Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Der Fan" or "The Fan" is a West German 85--minute movie from 1982, so next year it will have its 35th anniversary. The writer and director is Eckhart Schmidt and it's probably his most known work and also one of the most known works for actress Désirée Nosbusch who plays the title character, that easily turned her into one of Luxembourg's most successful actresses ever and all this at such a tender age. I must say I am not familiar with any of the other actors in here though except Blacky Fuchsberger who has a small cameo. If you read a bit about this film, you will see that it was a controversial film back then, not only because of the contents, but also because of the argument ensuing between Nosbusch and Schmidt around the time when the film came out and that had to do with Nosbusch's nude scenes.And with the controversy dying down over the last few decades, very little stays memorable from this movie. I thought Nosbusch gave a good performance, but I also felt that almost all the supporting players were mediocre or bad on most occasions. This also includes male protagonist Bodo Steiger and I am not surprised at all that he has not acted in more films really. The story also has huge problems in my opinion. For example, it was entirely unfitting that Nosbusch's character suddenly starts cutting off body parts from the man. It feels a bit tough already for me to make an argument for her killing the man, but you can somewhat explain it through spur of the moment and affect. There was no indication at all that she was a sociopath or a violent killer earlier and then they let her do stuff like that. Yes she was misguided, but still. And lets be honest, the way he rejects her is not really severe rejection and it's difficult to justify her screaming and her killing in that scene. It was also cringeworthy how they showed it so many times from different angles. Or how did nobody from the crew tell the police who he went away with. I am not sold at all. As a whole, I can only say that by today's standards, I see this film as a blatant case of style over substance that lacks realism entirely and goes for cheap thrills from start to finish instead of delivering a good character study. The bald head at the very end is the perfect example. I cannot recommend the watch. The few topless shots of the (then already) stunning Désirée Nosbusch are not enough to sit through all the mediocre and weak moments. Watch something else instead.

Snaggletooth . Slower than a snail in a coma Der Fan tells the tale of an obsessed girl following her pop idol to the point of insanity. I got a good laugh at the fashions of 1982 seeing them all again and our main character dresses (and looks a bit) like Nena of 99 Red Balloons fame. The music within is pretty dire though, even by 1980s standards (believe me, I was there, I know) although some here seem to have enjoyed it. Our heroine eventually meets her idol and it results in a bit of rumpy pumpy, but shortly after she's basically told to get lost and the fun begins.After cracking the pop star Richard Burke (known as "R") over the head with a heavy statue she cuts him up with bread knife and dumps him in a freezer. Finally shaving her head as some process of detachment from it all. I must admit I had to fast forward a bit to get nearer the good stuff in this movie. The first hour is a real drag and pretty much nothing happens. Also during the bread knife scene you can clearly see the pulse in the neck of the "dead" singers body. At one point the tears on the girl look white too, like someone dropped milk on her to fake them. Strange lol. The pay off is OK in the movie, but barely worth the effort of getting through the first hour. Just watch the first 15mins and then fast forward to the studio scenes. You really wont miss anything.

HumanoidOfFlesh Apparently the favourite film of Japanese cannibal killer Issei Sagawa this unusual German horror drama left me a little bit disturbed.Cute 17-year-old teenager Simone has an intense crush on a dark-haired pop singer "R".The girl believes they are meant to be together,but he doesn't reply on her love letters.As she sees him for the first time she is speechless,unable even to ask for his autograph.He notices her and reaches out to touch her.Overcome with emotion Simone faints;with that first touch R's fate is sealed.When they later make love he is cold and detached.She plans the revenge which erupts into bloody murder and cannibalism..."Trance" is a remarkable horror drama about idol obsession and dysfunctional family living in their own private hell.The climax is gruesome and haunting as Simone kills and dismembers the object of her affection in a fetishistic sequence.The climatic gory mayhem is truly unforgettable.

EVOL666 DER FAN is a slow-building but effective film that touches on common themes of obsession and rejection, but in a slightly more clinical and disturbing manner than most films of it's type. The "resolution" is also a bit more bizarre than your average film about unrequited love, but should prove satisfying to fans of more "dark"-themed horror films.Simone is your typical disaffected and alienated teenager who has a delusional obsession with a popular music star, known as "R". Through R's droney and monotonous new-wave style music, Simone believes that the two are "connected" and writes him unreturned love-letters on a daily basis. Simone finally decides to run away from home to pursue her "love", and eventually meets R oustide of a television station. Unlikely as it may seem, R takes a personal interest in Simone and the pair spend the night together. But when R treats Simone as a typical groupie, Simone in not happy about it and retaliates in a most extreme fashion...To be honest, the basic plot of DER FAN is nothing very original, it's how the material is handled and portrayed that makes this film interesting. There is a coldness to the production that is reminiscent of some of Michael Haneke's works and the "shocking" ending is both deranged and satisfying. The mechanical new-wave soundtrack fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the film, and mirrors feeling of Simone's alienation and despair. My only gripes with the film are the ATROCIOUS dubbing of my copy - I would have much preferred a subtitle track. The pacing was also definitely a bit slow until the final act of the film, but I didn't find it to be overly dull. I'm also disappointed that my copy of the film appears to be the shorter, 88 minute version, and there does appear to be a few awkward edits in the sex-scene, and in the finale. I would really like to know what I missed in those two parts. Other than those issues, DER FAN is a very solid and overlooked film that I would recommend to "dark" horror/drama fans that can stand to wait for the pay-off...8.5/10