Memento Mori: The Jörg Buttgereit Collection: Limited Edition (Arrow Store Exclusive) – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: West Germany, 1988 (Nekromantik), West Germany, 1990 (Der Todesking), Germany, 1991 (Nekromantik 2), Germany, 1993 (Schramm)
Director: Jörg Buttgereit (All Films)
Cast: Bernd Daktari Lorenz, Beatrice Manowski, Harald Lundt, Collosseo (Nekromantik), Hermann Kopp, Heinrich Ebber, Michael Krause, Eva-Maria Kurz, Angelika Hoch, Nicholas Petche, Susanne Betz, Mark Reeder, Hille Saul, Ades Zabel, Bela B. (Der Todesking), Monika M., Mark Reeder, Simone Spörl, Beatrice Manowski (Nekromantik 2), Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Monika M., Micha Brendel, Carolina Harnisch, Michael Brynntrup (Schramm)

Release Date: August 26th, 2024 (UK), August 27th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 71 Minutes 12 Seconds (Nekromantik), 75 Minutes 25 Seconds (Der Todesking), 102 Minutes 54 Seconds (Nekromantik 2), 65 Minutes 35 Seconds (Schramm),
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Stereo German (All Films), LPCM Mono German (Nekromantik)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £74.99 (UK), $99.99 (USA)

"Shocking and controversial, yet permeated with a dark, poetic beauty, the films of underground German auteur Jörg Buttgereit stand at the very intersection between art and exploitation.

In Nekromantik, the director's groundbreaking 1987 debut, nihilistic couple Rob and Betty seek to enliven their relationship by bringing a freshly-acquired corpse into the equation, with predictably nauseating results. 1990's Der Todesking takes a more experimental - but no less gruelling - approach, offering up seven vignettes of suicide, one for each day of the week, all prompted by a mysterious chain letter. In 1991, Buttgereit would return to the realm of corpse-loving with Nekromantik 2, which sees the young Monika torn between the two men in her life - the dorky yet doting Mark, and a rapidly-decomposing cadaver. Lastly, with 1993's Schramm, Buttgereit takes us deep into the deranged mind of a psychopath, charting the final days in the life of twisted sex killer Lothar Schramm.

With Memento Mori: The Jörg Buttgereit Collection - which brings together all four of the director's feature films, packed with extras and accompanied by a wealth of exclusive content - Arrow Video is proud to offer up the definitive compendium of this most singular of genre filmmakers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5 (Nekromantik), 4.5/5 (Der Todesking, Schramm), 4/5 (Nekromantik 2)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Nekromantik was remaster from the original Super 8mm negative, with digital tools being employed to restore certain visual effects to match the original release prints."

Nekromantik comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 15.5 GB

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Der Todesking was remastered from a 16mm internegative, which was scanned in 2K at Screenshot Berlin, Germany, and all restoration work was overseen by producer Manfred Jelinski at his own facility. Color grading was handled by Jan Hartman."

Der Todesking comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.2 GB

Feature: 18.6 GB

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Nekromantik 2 was remastered from original film elements. All work was completed in Germany and was supervised by the filmmakers."

Nekromantik 2 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.5 GB

Feature: 27.8 GB

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Schramm was remastered from the original 16mm negative, which was scanned in 2K qat Screenshot in Berlin, Germany, and all restoration work was overseen by producer Manfred Jelinski at his own facility. Color grading was handled by Jan Hartman."

Schramm comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.6 GB

Feature: 17.8 GB

While some very minor debris remains, all sources look better than they ever have. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is solid, and all films retain an organic appearance. Nekromantik, the only film shot on Super 8mm, is not as strong of a presentation as the other three films.

Audio: 4/5 (All Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with an LPCM stereo mix in German, while Nekromantik also comes with an LPCM mono mix. All tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise ambient sounds and the scores are well-represented. There are removable English subtitles for all tracks.

Extras:

Extras for Nekromantik include an image gallery (88 images—behind-the-scenes still/promotional materials), a Jörg Buttgereit trailer gallery: Nekromantik (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Der Todesking (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Nekromantik 2 (1 minute 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in German and English, no subtitles), and Schramm (1 minute 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), Nekromantik premiere footage (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), a 1997 retrospective on the film featuring interviews with Jörg Buttgereit and producer Manfred Jelinski (9 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary tilted The Making of Nekromantik (12 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with non-removable English subtitles or Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a 2014 Q&A with Jörg Buttgereit filmed at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Scotland (45 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Morbid Fascination: The Nekromantik Legacy (39 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Jörg Buttgereit titled In Conversation with The Death King (22 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), music videos directed by Jörg Buttgereit: I Can't Let Go by Shock Therapy (3 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Lemmy, I'm a Feminist by Half Girl (3 minutes 34 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), two short films by Jörg Buttgereit with optional audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit: Hot Love (29 minutes 1 second, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles) and Horror Heaven (23 minutes 20 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Hot Love premiere footage (3 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Horror Heaven outtakes (4 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), an alternative "Grindhouse" version of Nekromantik (71 minutes 12 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono German with burnt-in English subtitles), an introduction by Jörg Buttgereit (1 minute, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Jörg Buttgereit and co-screenwriter Franz Rodenkirchen.

Extras for Der Todesking include an image gallery (160 images—behind-the-scenes still/promotional materials), a Jörg Buttgereit trailer gallery: Nekromantik (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Der Todesking (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Nekromantik 2 (1 minute 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in German and English, no subtitles), and Schramm (1 minute 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), Der Todesking premiere footage (9 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with music from the film playing in the background), an alternate English-language chain letter insert (1 minute 58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), an archival documentary about the making of Nekromantik, Der Todesking, and Nekromantik 2 titled Corpse Fucking Art (60 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digtal mono German with removable English subtitles or Dolby Digital mono English with removable English subtitles for text in German), an archival documentary titled The Making of Der Todesking (16 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles or Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Skeleton Beneath the Skin, a featurette on Der Todesking tattoo culture with journalist Graham Rae (6 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Jörg Buttgereit tattoo gallery (102 images), an actor and composer Hermann Kopp titled Todesmusik: Conversations with the Fish Man (10 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtites), From Bundy to Lautréamont—Jörg Buttgereit in conversation with journalist Graham Rae at the 2016 Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (36 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two short films directed by producer Manfred Jelinski with optional audio commentary by Manfred Jelinski: Die Reise ins Licht (25 minutes 31 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles) and Geliebter Wahnsinn (7 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), a short film titled Der Gollob directed by Jörg Buttgereit with optional audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit (25 minutes 2 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Jörg Buttgereit and Franz Rodenkirchen.

Extras for Nekromantik 2 include an image gallery (108 images—behind-the-scenes still), a Jörg Buttgereit trailer gallery: Nekromantik (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Der Todesking (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Nekromantik 2 (1 minute 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in German and English, no subtitles), and Schramm (1 minute 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), outtakes reel (11 minutes 5 seconds, no sound), Nekromantik 2 Livekonzert—footage from the 20th anniversary of the Nekromantik 2 concert in Berlin (11 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary titled The Making of Nekromantik 2 (27 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with non-removable English subtitles or Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor and composer Mark Reeder titled Nekro Waltz: The Music of Nekromantik 2 (5 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film scholar Dr. Marcus Stiglegger titled Necropolis: Jörg Buttgereit's Berlin (9 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a locations featurette titled City of the Loving Dead (9 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Masters of Life and Death (36 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two music videos directed by Jörg Buttgereit: Rise Up by Die Krupps (4 minutes 1 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and Die Frau in der Musik by Stereo Total (2 minutes 17 seconds, LPCM stereo German, no subtitles), two short films by Jörg Buttgereit with optional audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit: Bloody Excess in the Leader's Bunker (7 minutes 59 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles), and A Moment of Silence at the Grave of Ed Gein (2 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo, no dialog), an introduction by Jörg Buttgereit, Mark Reeder, Monika M. and Manfred Jelinski (39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Jörg Buttgereit, Manfred Jelinksi, Franz Rodenkirchen, Monika M. and Mark Reeder. Another extra is the complete 20-track audio recording of the concert [BD-ROM content].

Extras for Schramm include image galleries: stills (39 images), behind-the-scenes (64 images), and artwork and miscellaneous (11 images), a Jörg Buttgereit trailer gallery: Nekromantik (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Der Todesking (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Nekromantik 2 (1 minute 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in German and English, no subtitles), and Schramm (1 minute 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in English), Buttgereit: Into the Mind of a Cult Filmmaker—Jörg Buttgereit in conversation with Ewan Cant at the 2019 Offscreen Film Festival in Brussels (40 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author and filmmaker Kier-La Janisse titled Take My Body: The Journey of a Blow-up Doll (6 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival documentary titled The Making of Schramm (35 minutes 28 seconds, LPCM stereo German with removable English subtitles), a 1994 Q&A with Jörg Buttgereit, Manfred Jelinski, Monika M., and author David Kerekes, filmed at a UK screening of Schramm (28 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Tomorrow I Will Be Dirt, a short animated sequel to Schramm directed by Robert Morgan (8 minutes 10 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, LPCM stereo, no dialog), Tomorrow I Will Be Dirt behind-the-scenes featurette (1 minute 59 seconds, LPCM stereo with music from Schramm playing in the background), Tomorrow I Will Be Dirt premiere footage (5 minutes 22 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), two short films directed by Manfred Jelinski: Orpheus in der Oberwelt (31 minutes 47 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles), and Ein ku'ze' Film übe' Hambu'g (6 minutes 35 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect raito, LPCM stereo German with removable English subtitles), two short films directed by by Jörg Buttgereit: Mein Papi (7 minutes 33 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono with text in German and removable English subtitles), and Jesus - Der Film (2 minutes 42 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono with optional audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit, an audio commentary with Jörg Buttgereit and Franz Rodenkirchen, and an audio commentary with Monika M. and Florian Koerner von Gustorf.

Extras on a bonus disc include a short satirical concert film titled The Muschibärs Live at the Gleisdreieck directed by Jörg Buttgereit, with optional audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit (6 minutes 12 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with text in German and removable English subtitles), New York - Paris, a short film by Jörg Buttgereit documenting his 1986 trip to New York, via Paris, for a screening of Hot Love, with optional audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit (9 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital mono, no dialog, music playing in the background), Captain Berlin versus Hitler, a filmed version of the stage play written and co-directed by Jörg Buttgereit with optional audio commentary by composer Mark Reeder (74 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), Schweinchen, a short film directed by Jörg Buttgereit documenting a decomposition study conducted by renowned forensic biologist Dr. Mark Benecke (18 minutes 24 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo German with removable English subtitles), Monika M. screen test footage for Nekromantik 2 (4 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), Nekromantik 2 premiere footage with audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit (9 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an extended cut of Nekromantik 2 (109 minutes 27 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include an original Nekromantik 2 16mm film strip and a 100-page rigid book with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Travels Through Art and Deparvity written by David Kerekes, an essay titled Deviant Wisconsin Resonance written by Graham Rae, an essay titled Requiem for a Dream: On Finding Life Through Death in Jörg Buttgereit’s Theatre of Cruelty written by Kat Ellenger, an essay titled Who Wants to Die for Art? written by Graham Rae, an essay titled Jörg Buttgereit’s Nekromantiks, or the Sadean Shock of the Body written by Virginie Sélavy, an essay titled “I Love The Dead”: A Half Century of Necrophilic Cinema written by Keir-La Janisse, Son of Nekromantik comic book written by Jörg Buttgereit and Martin Trafford, an essay titled “Murders among Us’: From M to Schramm written by Virginie Sélavy, an interview with Jörg Buttgereit titled My Daddy Issues: From Revenge to Reverence, conducted by Graham Rae, Schramm the Sequel written by Robert Morgan, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

Nekromantik: A young man named Rob uses his job where he collects and disposes of corpses to help build his growing collection of body parts. Not satisfied with just collecting mere body parts, one day he brings home an intact corpse. Rob is not alone in his obsession with the dead; his girlfriend Betty is also a necrophiliac. Unfortunately, their moment of bliss would be short-lived, and Rob’s world will be turned inside out when Betty decides to leave him for the corpse he recently brought home. Unable to cope with this great loss, he seeks out new avenues in hope that he will be able to fill the void that now dominates his life.

Modern films and television news bombarding audiences with violent imagery are further desensitizing violence. When it comes to pushing the boundaries of violent content in cinema, there has always been a push for films that lean into violent content to outdo what has come before. While a film like Necromantik checks all of these categories, it hits an audience in a different way than other similar-themed films.

On subject matter alone, there are very few firms that are going to push buttons more than Nekromatik; it is a film that features a protagonist whose obsession with necrophilia is bound to revolt the majority of perspective viewers. That said, if this were Nekromatik’s only objective, then it would have already faded away into obscurity.

Fortunately, Nekromatik is not your run-of-the-mill shock-your-senses gore feast; at the core of Nekromatik is a story about love and death and how these two things are intertwined. Other subjects that Nekromatik explores include obsession and dealing with the loss of a loved one.

That said, Nekromatik is the type of file that will divide perspective viewers. Nekromantik is a film that defies all genre conventions; it is a rare example of a film capturing the true essence of horror. Although things that go bump in the night are bound to cause the most audiences to jolt, Nekromantik takes you to a place where even the darkest of dreams are an afterthought.

There is a rawness to the visuals that adds a level of authenticity to them. The most memorable moments visually are the corpse-fondling scenes and a brutal finale. When it comes to moments of gore or bloodshed, Nekromatik delivers in spades. The most surprising aspect of Nekromatik is how well it incorporates humor into such a morbid tale.

There are only two performances of note: Bernd Daktari Lorenz’s portrayal of Robert and Beatrice Manowski’s (Wings of Desire), in the role of Betty, two people whose obsession with the dead brings them together. They both deliver remarkable performances in which they totally immerse themselves. Outside of the two leads, the rest of the performances are best described as adequate. The secondary cast are merely props whose only purpose is to further the narrative.

Since the beginning of cinema, filmmakers have been forced to create within a confined area that far too often dilutes their vision. Fortunately, there are filmmakers who go outside of traditional cinema, and that is why films like Nekromatik exist. Ultimately, Nekromatik is a truly unique cinematic experience that is best summed up as cinema without boundaries.

Der Todesking: The premise is simple: seven days, seven deaths.

After shocking audiences with his debut feature Nekromatik, Jörg Buttgereit decided that he did not want to repeat himself and become pigeonholed as a filmmaker. So, with his next film, Der Todesking, he would create a film that is the antithesis of his debut film, Necromantik.

The narrative is not connected by a protagonist but by one central theme: death. There are seven stories that make up the narrative and in between each story there is an image of a rotting corpse. There are brief scenes that open and close the file with a young girl who has been drawing Der Todseking (aka The Death King). Where Nekromantik was meant to shock audiences with its gruesome imagery, it is not the case with Der Todesking; despite showcasing seven deaths, when it comes to actual onscreen gore, things are considerably tamer than Nekromantik. 

While dialog is sparse, this never becomes an issue, since it is the visuals that drive the narrative. Visually the strongest moment is the story that involves no people and just a bridge. Reportedly, the bridge was notorious for being a place where many had jumped off it. Instead of doing a reenactment of these deaths, this story is told via a series of tracking shots over the bridge, while people’s names and their occupations appear onscreen. Ultimately, this story resonates more than the other stories because of its approach to the subject matter. The second story stands out as Der Todesking’s most graphic moment. It is a film within a film scenario where characters are watching Nazisploitation film where a man is castrated. This is the only moment in Der Todesking that is reminiscent of Nekromantik.

When it comes to the imagery that appears onscreen in Der Todesking, it is aesthetically in line with Jörg Buttgereit’s other films. That said, what Der Todesking lacks in is shock value; it more than makes up for it with its interesting premise, which is filled with subtext throughout, most notably its exploration of death and its ramifications.

Nekromantik 2: A young woman named Monika gives into her necrophilia urges and digs up the corpse of another like-minded person. At first, her world revolves around her obsession, which is until one day when she meets a young man named Mark, who does voice-over work for porno films. As time goes by, her relationship with Mark grows stronger, and she does not want to lose her newfound happiness. So she goes out of her way to hide her necrophilia from Mark. Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end. Will Monika remain with Mark or will she return to obsession with all things dead?

Sequels have long had a reputation for not living up to their predecessors. And in the case of Necromantik 2, it is yet another firm that continues a series but lacks some of the elements that made its predecessor so shocking and, more importantly, original. While Necromantik 2 and its predecessor have many similarities when it comes to their premise, the way in which each explores the same subject matter is drastically different.

The narrative starts off strong as we are introduced to this firm’s protagonist, Monika, who is in a graveyard, and she is digging up the grave of Rob, the protagonist from Necromantik. This opening setup has a tremendous amount of atmosphere, as it is filled with eerie imagery and devoid of any dialogue. It is once the dialogue starts to flow that things take a slight detour. From there, the narrative spends almost half of its running time focusing on Monika and Mark’s love affair. And it is not until the finale that things return to the atmosphere of the opening setup.

Nekromantik 2 is a considerably more polished film than its predecessor, which had a rough-around-the-edges look to it. At just 103 minutes in length, there are several stretches where the narrative tends to drag. Nekromantik 2’s most striking moment visually is the finale, where Monika is forced to choose between Mark and necrophilia. Out of all of the moments in Nerkromantik 2, it is this scene that comes closest to capturing the essence of what makes Nekromantik so special.

Schramm: Lothar Schramm lies in a pool of his blood, bleeding to death, recalling the recent events that led to his murderous rampage and his obsession with a prostitute who lives next door.

Since the dawn of cinema, there has been a fascination with psychopaths. The blueprint for such characters might as well be traced back to Fritz Lang’s 1931 file M and Peter Lorre’s brilliant performance as the child murderer Hans Beckert. Through the years, as cinema evolved and became more explicit, the killers became even more memorable and frightening, like A Clockwork Orange’s protagonist Alex de Large. In more recent years, some filmmakers have even tried to romanticize these tragic villains, notably in The Silence of the Lamb, in which Anthony Hopkins plays the diabolical and at times enchanting Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Jörg Buttgereit’s Schramm features one of the more unique killers to ever grace the screen. The way the narrative unfolds is not as straightforward or easy to digest as most viewers are accustomed to. Schramm is filled with stark imagery that at times is beautiful and most of the time it is downright disgusting. There is a documentary vibe to Schramm that almost makes it feel like we are watching someone’s home movies and not a film.

Some of Schramm’s most volatile moments include the protagonist screwing up a rubber sex toy while listening to the prostitute next door having sex, the vagina monster with its sharp teeth that crawl between the protagonist's legs, and most horrific of all, when the protagonist drives three nails into his penis. Without a doubt, Schramm’s greatest asset is its leading man, Florian Koerner Von Gustorf, who delivers an utterly convincing and frightening performance in the role of Lothar Schramm.

That said, Schramm is not a film for everyone and those who don’t have a strong stomach would be best advised to skip Schramm. Ultimately, Schramm is an intense, one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that has some extraordinary moments that stay with you.

Memento Mori: The Jörg Buttgereit Collection brings together all of the contents from Arrow Video’s four individual releases and adds a bonus disc with content exclusive to this release. Memento Mori: The Jörg Buttgereit Collection is an exceptional release that brings together the bulk of Jörg Buttgereit’s filmography. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer