IMDb RATING
5.3/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
A man who runs an apartment house for women is the demented son of a Nazi surgeon who has the house equipped with secret passageways, hidden rooms and torture and murder devices.A man who runs an apartment house for women is the demented son of a Nazi surgeon who has the house equipped with secret passageways, hidden rooms and torture and murder devices.A man who runs an apartment house for women is the demented son of a Nazi surgeon who has the house equipped with secret passageways, hidden rooms and torture and murder devices.
Carole Francis
- Jessica Marlow
- (as Carol Francis)
Tane McClure
- Sophie Fisher
- (as Tané)
Jack Heller
- Alfred Lassiter
- (as Jack Hiller)
Abbott Alexander
- Hank Storm
- (as David Abbott)
Sherry Buchanan
- 1st Victim
- (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
David Schmoeller
- Rejected Tenant
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring filming, as Klaus Kinski became more and more difficult to deal with, director David Schmoeller noticed Kinski had a crush on one of the young female actresses (Tane McClure, daughter of Doug McClure) and would always be polite and on his best behavior while she was on the set. Towards the end of filming, Schmoeller asked McClure to remain on the set as often as possible so Kinski would be more cooperative and the film could wrap sooner.
- GoofsGunther's hand is not bandaged nor shows any sign of injury in his scene immediately after he burns it on the stove.
- Quotes
[repeated line; after each failed attempt to kill himself by playing Russian Roulette]
Doctor Karl Gunther: So be it.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits crawl over a sequence shot on a camera crawling through the crawlspace.
- Alternate versionsThe movie had a few scenes trimmed for its original UK video release:
- The first shot of Martha's dismembered tongue.
- A shot of Dr. Guenther cutting into his finger, then wiping the blood onto a bullet that has 'Guenther' engraved into it.
- All scenes that show Tane's character wearing a bra that has been cut with scissors, including a whole scene of dialogue between her and Hank.
- ConnectionsEdited into Full Moon's: Trailer Rama: Psychos-A-Go-Go (2023)
Featured review
So be it.
Meet Karl Gunther (played by legendary eccentric Klaus Kinski). He's the demented son of a notorious Nazi war criminal and a former doctor with his own shady past. He's now the landlord of an apartment building that strictly caters to young females. He regularly spies on the ladies from the buildings' hidden crawlspace area, and kills them as well. He even keeps a woman named Martha (Sally Brown) enclosed in a too-small cage. He keeps a diary of his thoughts and activities, to provide us with some exposition and insight into his character. After he brings in a new tenant, university student Lori Bancroft (played by Talia Balsam, the daughter of actor Martin Balsam), he begins to be visited by a Nazi hunter named Josef Steiner (Kenneth Robert Shippy).
Kinskis' performance essentially IS the movie. Overall, this brief bit of nutty mayhem, written and directed by David Schmoeller ("Tourist Trap", "Puppetmaster"), is mildly amusing but quite forgettable. Kinski, of course, is anything but, and he does seem to relish portraying this character (although he did make life miserable for Schmoeller and crew). There are a bunch of rats in this thing, some entertaining makeup effects gags (but not very much blood), excellent production design (by Giovanni Natalucci) and music (by the great Pino Donaggio), and a very nondescript (if attractive) supporting cast, including Tane McClure, the daughter of Doug McClure. Balsam is a reasonably personable heroine, but Shippy is boring and unintimidating in his part. Schmoellers' direction lacks style, and his dialogue, for the most part, ain't so hot. (He does admit that the movie isn't particularly good.)
Kinskis' presence and performance raise the rating by a point.
Future "Tremors" director Ron Underwood was the associate producer here. Schmoeller has a cameo as a rejected tenant.
Six out of 10.
Kinskis' performance essentially IS the movie. Overall, this brief bit of nutty mayhem, written and directed by David Schmoeller ("Tourist Trap", "Puppetmaster"), is mildly amusing but quite forgettable. Kinski, of course, is anything but, and he does seem to relish portraying this character (although he did make life miserable for Schmoeller and crew). There are a bunch of rats in this thing, some entertaining makeup effects gags (but not very much blood), excellent production design (by Giovanni Natalucci) and music (by the great Pino Donaggio), and a very nondescript (if attractive) supporting cast, including Tane McClure, the daughter of Doug McClure. Balsam is a reasonably personable heroine, but Shippy is boring and unintimidating in his part. Schmoellers' direction lacks style, and his dialogue, for the most part, ain't so hot. (He does admit that the movie isn't particularly good.)
Kinskis' presence and performance raise the rating by a point.
Future "Tremors" director Ron Underwood was the associate producer here. Schmoeller has a cameo as a rejected tenant.
Six out of 10.
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- Hey_Sweden
- Dec 26, 2013
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Details
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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