When censorship laws in Germany strived to kill creativity via oppression, rivalling that of the level witnessed in the Woodhouse/Thatcher inspired ‘Video Nasty’ era in Britain, one man was determined and felt it his duty, as a fan of the scene, to push back. Violent Shit is the result of his labors, love for the genre, and hatred for the constraint these laws placed upon him and his creative brethren.

Violent Shit first introduced the underground (tape traders and scene fanatics) and now more of the unsuspecting general public, thanks to Synapse Films, to Karl the Butcher. Noticably Slingblade in appearance (years before its release making one wonder whether Billy Bob in fact used this film as inspiration) he stumbles from one scene to the next, uttering not a single syllable.

Unlike the happy chappy in Slingblade theres not one mention of french fries or even an utterance of the proposed intent the gargantuan blade in his grasp serves. “I’m gonna kill you with it, I reckon”. Much like ‘Slingblade’ Karl suffers from an askewed mentality and sensibilities that go far and beyond that of the aforementioned’s burning hatred for Dwight Yoakum’s drunken antics. Karl’s psychosis stems from issues some twenty years previous. Notably severe and ongoing maternal abuse and devilish suggestions from a psychologically manifested demon (incidentally sporting a mouth muscle to put Kiss frontman Gene Simmon’s tonsil pusher to shame) who possesses Karl to commit matricide (witnessed in an early scene following his introduction as he frolicks in the woods during the opening credits.)

Without offering spoilers, apart from stating that Violent Shit sports a very minimalistic plot, Karl spends the majority of the film appearing out of the ether to stalk and slaughter innocents (when he isn’t taking impromptu power naps). That is, of course, if you class those who sport mullets, dress in denim from head to toe and preamble in secluded wooded areas for little to no reason completely innocent. In their defense, however, this was the eighties a decade in which stranger things have been recorded as fact. I dont think I have to remind you that one figure in particular noted for his portrayal of a movie cowboy was voted into US office and served two terms.

The money shots or (if you prefer) the kill scenes, in Violent Shit, are quite unlike those witnessed in higher budgeted and more celebrated genre features of around the same time. Obviously, they vary dramatically both in quantity and ferocity, and it goes without mentioning (whoops) noticable quality in the FX department. Although they are ultra effective and excellent with the budget in mind. Whereas many stalk n slash features at the time merely teased at carnage, blood shed and gore Schnass delivered in aces. Where a viewer may have witnessed a hatchet to the head in some features (name withheld) Violent Shit, as the name suggests, gladly went all out by offering unflinching evicerations, decapitations, arterial sprays reminiscent of Shogun Assassin (especially) and even in one scene a unforgettably, gruesome attempt at filleting. All depicted in an unhurried manner in much the same way as the eye opening, vomit inducing carnage on offer in the Japanese Guinea Pig film series, more recently in Unearthed’s entry, an American series bearing much the same franchise moniker, Bouquet of Guts and Gore.

However, Violent Shit isn’t without an occasion ‘stab’ at something a tad different than the norm, as if its unflinching depiction of ferocious barbaric acts of butchery isn’t enough. Much like in Jorg Buttgereit’s Nekromantic, alongside Olaf Ittenbach’s Burning Moon both released around the same time, there are a number of scenes bearing more of an artsy approach, although I’m glad to report none bearing quite the same intensity as witnessed in Nekromantic (admittedly because of this element, not souch the corpse fuckery, it was hard for me to watch to completion).

The film obviously suffers a great many flaws. To name but a few the sound is naff, the lighting leaves a lot to be desired, the acting is atrocious and much like (everyone’s favorite bearded wandering Jew) Jesus a great many years pass without much explanation. In all honesty though this is to expected based on budgetary constraints. Truthfully it’s not as if the viewership of this dirty gem are really going to complain. After all this film was produced not for awards nominations or for Oscar’s sake, nor was it designed to please rabid hordes of reviewers. Rather, I believe, Andreas created it as a spit in the eye for censorship. It was designed for the fans, the gore hounds, unsatisfied, left wanting, resulting from laws passed, not voted on, by big brother regimes who decided (from their lofty pedestal perspective) what one should or shouldn’t be allowed to watch, all under the thin guise of ‘it’s what’s best for the people’.

Shit this isn’t Disney. This is Andreas Schnass, one of the crown princes of Splatter.