Plot: What’s it about?
In New York, you’ll find that strange events don’t just happen, but residents expect them to occur. If something unusual doesn’t happen every once and again, the damn place just wouldn’t be the same, now would it? But even New York isn’t prepared for the downright bizarre nature of the next plague to stalk the streets. When a professor blackmails a student into some of the old “in-out,” he finds himself in a bit of a problematic situation. He was putting on the condom and everything seemed in order, until the condom bit his penis off! A homosexual detective, Luigi Mackeroni (Udo Samel) goes to investigate and when he decides he needs some action of his own, he comes dick to face with the condom himself. Mackeroni tries to warn his peers and the citizens about this murderous birth control device, but no one seems to believe him and as such, mutilated groins emerge all over the city. Can Mackeroni wrangle the condom into submission before it’s too late, or will safe sex be a thing of the past in Gotham?
You know, there just aren’t enough movies with condoms in prominent roles. Perhaps it just isn’t as sexy to feature condoms in the love scenes, or maybe celebrities have seen this movie and refuse to use them because of it. I think the idea of a killer condom is fantastic and this film delivers all the thrills and spills you’d expect. If you ask me, this flick and Troma seem like a match made in heaven, so how fitting that Troma would be the distributor for this wacky movie. If you’re easily offended though, this isn’t the disc for your weekend. But then again, why click on a review for Killer Condom if you’re that conservative? This has all the usual Troma elements such as blood, flesh, and of course cheesy special effects and I was surprised to see how well the film turned out, even with a rather low budget. I know I’m sold just on the notion of the storyline, but if you want to see one very offbeat flick, then I recommend you check out Killer Condom.
This film was directed by Martin Walz, who also helped pen the screenplay, which was based on the popular comic book. This film is very low budget and while some don’t like the low cost antics, I think the effects look terrific and it all turns out very well. You can tell there isn’t a lot of money spent of course, but I never thought the movie suffered too much because of that. Perhaps I like creative efforts more than most folks, but I think the budget was spent to perfection on this flick. The visuals are very cool and mesh well with the events and characters, though the camera tends to perform some extreme movements from time to time. This never proves to be a distraction though and I feel it adds even more unusual flair to this one. If you want to see more films by Walz, I recommend Apokalypse Pink, Butschma, and Walz. It’s hard to chew up a scene when there’s a killer condom sharing the screen, but the actors turn in adequate performances in the end. Udo Samel (Faraway So Close!, The Age Of The Wolves) steals most of the show and really brings his character’s finer points to life well. The cast also includes Leonard Lansink (The Turbulent Man), Peter Lohmeyer (Little Tropikana), Iris Berben (Am I Beautiful?), and Marc Richter (War Of Neighbours).
Video: How does it look?
Killer Condom is presented in a full frame transfer, which seems to be an open matte of the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. This is a low budget film so you’ll never see a pristine version, but this one looks much better than you might expect. There is some grain and debris on the print, but never to an extreme degree and compression errors are few and far between. The colors look bright and never smear or distort, while flesh tones appear normal and consistent also. The contrast is just as sharp, no shadow errors and detail is always high also. If you want this flick, this is as good as it gets.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is where the flick might lose some viewers, but I ask that even haters of subtitles give this movie a chance. This disc includes the original German language version, which I love but I understand some of you dislike reading subtitles while you watch. But the included English subtitles are more than adequate and I think it is well worth the effort, even for hard-core subtitle haters out there. The vocals sound clean and crisp at all times, with no volume hiccups I could notice. This is a very nice track and I commend Troma for including the original German track, but perhaps future releases could feature an English option also.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find a wealth of Troma based bonus materials of course, but a few supplements specific to this film can also be found on this disc. You’ll find a funny and informative audio commentary with director Martin Walz and special effects creator Jorg Buttereit. This is a loaded track, loaded with humor, information, and even beer! A selection of production sketches and stills has also been included, which should please fans of the film. The final extra is the film’s theatrical trailer, which is always nice to have.
