bodily changes abound for her – some normal, some decidedly abnormal – and like an episode of Skins set in an aquarium, Blue My Mind floats through a dreamy cerulean haze and delivers a very mild exercise in body horror. A good starter point for any younger horror fans looking to dip their toes (or tails) into the genre’s vast depths.

So what are you waiting for? Dim the lights, crack open a Bavarian bevvie and get watching, and let us Ghouls know – what’s your favourite German horror?

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