They are no more than 10 hours away from summer, sun and beaches. Simon (ANDREAS PAPE), his blind girlfriend Nina (INES ZAHMOUL) and vivid and fun loving Dodo (ANNA HABECK) are on their way to Mallorca. Having to change planes in Frankfurt gives them enough time for a sightseeing tour through the city. After being robbed by a stranger (MARTIN HENTSCHEL) they coincidentally end up in the “Maison de la petit mort” a place where sick and twisted games of a perverted high society take place. Lady Boss Madame Fabienne (MANOUSH) and her psychopath “daughters” Dominique (ANNIKA STRAUSS) and Angelique (MAGDALENA KALLEY) run the club where brutal torture, thrill kill murders and the deranged fantasies of incurably sick minds are daily business. Will there be any chance for an escape…?! YOU’LL FIND OUT IN “LA PETITE MORT”!
For thoughts on La Petite Mort, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
La Petite Mort comes to Blu-Ray via Unearthed Films with a 1080p master in the original aspect ratio which is not listed as being from a new restoration, but provides a decent experience considering its low budget origins. This film is an inherently ugly, grimy low-budget film which is never going to look amazing. Even the more brightly lit scenes are lacking any sort of fine detail within the clothing or environmental details. The grotesque imagery which will be the draw for most audience members comes through well enough, but the low lighting and fuzzy camerawork does not do the film any favors. Compression artifacts in the darker moments are occasionally an issue, but there is some amount of detail in the shadows which helps this one out. There is not really anything in the way of wear and tear. This color palette is very unappealing and typically graded with a sickly yellow over the daytime exteriors. Unearthed Films has treated this one as well as could be expected for fans.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray presents the film with a much better LPCM 2.0 track in the original German with optional English subtitles. Dialogue comes through without much of an issue, but you can tell that the original capture was not always a seamless experience with certain shots caught on the fly. Environmental effects give this world a small amount of texture, especially when out in public spaces such as the subway station. The film never goes overboard with low end impact, but the squishy moments are felt nonetheless. The film has a decent amount of fidelity when it comes to any use of music. While the original track is clearly not of premium quality, there is no indication that it is experiencing any wear and tear. Unearthed Films has done a fine job of presenting this film in the most stable quality possible.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Marcel Walz provides a really lively and informative commentary track moderated by someone with a name I cannot quite make out in which they discuss the production history of the film, the stolen shots around the city, how certain scenes evolved or were cut down, controversies around the film, working with the performers and much more that makes for a fairly entertaining listen.
- Making Of La Petite Mort: A pretty substantial 51-minute archival making-of featurette which takes you behind the scenes of the production including a look at the shooting locations, interviews with some of the talent, insights into the special effects, shot construction and more.
- Interview with Marcel Walz: An eight-minute piece in which Walz reflects on how this movie made an impact on his career, the experience of making the film, memories of working with the performers and more.
- Interview with Olaf Ittenbach: A seven-minute conversation with the special makeup effects artist who provides some insights into how he created the gnarly effects that really make the movie what it is.
- VHS Intro: A 51-second intro from director Marcel Walz which is mostly him attempting the intro several times in a row.
- Deleted Scenes: There is a minute-and-a-half of unused footage which does not really amount to much.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Teaser Trailer (0:44) and Trailer (1:22) for La Petite Mort, as well as the Trailer (1:47) for La Petite Mort 2: Nasty Tapes. There are also trailers provided for No Escape, Dr. Lamb and Christmas Cruelty!
- Photo Gallery: A collection of stills from the production and material used to market the film are shown here.
Final Thoughts
La Petite Mort is a clear example of a film designed with the sole purpose of putting the audience through hell. The first 20 minutes or so feels like an inconvenience that the filmmakers assume they need to include in order to present this as a proper movie with plot instead of a gore highlight reel. Sickening images have their place when they are earned, but the terrible performances and lackluster craft elements leave you with no reason to care about any of the people who are getting all manner of body parts sliced off or maimed in some creative way. The makeup effects are mighty impressive, but that is the only reason you are checking this one out. Unearthed Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fine A/V presentation and a few great special features. If you are a torture porn freak, enjoy your time with this one.
La Petite Mort is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Unearthed Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.