PopHorror Let's Get Scared
From Switzerland comes Blutgeil, a crazed 24 minute horror short from 1993. Also known as Zurich Cop Eaters, this bizarre film landed director Lö Lee and his fellow filmmakers in some hot water when it released. There is actually a documentary, which you can watch below, about the ridiculous and greatly politicized events which occurred involving the troubles the filmmakers faced. If that doesn’t raise your curiosity meter about this film, I don’t know what will.
Blutgeil tells the tale of a couple of cops who seek vengeance on the inhabitants of a crack house. The officers are pissed because a number of policemen died at the hands of the same sort of scum in an earlier bombing during a police ceremony. The two cops get the drop on a the place housing one of the people responsible for the bombing. They infiltrate the building and dispose of the low lives with extreme prejudice.
The cops then follow the blood trail of one of the injured junkies to another crack house. To their dismay, they find themselves overwhelmed by the wily criminals and pay the ultimate price. The version I watched had hard coded subtitles, but there is a version on YouTube minus the subs. Blutgeil is a basic story, but it’s done in a cool and professional-looking fashion. The content is engrossing and to the point, plus the gore effects are well done and brutal at the end.
However, the documentary is bizarre, and the people behind it are obviously trying to make a statement, because one of the guys in it has these giant, ridiculous-looking boils covering his face and head, definitely mocking the role of some sort of fascist figure. The documentary is in English and you can watch it below.
Final Thoughts
Blutgeil a low budget, amateur effort, but it displays some great talent from the filmmakers. I believe my biggest annoyance in the version I watched were the constant interruptions during the gore scenes. A title card comes up and says the scene is banned by the Swiss government. You get to see the scenes, but the interuptions are annoying. This occurs a few times. Also notable is the short’s soundtrack, which includes the songs “Cop” by Swans and “Nobody’s Driving” by Amebix. Regardless, Blutgeil is a great short film, and something a little different to emerge from the underground.
