I can't give this movie more than 5 stars. I really, really wanted to like it but there isn't much to save. The young couple isn't interesting and their acting is nothing speciale either.
The nazi element is just there for folkloristic purposes since the fact that the villain is a Nazi doesn't change anything in the plot and the traumatic past event was just a familiar vendetta between husband and wife.
22 Reviews
Missed out on it's potential
sahlgoode3 March 2019
Nazi Undead, or Living Space. When a movie can't make up it's mind on what it should be titled is always a red-flag for me. It had plenty of atmosphere, but lacked any sort of climax. Was it "She...she looks exactly like me"?
I walked away feeling that the surreal was all it really had to offer. The character build up was weak to the point that I only knew who anyone was because I read about it in the films description.
Good luck to anyone that worked on the film, and I hope you continue forward in your respective careers. This film just didn't do it for me though.
I walked away feeling that the surreal was all it really had to offer. The character build up was weak to the point that I only knew who anyone was because I read about it in the films description.
Good luck to anyone that worked on the film, and I hope you continue forward in your respective careers. This film just didn't do it for me though.
A Dead Storyline
rrboedeker25 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Nazi Undead is a horror story about two young sweethearts on a trip through Germany where they encounter the spirit of a dead SS officer. The beginning of the film describes the Nazi concept of Lebensraum, living space that was needed for the German people. The film asks the question what would happen if someone unwanted entered the German living space - unfortunately the film does nothing to answer this question.
The story begins with the young couple leaving from their hotel to drive out to a local castle for sightseeing. On a lonely stretch of road, they believe they have hit a young girl, after which their car fails to start (what is it with people in horror stories having their car breakdown on a lonely stretch of road?). They start out on foot towards a lone house, where they encounter the angry spirit of a deceased SS officer. It appears the basic premise is that during WW2 the Nazi officer believed his wife was unfaithful and that his two daughters were illegitimate. In a fit of rage, he kills them all and then turns the gun on himself. Why he has now returned and what the purpose of his haunting is remains a mystery throughout the movie.
Only minutes into the film, just after the couple's car breaks down, we are treated to rapid flashes of scenes of ghostly haunting - the Nazi officer and his murdered family. It is impossible to tell if these are replays of the past, future premonitions, nor if they can be seen by the characters or not. When the couple first enters the house the young man steps into a dark room and runs out only seconds later proclaiming, "there is a dead SS officer on the bed!". The ghoul in question is wearing the uniform of an Oberfuhrer. One would need to be a serious student in military history to recognize this person as an officer in the Nazi SS (holding a rank of Sr. Colonel). Would a young American millennial be able to identify this in a matter of seconds in a dark room? Not a chance. The confusion only grows from here.
The film progresses as the couple moves through the house experiencing scenes of hauntings and appearances of ghouls from the family. How much of this is real or not is impossible to tell. When you believe there is an end and one member of the couple is brutally killed, the characters then appear back in their stalled car as if nothing has happened. The story repeats, with minor changes in events. This cycle of rise, wash, repeat occurs multiple times. Each time the couple makes increasing bad choices. It seems that in every horror movie the characters make bad choices, like the slasher movies where the frightened teenagers arm themselves with flashlights and hide behind running chainsaws. At the end we flash back to the very start with the young couple leaving their hotel for a sightseeing tour. What just happened, was any of this real, and what is the point of the ghoulish SS officer, remains a baffling mystery all through the movie.
The characters exhibited over the top dramatic acting and engaged in actions and conversations that seemed to defy any logic for a person in a similar situation. While the portrayal of ghosts and ghouls was well done, their appearance made little sense. The two murdered girls appear standing together in their white nightgown multiple times. This had all the appearance of a bad remake of "The Shining". I was expecting these two girls to say, "Come play with us Danny", followed by writing "Redrum" on the wall. The one redeeming aspect of the movie was their skilled use of images and makeup rather than the cheap horror thrill of blood and guts. Unfortunately, this alone wasn't enough to save this movie, the story frankly made zero sense. It was as if the producers said, "Hey, we have ghosts, ghouls and Nazis. That's a winning formula!". Well not exactly. You need a story behind it, and this film didn't have any.
The story begins with the young couple leaving from their hotel to drive out to a local castle for sightseeing. On a lonely stretch of road, they believe they have hit a young girl, after which their car fails to start (what is it with people in horror stories having their car breakdown on a lonely stretch of road?). They start out on foot towards a lone house, where they encounter the angry spirit of a deceased SS officer. It appears the basic premise is that during WW2 the Nazi officer believed his wife was unfaithful and that his two daughters were illegitimate. In a fit of rage, he kills them all and then turns the gun on himself. Why he has now returned and what the purpose of his haunting is remains a mystery throughout the movie.
Only minutes into the film, just after the couple's car breaks down, we are treated to rapid flashes of scenes of ghostly haunting - the Nazi officer and his murdered family. It is impossible to tell if these are replays of the past, future premonitions, nor if they can be seen by the characters or not. When the couple first enters the house the young man steps into a dark room and runs out only seconds later proclaiming, "there is a dead SS officer on the bed!". The ghoul in question is wearing the uniform of an Oberfuhrer. One would need to be a serious student in military history to recognize this person as an officer in the Nazi SS (holding a rank of Sr. Colonel). Would a young American millennial be able to identify this in a matter of seconds in a dark room? Not a chance. The confusion only grows from here.
The film progresses as the couple moves through the house experiencing scenes of hauntings and appearances of ghouls from the family. How much of this is real or not is impossible to tell. When you believe there is an end and one member of the couple is brutally killed, the characters then appear back in their stalled car as if nothing has happened. The story repeats, with minor changes in events. This cycle of rise, wash, repeat occurs multiple times. Each time the couple makes increasing bad choices. It seems that in every horror movie the characters make bad choices, like the slasher movies where the frightened teenagers arm themselves with flashlights and hide behind running chainsaws. At the end we flash back to the very start with the young couple leaving their hotel for a sightseeing tour. What just happened, was any of this real, and what is the point of the ghoulish SS officer, remains a baffling mystery all through the movie.
The characters exhibited over the top dramatic acting and engaged in actions and conversations that seemed to defy any logic for a person in a similar situation. While the portrayal of ghosts and ghouls was well done, their appearance made little sense. The two murdered girls appear standing together in their white nightgown multiple times. This had all the appearance of a bad remake of "The Shining". I was expecting these two girls to say, "Come play with us Danny", followed by writing "Redrum" on the wall. The one redeeming aspect of the movie was their skilled use of images and makeup rather than the cheap horror thrill of blood and guts. Unfortunately, this alone wasn't enough to save this movie, the story frankly made zero sense. It was as if the producers said, "Hey, we have ghosts, ghouls and Nazis. That's a winning formula!". Well not exactly. You need a story behind it, and this film didn't have any.
Terrible
jglambgary30 March 2020
This is not suspenseful, this is not a thriller, this is not a horror it is just bad writing that never makes sense if you start watching you will say I might as well and see how this all connects. DON"T it doesn't it is all over the place bad acting awful writing watch anything else watch a cooking show and I hate cooking shows that's how bad this movie is. It's movies like this that I wonder who green lighted it or who actually spent their money on making it ? I guess the thought is if you add the words zombie and Nazis that enough suckers will go to see it so you make a profit barley because as soon as word gets out people will stop going. My good deed for the day is to warn everyone not to watch this awful movie. Note: If this movie was written by two 12 year old kids I would say nice try but stay in school
Nazis Kill You with Boredom
arfdawg-119 June 2019
Use # 389 for Fishing Line...
brittanyspassion4 August 2019
I'm sorry... but the visible fishing line to close the doors really took away any chance of horror or scare from this movie. It was more like Nazi Poltergeist than anything. Also, the consistency of body placement was off throughout. The plot has tons of holes, and they broke their own rules. I can't waste anymore time on this.
Poorest kind of film making
dpaterson-26 April 2020
The entire production process is a hoax. Steven Spiel? Really? Bio smells fake. From Australia? German sited film made "entirely in Australia." Argh. Do any research beyond "gore", Steven? Exec/ Producer credits are laughable. Idea is terrible and cliche'd beyond words. The nazis, or that they are nazis, has nothing to do with the story. Could be Repubs in Alabama or Dems in Southern Cal. The writing is derivative of every zombie movie ever made. Georgia Chara tries to do something with this tripe, but sows ears can't be made into even plastic coin purse. Can't bring a dead script to life, Gabrielle. Sorry. (Careful of slack jaw acting.) It's awful. Don't waste the breath, energy, or time.
Good effects and score....rest is OK,
kalebson123417 April 2019
I found this title interesting even if others are giving it a bad rap. Overall the film is decent, nealy good. I have to say though the practical effects were really good and the score was great as well. Its worth a watch if you are bored but do not go in with high expectations.
Better Than The Revies Given Here
rlipscomb-256767 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is a talented director in his first outing with a full length movie. There were some real problems with the filming (goofs) and the writing. The director needed a firm guiding hand from the producer to take this to the next level.
I was genuinely creeped out by most of the scenes and suspense in the house. The Groundhog Day concept worked really well to add another layer but was never really brought to a poper conclusion. The very final scene needed to eliminated. The Nazi angle was unnecessary and a distraction.
But again, I was genuinely creeped out every time one of the protagonists were in the house. That is a skill that I hope this writer/director brings into full bloom in the near future.
I was genuinely creeped out by most of the scenes and suspense in the house. The Groundhog Day concept worked really well to add another layer but was never really brought to a poper conclusion. The very final scene needed to eliminated. The Nazi angle was unnecessary and a distraction.
But again, I was genuinely creeped out every time one of the protagonists were in the house. That is a skill that I hope this writer/director brings into full bloom in the near future.
Waste of 80 minutes
ScottRosenthal-660-72681026 July 2019
WTF Where you guys watching
aimeloche25 March 2019
Don't know what these reviews watched but this was interesting and creepy as hell. Usually I can figure out the end to most Horror movies, because of the basic formula they run by but I was very surprised by this one. Proof a big budget doesn't make the movie, it's the passion involved in the creation alot went into this for horror fans it would be ashame to miss out. Give it a try you won't be disappointed.
An atmospheric and creepy low-budget horror
eddie_baggins13 March 2018
A home grown psychological horror with mood and atmosphere to spare, debut feature film director Steven Spiel has delivered one of the more unique and unpredictable local offerings in some time.
Based around the old Nazi regime sentiment of Lebensraum (Living Space), being the ideological principle of Nazism that provided justification for the German territorial expansion into East-Central Europe, Spiel's film is not cut from the gore-hound corner of the horror genre (even though there is some standout gore sequences thrown in for good measure) as it instead focuses on creating an ominous and impending sense of dread as college sweethearts Brad and Ashley experience a German road trip they'd rather forget.
Living Space sees its central couple looking to get the most out of their time in Germany and Georgia Chara's Ashley and Leigh Scully's Brad make for a solid narrative foundation as things start to take a turn for the worse when their hire car breaks down and the enter into a house that proves anything but welcoming.
From a seemingly simple set-up, Spiel takes his story to some frightening and often unseen pathways as our couple get drawn into some nightmarish like Nazi-filled Groundhog Day, culminating in some neatly attuned twists and turns that keep the viewers guessing right until the end.
It's an impressive low-budget effort that suggests Spiel is a filmmaker with some genuinely unique visions and an abundance of ideas and while not everything within Living Space feels like smooth sailing, Spiel's ability to conjure up a high number of chills and thrills within the films brisk 80 minute runtime is a noteworthy feat, while Living Space's basing around real life horrors and beliefs gives it a sense of meaning that is often not to be found in similar such affairs.
Final Say -
A fresh and original horror trip that's likely to appeal to both local and international horror fans, Living Space is a psychological horror with a difference and while there are prevalent and to be expected drawbacks of such an independent offering, Spiel's Nazi-filled treat will crawl under your skin and stay there, making Living Space a highly impressive debut offering from the young director.
3 car radios out of 5
Based around the old Nazi regime sentiment of Lebensraum (Living Space), being the ideological principle of Nazism that provided justification for the German territorial expansion into East-Central Europe, Spiel's film is not cut from the gore-hound corner of the horror genre (even though there is some standout gore sequences thrown in for good measure) as it instead focuses on creating an ominous and impending sense of dread as college sweethearts Brad and Ashley experience a German road trip they'd rather forget.
Living Space sees its central couple looking to get the most out of their time in Germany and Georgia Chara's Ashley and Leigh Scully's Brad make for a solid narrative foundation as things start to take a turn for the worse when their hire car breaks down and the enter into a house that proves anything but welcoming.
From a seemingly simple set-up, Spiel takes his story to some frightening and often unseen pathways as our couple get drawn into some nightmarish like Nazi-filled Groundhog Day, culminating in some neatly attuned twists and turns that keep the viewers guessing right until the end.
It's an impressive low-budget effort that suggests Spiel is a filmmaker with some genuinely unique visions and an abundance of ideas and while not everything within Living Space feels like smooth sailing, Spiel's ability to conjure up a high number of chills and thrills within the films brisk 80 minute runtime is a noteworthy feat, while Living Space's basing around real life horrors and beliefs gives it a sense of meaning that is often not to be found in similar such affairs.
Final Say -
A fresh and original horror trip that's likely to appeal to both local and international horror fans, Living Space is a psychological horror with a difference and while there are prevalent and to be expected drawbacks of such an independent offering, Spiel's Nazi-filled treat will crawl under your skin and stay there, making Living Space a highly impressive debut offering from the young director.
3 car radios out of 5
Worst movie I've ever seen
asrichmond12 September 2019
I did it!
takato052411 July 2021
I successfully managed to be on my phone texting, playing a game, and reading other user reviews while this was on. Hell, at one point I left the house because I didn't even realize it was still on. That's how awful and boring of a movie this is. Don't waste your time unless you need noise to fall asleep.
Dont waist ur time!
tinklvsme16 June 2019
Beneath contempt
jeccles12 December 2019
Move over Speed 2, because you've been replaced at the top of my Worst Movies Ever list. The characters are thoroughly unlikable, the acting annoying, and for a 80 minute movie it seemed to go on forever. I generally enjoy bad movies but apparently I have my limits.
Plodding, makes no sense, boring.
petkanasw16 June 2020
A lot of walking around to suspenseful sound. This is not a spoiler, but the woman running for the car is coming from the wrong direction. Stuff like that. No motivation, no reason, no sense. This is not a spoiler: who was running the 8mm camera? Who write this stupid dialog? Why? Why? Why?
There's Some Excellent Reasons Why This Movie Has an IMDB Rating of 3.3!
spookyrat126 October 2022
And of course the main one is that this is a truly hideous production.
For a start it is terribly lit. Potential viewers (and I hope there are not too many of you) be prepared for a lot of squinting into many a blackish/near dark scene.
Our two protagonists, Brad and Ash (Why couldn't she have been called the more appropriate, Janet?) are completely unsympathetic from the outset. They speak in solitary sentences with bizarrely long pregnant pauses in between, as if one another keep forgetting their lines and are waiting for the other character to prompt them. And again, how many times do we hear the defiantly non - heroic Ash whine annoyingly, "What are we going to do Brad?" I honestly answered not too long into this train wreck, " I don't really care Ash.
The narrative just doesn't flow at all, even allowing for the fact that (hardly a spoiler) there are time loops involved. There are no smooth transitions between scenes. And the little dialogue there is, as inferred previously, is just of a risible quality.
Let me just be brief and summarise: This is a ghost movie without the slightest degree of suspense or dread and at the same time a wannabe torture porn film without shocks.
As for the third act "twist" (LOL!), well let's just say Blind Freddie would have seen it on the horizon from miles away.
Finally, the director ... Steven Spiel ??? Is he really serious, or just trying for some sort of in joke/homage to the great Steven Spielberg? If there is any doubt on the part of any one about this, his ahem ... debut feature. No, Living Space unfortunately, doesn't reach anywhere near the quality of Duel's (Spielberg's debut) out takes.
For a start it is terribly lit. Potential viewers (and I hope there are not too many of you) be prepared for a lot of squinting into many a blackish/near dark scene.
Our two protagonists, Brad and Ash (Why couldn't she have been called the more appropriate, Janet?) are completely unsympathetic from the outset. They speak in solitary sentences with bizarrely long pregnant pauses in between, as if one another keep forgetting their lines and are waiting for the other character to prompt them. And again, how many times do we hear the defiantly non - heroic Ash whine annoyingly, "What are we going to do Brad?" I honestly answered not too long into this train wreck, " I don't really care Ash.
The narrative just doesn't flow at all, even allowing for the fact that (hardly a spoiler) there are time loops involved. There are no smooth transitions between scenes. And the little dialogue there is, as inferred previously, is just of a risible quality.
Let me just be brief and summarise: This is a ghost movie without the slightest degree of suspense or dread and at the same time a wannabe torture porn film without shocks.
As for the third act "twist" (LOL!), well let's just say Blind Freddie would have seen it on the horizon from miles away.
Finally, the director ... Steven Spiel ??? Is he really serious, or just trying for some sort of in joke/homage to the great Steven Spielberg? If there is any doubt on the part of any one about this, his ahem ... debut feature. No, Living Space unfortunately, doesn't reach anywhere near the quality of Duel's (Spielberg's debut) out takes.
It's really hard to screw up a Nazi horror movie
berg-7453221 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It's really hard to screw up a Nazi horror movie, but clearly not impossible. I've always found that the best movie monsters are monsters that are real and as far as real monsters the Nazis should be at the top of the list. When as a teen in the 80s I was completely unaware that Nazis as horror movie monster. That all changed when I saw Shock Waves with Peter Cushing. When I saw that it changed horror movies for me. Coming from Wisconsin I'm completely aware that two movies many consider the best of all time Texas Chainsaw and Psycho are based on the real life mother obsessed farmer Ed Gein and if you've seen those two films and you know the true story they aren't alike and as a real movie Ed Gein doesn't have the same value as Nazis because he's was crazy but Nazis are evil and completely aware of what they were doing and why they were doing it. Now this movie despite having the Nazis which gives them endless directions of where to take the story do almost nothing with it. The same tired gimmick of music as a tool for scares happened several times for no reason nothing was lurking no revealing shots of children crab walking on the ceiling. Creepy children are part of this movie just not with tension filled building of musical that climax's with a scary reveal. To me it sounded like the music and the filming took place independently with very little direction. It sometimes bothers me to trash anyone acting in what me be the one and only time they get a shot and while it's unlikely/ridiculous that a casting director would use a bozo like me and my review to help make a decision in casting I still try not to rip people in my comments. First off in the description of the movie it talks that this is a romantic getaway for these two when it's anything but that and even before you learn the story of how they got to this point it's is clear this is not romance and you do find out why. That is obviously the fault of the actors and the bad acting could partly be the directors fault but the fact that not one emotion seems authentic the actors still have to be able to give you something resembling how a human would behave in a dangerous situation and in fact one moment is so ridiculous in its in probability it made me angry and I'm sure most people who have a fully functioning brain will know immediately after it happens I don't have to describe it anymore than this. Horror movies are usually filed with choices and this movie is not an exception and while the choice made was the right one this to was done in a way that that would confuse and frustrate not it makes no sense to have it the way it is in this movie. I watched the whole movie as I'm incapable of turning off a Nazi horror movie much like fat guy and a candy bar but my guess that won't be an issue for some of you.
Good concept, but low budget
xscenex3 March 2019
This could have been as good as overlord, but despite of the concept and the story being good, they made it with a low budget and B-gradish, with below average sound quality almost zero bass, the acting wasn't effective at all, immature actors. Over all a below average film, which has a good potential and could have been a big horror flick... sad
Give it a go.
lost-in-limbo24 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A Couple months back I caught the opening premiere along with the Q&A with the cast and crew of this Indie Aussie horror film. Playing out like a disorientating nightmare you can't wake up from, its one of those caught in a time loop narratives. A very similar style to Christopher Smith's mindscrew "Triangle", but early on, you kind of pick up on this foreseeable story device. It doesn't take much to understand where it's heading, but putting the pieces together was a different story.
A college couple travelling Germany takes a turn for the worse when their car breaks down on a lonely, scenic country road late one night, and to add to the stress and confusion is the discovery of a dead body. In the distance, they can see flickering house lights, which they head towards, but what awaits inside this living space is a horrific past wanting to destroy them. The story arc goes about putting the couple into a magnetic vortex shared with a scary dead German SS officer and his family, as the pieces of this horrid mystery starts coming together. In the middle of nowhere, locked in a house, moving from room to room picking up on communicative hints from beyond the grave to what's going on, and what transpired in the homestead's past. Where the journey's destination is damned to history repeating itself, and there's no escaping it.
How the script tries to connect everything can be slightly jaded, at times the pace can grind and it sort of recycles ideas, but I was invested in its universe where its bizarre and sinister atmospherics are effectively brought across. Watching the lead antagonist - a suitably unnerving Andy McPhee in ghastly make-up prosthetics - causing the couple to always look over their shoulders, or psychically and mentally putting the couple through the ringer by torturing them in a few surprise moments; who knew just how creative you could be using a swastika. Oh, the sickening aftermath scene inspired by the nazi symbol, *snap*, *snap*, *snap* and *snap*, will make you cringe by the sight of it. Gotta say, the practical gore FX are used to great effect. No cgi here.
The scares, of a haunted house variety, are systematically done (if too systematic) from moving objects, whispering voices to shots of dead kids materialising and disappearing with frenetic editing, foretelling premonitions flooding the screen in quick bursts and dark, shuddery lighting going hand-to-hand with ear piercing sounds FX and suggestive cinematography. Some great location work too. Sound performances from the cast in spite of the common character traits.
Some story inconsistencies aside, and the standard mechanics are there amongst the creative flourishes and psychological interplay make it a well-handled production for its low-budget restraints.
A college couple travelling Germany takes a turn for the worse when their car breaks down on a lonely, scenic country road late one night, and to add to the stress and confusion is the discovery of a dead body. In the distance, they can see flickering house lights, which they head towards, but what awaits inside this living space is a horrific past wanting to destroy them. The story arc goes about putting the couple into a magnetic vortex shared with a scary dead German SS officer and his family, as the pieces of this horrid mystery starts coming together. In the middle of nowhere, locked in a house, moving from room to room picking up on communicative hints from beyond the grave to what's going on, and what transpired in the homestead's past. Where the journey's destination is damned to history repeating itself, and there's no escaping it.
How the script tries to connect everything can be slightly jaded, at times the pace can grind and it sort of recycles ideas, but I was invested in its universe where its bizarre and sinister atmospherics are effectively brought across. Watching the lead antagonist - a suitably unnerving Andy McPhee in ghastly make-up prosthetics - causing the couple to always look over their shoulders, or psychically and mentally putting the couple through the ringer by torturing them in a few surprise moments; who knew just how creative you could be using a swastika. Oh, the sickening aftermath scene inspired by the nazi symbol, *snap*, *snap*, *snap* and *snap*, will make you cringe by the sight of it. Gotta say, the practical gore FX are used to great effect. No cgi here.
The scares, of a haunted house variety, are systematically done (if too systematic) from moving objects, whispering voices to shots of dead kids materialising and disappearing with frenetic editing, foretelling premonitions flooding the screen in quick bursts and dark, shuddery lighting going hand-to-hand with ear piercing sounds FX and suggestive cinematography. Some great location work too. Sound performances from the cast in spite of the common character traits.
Some story inconsistencies aside, and the standard mechanics are there amongst the creative flourishes and psychological interplay make it a well-handled production for its low-budget restraints.
worth a try
henriqueac-6278320 February 2023
This is a cool little movie about a girl and his boyfriend being lost in the middle of nowhere. In the search for a shelter they realise that they are in a haunted house. It is that same old approach which depicts a young girl starring an horror movie. What is different here is that they manage to do much with a cash shortage. I mean no bug studios behind this one. The movie begins where a teenage comedy ended, or at least it looked like it. Then the plot unfolds. Of course, it is a narrow plot in a short movie with a shortage of cast, but the psychedelic horror really does the trick in this one. Sometimes it just looked like a really old mute movie.
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