It's fair to say I didn't exactly get off to a great start when it came to my introduction to the 'Troma' movie universe. I started out with 'Class of Nuke 'Em High' and my response to that was less than favorable, only resulting in confusion and overall disappointment based on how well-loved this sub-genre of horror is by so many fans. So when it came to me giving this outlandish production company another chance, my expectations were already pretty low. Did I pick badly the first time around? Or, is my understanding of these films going to make this time around a more digestible experience?
The dark satirical humor resonated with me on a level I never expected from a film titled 'Killer Condom'. Somehow, this film manages to find a balance between a somewhat grounded in reality sense of storytelling, and contrastingly, being absurdly off the wall. Unlike my first 'Troma' experience, this one managed to keep me investment in its basic storyline and the more palatable direction it takes with some of its sides plots. One thing that was most fascinating to me is how this film manages to inject an array of wildly exaggerated and self-aware elements, that I couldn't help but find myself in awe of its overall poor production quality. This overall meta experience made me feel like the low standard of film making was almost intentional in someway.
One thing that really struck me as odd was the mass inclusion of almost 'shot for shot' scenes from other films within the wide scope of cinema. Including iconic moments such as the shower scene from 'Psycho', a bathtub scene that plays out like 'Jaws', multiple 'Gremlins' references and an oddly reoccurring nod to 'The Godfather'. And the scenes themselves are clearly done in a satirical way, yet it's how they managed to get away with using the almost identical themes from all of those movies alongside the scenes themselves.
I will say, I think that the fact this is subtitled worked in its favour, for me. If I could have split my focus whilst watching this film and listen to it alongside doing something else, I feel like it is the type of film I could have easily have drifted in and out and not given this the attention it deserves. Having to read the dialogue as opposed to listening gave me a a better understanding of the plot and its more often than not wildly obscured subplots. Having subtitles also helped me understand the jarring setting locating of this German film. Even though this is a German speaking film with English subtitles, it is set in America with "American characters". This takes some getting used to but after ten minutes or so it all sort of falls into place.
This wouldn't be a 'Troma' movie without the inclusion of low quality B-movie grade effects. And as someone who is a huge fan of this standard of visual work, I'm glad to see that 'Killer Condom' delivered on that front. With some mildly creative use of puppetry and at one point what I can only assume was a giant animatronic condom with teeth like a piranha, it's nothing short of hilariously entertaining. I'm only disappointed we didn't see more of this stuff throughout. Considering the almost 2 hour runtime, I expected this to be more of a forefront feature. Sadly, this is sidelined more in favour of its character relationships and storytelling.
Overall, 'Killer Condom' is as insane as one might imagine from a film based on a genetically modified latex contraceptive, and then some. The acting is less than desirable, the direction and cinematography is abysmal and there are a lot of derogatory terms used throughout this film that are wildly dated and inappropriate by todays standards. However, even taking all of that into consideration, I would be lying if I said I didn't really enjoy my experience with this film. I will certainly be in no rush to watch this again and likely never will. Yet, it will be a film I will continue to discuss and recommend to fellow like-minded people as one of the most insane films I have experienced in recent years. I implore you to watch this film for yourself and make up your own mind, but be warned you are either going to love it or hate it. This has no middle ground.
💀💀💀1/2
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