The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus

Holfen is a village with a notoriety for young girls winding up dead. A supposed curse, a ghost of the nearest Baron Von Klaus supposedly returning to possess his descendents into murdering these girls because of an atrocity towards his own daughter, is a myth that spreads from the lips of the locals in Holfen. Some shoo away such a myth, while others—like two vagrants who work odd jobs and roam around the parts—consider it credible. Karl, a skirt-chaser, is sent on assignment from his paper to write about the story.
***½

...a town noted for its gothic style, its trout, its food, and its crimes.

A deathbed warning, a key hidden in a book, a plea to flee the premises of the castle of the Baron to a son, and a secret chamber which harbors ancient cruelty, the dying Baroness wishes for her son to get as far away from Holfen as possible to avoid the curse, hoping the ghost’s shadow from the swamp doesn’t eclipse him as others.

A new victim spurns suspicion towards the Von Klauses. The nephew and Uncle Von Klaus. Baron is the obvious choice to be the killer, but being with his dying sister prior to her begging her son to leave throws the scent from his direction. The weapon used was “a dagger of Damascus steel with a curved blade”, but the poor girl was also sexually assaulted. The significance of the dagger is important. It  leaves behind residue of rust on the body, is ancient, and its origin is tied to the 18^th Century.

You have the character named Mr. Kallman, a local who spends plenty of time in a café/pub, an actual “psychoanalyst” (he would be later noted as a profiler) who lends his expertise to the detectives working the case, informing them of how the killer responsible for the girl’s murder was a sadist who enjoyed the giving of pain and could be on the outside friendly and easy to like. The nephew’s name Is Ludwig, a leather jacket with a cute/sweet fiancé.

I was thinking as I was watching Jesús Franco’s La mano de un hombre muerto [1962] that Howard Vernon might not have actually been a phenomenal actor but he had such an interesting face. I imagine Franco cast him if for anything just because he could lens that magnificent face and get a ton of value out of it. It suggests a madness and sophistication in equal measure. To me, to have that bourgeoisie look yet manage at the same time to suggest ever so subtly an evil behind those intense eyes and blank expression, an actor like Vernon is perfect for a film as this one. As a potentially depraved soul, Von Klaus could be hiding that darkness behind a façade of aristocratic nobility. He seems normal, but Von Klaus could yearn to break free from the repression of his nobility and embrace the beast that wants to destroy and enjoy doing so. All we have, though, is the possibility. Until he can proven innocent, that face of Vernon could indicate he's a bad, bad man. That's the rub of a film that echoes Agatha Christie and the giallo...you are not sure if this guy is or is not the psychopath. All because he appears to be the culprit doesn't mean he is.

I realize that most of Jesús Franco’s fans prefer his surrealist work. I do as well, but I love his traditional style because I’m such a fan of the gothic; SADISTIC does tap into that a bit. I felt Jesús Franco is really invested in capturing a lot in widescreen, with spacious compositions. I’m a big fan of that technique. I don’t think it’s necessary, but I miss the old way of expanding the camera’s view, instead of the method often used today that restricts what’s on screen, pressing so close to faces, avoiding the surroundings that give character to a setting.

We see detective Borowski growing increasingly frustrated with locals who all seem to have conflicting stories or just won’t say anything of a truth so he can put together a credible case and find a killer. I'm not sure why Baron Von Klaus conceals the reason behind where he was at (and who with..) the night of the murder, but it only difficults the police's case and places himself in the crosshairs of the investigation. Perhaps to be involved with a civilian is considered blasphemous when you are of the Von Klaus stock but when all is said done why not come clean and admit the details as to remove yourself from the eye of the police?

The psychoanalyst’s opinion that the killer could be friendly and approachable certainly doesn’t describe Von Klaus. Snobbish, ill-humored, and purposely enigmatic, Von Klaus denies any involvement in the girl’s murder. His explanation of whereabouts are questionable as he tells the cop that he went to a hotel and rested. It doesn’t get Von Klaus off the hook; the way he thumbs his nose to the interrogation, challenging the police to find something to implicate him, doesn’t help his cause of innocence. His insolence towards them does stem from being called in for questioning, a man of his social standing and aristocratic status. It might be first impressions, though. Carrying the burden that your family is considered a cipher due to past ancestors' behavior, a curse that is always on the tongues of the villagers, your own sister even as her death is eventual telling her son to leave and not look back, Max Von Klaus may be in such emotional weariness that he's not aware of how grumpy and grouchy his spirits are reflected towards others. I think early scenes when his sister is dying are telling examples of how agonizing it can be to carry the name Von Klaus.

The film’s title is a fun ruse to me. I like how even the cover for the film, featuring Vernon, convinces us that he’s the sadist terrorizing girls, nearly stabbing to death Lida (she owns the pub so many of the locals frequent regularly, and later we are told by her as a confession to be the secret lover of the Baron), a scream causing Mr. Kallman to cry for help as the killer flees into the streets, heading for the swamps, with Karl tailing him. Soon the killer hides away into the cemetery. Because Vernon has such a face built to be a heel, it is perfect to cast him under the dark cloud of suspicion. 

As I watched this, it really at its core is a mystery in a village. You have two suspects that are singled out, and in that regard, perhaps The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus doesn’t quite work. Either it is one or the other that is the killer. Mysteries—good ones, anyways—produce a number of suspects and keep us guessing. Essentially once one of the suspects is ruled out, the cat is out of the bag, and the film no longer has a reason to function. 

In saying that, around the 75 minute mark, this film is turned on its head and shows a depraved side that seems so prevalent in Franco’s resume. Ludwig is exposed as the sadist; not only that, he is sexing a bargirl on the side, one he will choose to sexually assault after smothering her in the cab of his car. Ludwig strips her of her clothes, kisses her face passionately, and it seems as if she’s unconscious. Then, as he lips/tongues her body, this girl awakens and gets swept up in the passion herself! Even more strange is how she realizes he’s the killer yet seems even more turned on than before! They get all hot and heavy; this level of dangerous kink, it is a sign of things to come. This is what I think will draw Franco’s surrealist fans to the film. So she has a good idea he’s the killer, seems turned on by it, and really enjoys his oral pleasure of her. What comes next isn’t particularly a surprise as Ludwig gets up and starts whipping her. This is equal measures baffling and fascinating to me. Baffling because with knowledge that this man might be a serial sadist of local women in the area—she pretty much knows and seems to get off on that fact—she puts her life in jeopardy. Fascinating because she becomes overpowered by some sort of warped seductive quality that the danger of having sex with a potential killer provides. She flirts with danger and pays a price in turn. While only suggested, her fate—involving a hot blade having been buried in burning rock, with her bound by shackled chains, hanging from a hook—is horrifying.

What really set this scene off to me is afterward. Ludwig, in a state  of morose, mourning sorrow, walks away from the scene of the crime, from Castle Von Klaus, thoughts in his mind, narratively told to us, suggest he has no control over what he does to others…as if there really is another driving force behind the mania. If he had followed the advice of his dear, dying mother, and left the premises, would he have escaped the “deviant ghost” that motivated such evil? Or was he simply influenced by the dark scripture written by his forefather? 

To me, the moment Karl enters that “grandfather’s workshop”, that torture chamber in the cellar only Ludwig had a key for (the dark irony being mother told him where to find it!), is as powerful as anything in Franco’s work. The actor plays it just right as you can see his heart sink at the sight. I also like how the actor portrays Ludwig when he’s chasing after fiancé Karine, as if compelled by a force within him, anguished in the face yet driven nonetheless.

Join me in the eternal peace of the swamps…

The deceptive cover art for the film by Euroshock

I think it was the right decision to end the film with Max Von Klaus (the baron) trying to rescue Karine, with Ludwig charging, eventually stabbing him (possibly) to death. Max's body lies there on the road, Karine caught in a state of shock, Ludwig heading for the swamp which will be his resting place. I think in this tragic end, with Ludwig and Max both dead, puts to rest the curse and allows the village of Holfen to have peace.