| Killer Condom (Kondom des Grauens) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Martin Walz |
| Written by |
Ralf König Martin Walz Mario Kramp |
| Based on | Kondom des Grauens / Bis auf die Knochen by Ralf König |
| Produced by |
Erwin C. Dietrich Ralph S. Dietrich Harald Reichebner |
| Starring |
Udo Samel Peter Lohmeyer Marc Richter Leonard Lansink Iris Berben Otto Sander |
| Cinematography | Alexander Honisch |
| Edited by | Simone Klier |
| Music by | Emil Viklický |
| Distributed by | Troma Entertainment (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time |
107 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Box office | 433,000 admissions (Germany) |
Killer Condom (original title Kondom des Grauens (English: Condom of Horror)) is a 1996 German horror comedy directed by Martin Walz. It is based on the comic books Kondom des Grauens and Bis auf die Knochen ("Down to the Bones") by Ralf König.
It was distributed in the United States by Troma Entertainment, which promoted the film at the Cannes Film Festival with the help of "a six-foot-long fanged condom".
Tagline: The rubber that rubs YOU out!
Plot
Set in the seedy parts of New York City, Killer Condom follows gay Detective Luigi Mackeroni (Udo Samel), who has been hired to investigate a series of bizarre attacks at the Hotel Quickie in which male guests have all had their penises mysteriously bitten off. While at the crime scene, he enlists the services of a gigolo named Billy and invites him up to the crime room. Before the two men engage in sex, a carnivorous living condom interrupts them and bites off Mackeroni's right testicle.
Now on a personal vendetta, Mackeroni begins his lone quest to not only bring a stop to the rash of condom attacks, but also to face his true feelings toward Billy the gigolo.
Cast
- Udo Samel as Luigi Mackeroni
- Peter Lohmeyer as Sam Hanks
- Iris Berben as Dr. Doris Riffleson
- Leonard Lansink as Babette (Bob Miller)
- Marc Richter as Billy
- Evelyn Künneke (credited as Evelyn Künnecke) as Forensic Doctor
- Hella von Sinnen as Detective Sally
- Heribert Sasse as Secret Service Man
- Meret Becker as Phyllis Higgins
- Gerd Wameling as Her Teacher
- Henning Schlüter as Robinson
- Ron Williams as Chief of Police
- Otto Sander as Mr. Higgins
- Monika Hansen as Mrs. Higgins
- Gode Benedix as Policeman O'Brian
- Adriana Altaras as Tourist
Reception
At the time of its 1998 U.S. theatrical release, New York Times reviewer Lawrence Van Gelder said that this Troma release had "a level of deadpan humor considerably above the company's usual adolescent subnorm", and that in addition to the usual gore, the film "also deals with dislocation, urban anomie, love and tolerance". On the other hand, Los Angeles Times critic Kevin Thomas called it a "strained, tedious sex-horror comedy that doesn't travel well".
Otto Sander's "manic" performance in this "cult classic" has been cited as a "good example of his comic gifts". In an essay entitled "When Condoms Go Bad: From Safe Sex to Five Microns to Killer Condom", film critic Thuy Daojensen has written that the film, despite its "third rate special effects", provides "comic relief while reflecting tension and anxiety over sexual activity for procreation versus merely for pleasure."