Review: BANNED IN GERMANY? "The Burning Moon" (1992)

Background:

The Burning Moon is a 1992 German Splatter Horror film written and directed by Olaf Ittenbach. Since Olaf Ittenbach's first film was a hit, he managed to fund his second movie, Burning Moon, with the profits. This time, the budget was way bigger than Black Past, so they could spend a lot more on special effects. The whole production cost around DM 50,000 (about $28,500), and the film got a lot of love, especially from horror fans.

Because of the violent content, the film was banned across the country. To get it released again, they had to cut out twelve minutes. This edited version came out on VHS with an 18+ rating. Later, the uncut version was released on DVD in Germany.

About three months after Burning Moon was released, the cops raided Ittenbach's place and seized the film nationwide. He got fined DM 5,000 (about $2,850) for violating Section 131 of the Criminal Code, which deals with depicting violence.(from Wikipedia)

Year: 1992

Writer/Director: Olaf Ittenbach

Genre: Splatter, Extreme Horror, Underground Horror

Plot:

Peter's parents push him to apply for a pharmacy apprenticeship, but he's not feeling it and bails after a quick chat at the pharmacy. Later, a friend drives him to hang out with their crew. Things get heated when their gang clashes violently with a rival group.

When Peter gets home, his parents ask him to look after his little sister while they're out, but he refuses, and things get tense with his dad. Once they're gone, Peter shoots up heroin and heads to the balcony. There, under the full moon, in his drug haze, he hallucinates the moon burning (hence the film title).

When Peter's little sister can't sleep, he sits beside her and starts telling her these stories: Julia's Love

A mass murderer falls for Julia. When she gets into his car and he goes to grab some cigarettes, she hears on the radio that the car is reported stolen. She freaks out and runs away, but leaves her wallet with her address behind. The murderer finds out she ran and drives to her place, killing her family and friends. A police officer eventually rescues Julia and shoots the murderer.

The Purity

In a small, sleepy village, the priest starts worshiping the devil in his quest for eternal life, sacrificing many villagers. After committing another double murder, he feels guilty and shoots himself, leaving the villagers clueless about his crimes. They suspect the village elder instead and hire someone to kill him. After the murder, the hitman has a nightmare about being mutilated in hell, and is found dead in his room the next day.

After Peter finishes telling these two stories, he stabs his sister. Then, he walks to the balcony, watches the full moon, starts crying, and cuts his wrists. He sinks to the ground and dies. (from Wikipedia)

My Thoughts:

Spoiler Alert!!

Let's break this review into two parts because each story is quite different.

Julia's Love:

I found this part hilarious! It's so creative and fast-paced. The way they mixed humor with this intense storyline kept me entertained throughout. That scene where they throw the head and do that childish "RAH" was amazing. It's these little touches that really make it memorable, you know?

The Purity:

This one started off as a slow burn, but man, did it escalate! The first part was a bit of a snoozefest, I'll admit, but those 15+ minutes of extreme torture, gore, and mutilation in the latter half totally made up for it. It's like they were saving up all that intensity and unleashed it in one insane sequence.

The executions they pulled off, inspired by the Dark Ages and all that brutal history, were just jaw-dropping. I mean, being split down the middle and other twisted methods—I won't spoil too much, but let's just say it's not for the faint-hearted. It had me grinning like an idiot because it was so over-the-top and satisfyingly brutal.

Summary:

Now, let's talk about the ending and wrap this up.

Honestly, that last part with Peter's sister's death felt like a letdown after the intensity of the main stories. There wasn't much to it—just seeing her dead in bed with a knife wound was kinda predictable and underwhelming. And Peter's dramatic suicide? Yeah, the acting there was pretty cringe-worthy.

It almost feels like this ending was tacked on as an afterthought. It doesn't really add much to the movie—it's like they wanted to tie up loose ends but didn't quite pull it off convincingly.

Overall, though, I'd say the strength of the movie lies in those two main stories. They're what really grabbed me and kept me hooked. If you're watching this for the horror and the twisted tales, those are the parts to focus on.

The acting in this movie was my biggest gripe. I get it's a splatter film—and a damn good one at that—but come on, you still need characters who can carry the story forward. Maybe the idea was to make us hate them so we'd enjoy watching their gruesome deaths more. Who knows?

But look, if you're diving into this movie, do it for the gore and carnage. That's where it shines. The special effects and the sheer brutality of it all are what make it worth watching. Just don't expect Oscar-worthy performances; that's not what this flick is about.