Add a Review

  • jtindahouse20 February 2016
    For some reason it seems the only foreign films I ever end up watching are gruesome and disturbing horror films that put me off ever going to the country they're based in again. 'The Human Centipede' and 'A Serbian Film' are the first two that come to mind and while 'The Corpse of Anna Fritz' never lives up to the vile things I witnessed in either of those movies, it still deals with a sickening subject matter and is an uncomfortable watch at times.

    I wasn't exactly sure where they were going to go with the film after everything promised in the synopsis had happened in the first 10 minutes. Then along came a very disturbing and well directed scene (which I won't spoil for you) that changed everything. From there it becomes a pretty tense and effective little thriller where you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. I would describe it as a lonely film, there aren't a lot of characters or even extras at any stage. The acting I would have to say was quite impressive from all involved and all in all I'd describe it as a very watchable little flick. Give it a look if you happen upon a copy of it.
  • sol-13 January 2016
    Warning: Spoilers
    Put in charge of a female celebrity's dead body, a young morgue attendant boasts to his friends who insist in seeing the dead woman naked, and things only become more twisted as one of the friends expresses an interest in necrophilia in this independent thriller from Spain. From such a plot description alone, 'El Cadáver de Anna Fritz' might sound like a film done in incredibly bad taste, but it is rarely exploitative (only the briefest glimpses of the nude corpse are seen) and a sudden twist after eighteen minutes pulls the film in a decidedly different direction with the friends forced to make some tough moral decisions. None of the actors playing the three friends are particularly remarkable, but there are some interesting shifts in personality; most notably, the morgue attendant goes from reluctantly letting his friends in, afraid of losing his job, to giddily playing practical jokes on them. That said, Bernat Samuell has a bit of a bland character - he is pretty much the moral compass of the group throughout, but co-stars Christian Valencia and Albert Carbó undergo enough shifts in personality to keep things fresh. The plot also requires some suspension of disbelief (medically speaking in particular) but it is an engaging film through and through if one does not think about the probability of it too much. Several ideas raised by the film are fascinating, including celebrity worship and the ability of the human survival instinct to overtake rationality. Clocking in at only just over an hour in length too, the film is briskly paced and never outstays its welcome.
  • Anna Fritz (Alba Ribas) is not a human being. In the public eye, she's a celebrity, a religion, an object. "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" makes this clear in its opening scene. As we see her lifeless corpse being moved to the morgue, voice-overs of people on the news are heard. They discuss her impressive career, shower her with compliments on her looks, and gush over how perfect a human being she is. This makes what follows all the more interesting.

    Three friends end up in the morgue, alone with her corpse. Though there are brief and glossed over moments of ethical struggle before things get down and dirty, the characters are one-dimensional and serve a distinct purpose in the story. There's the moral compass, the antagonist and the spineless coward. While certain moments could have been more tastefully done, the film does raise questions on whether there is a grey area between right and wrong. In the hands of another team, this could have been a film further beyond our comfort zones that delved into its meaty themes of moral conflict, the ethics of necrophilia, the difference (if any) between the ownership of one's body before and after death and the repercussions of celebrity idolisation.

    To be fair, the film does do something different in terms of the way the story shifts focus and evolves with its turns. The acting is fine but not entirely convincing, with Ribas being the stand out.

    For a second I had thought that the film would end without its final twist, which was preceded by a intense escape sequence that's noteworthy. This would have been a subversive choice but would probably feel out of place given what they were going for: an entertaining, if predictable, midnight movie that's safe and thus more satisfying.
  • I have to admit that I was quite hesitant to see this film at the Brussels International Film Festival… After all, the title doesn't sound very cheerful and the two-line plot summary reveals absolutely nothing about the movie except for the perverted premise. The only I got beforehand was: "Imagine your best friend calls to say that he's in the same room as a famous actress and she isn't saying no to some action between the sheets… The only problem: your friend works at the morgue and the actress has recently deceased!" Okay, intriguing idea, I'll be the first to admit that. But where will it go from there? I hope it won't be a 76 minutes long-feature movie showing three guys committing necrophilia! Or will they get caught and does the whole thing turn into a courtroom drama? Or even worse, will the actress emerge from her deathbed as a zombie and shall she alternately rape and butcher her three assailants? I decided to purchase the ticket for "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" after all, and certainly didn't regret it. I won't reveal what does eventually happen (although many other people blatantly revealed it in their reviews) but writer Isaac P Creus and director Hèctor Hernández Vicens made the absolute most out of it and I'll gladly proclaim that "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" is a very suspenseful and absorbing thriller with a few unpredictable twists and a handful of notably frightening moments. The one thing you shouldn't expect, though, is gratuitous or repulsive footage. The necrophilia theme is quite controversial, of course, but the nudity and sexist sequences are kept to a minimum. The film does go quite far in showing how far people are prepared to do in order to protect their own sorry ass, like betrayal and even murder, which results in a number of brutal but nevertheless confronting and realistic sequences. Since there are only a couple of set pieces and a very limited cast of characters, "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" very much depends on the strong acting performances and the surefooted direction of Hèctor Hernández Vicens. It's a very simple yet effective shocker that occasionally makes you wonder how you would react in such a situation. Hopefully different than these guys!
  • Some movies have big spoilers in their own titles, basic plots or trailers. There, you have clues of what production team want you to know. I'll try not to go further.

    We are introduced in the very beginning (by journalists' fragmented threads on voice-over) to Anna Fritz persona and we are get to know that she is a worshiped celebrity. Her death is where it all begins.

    Then we are taken to the point of view of three curious guys that want to see her for the first and last time. What I can say it's not a good idea.

    This movie have some violent scenes. If you are more or less sensible to 'moral terror', despite the comments of the toughest viewers, I think you will suffer.

    From one specific moment, the story they are about to tell us, could perfectly fit in horror genre, but it clearly follows the way to a claustrophobic crime flick.

    The cast is good, especially for the pretty Alba Ribas who plays Anna Fritz (in some shots she looks a little like Chloë Sevigny). The characters are made for the plot, so don't expect a great character developing (runtime being 76', it's not possible in an action centered movie). The pace is fast, and it works. No place for being bored. Give it a chance!

    So from now on, it seems we have more reasons to be afraid of dying!
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Ever since they got rid of Franco (well, not so much got rid of him as meekly waited for him to go away) their cinema has been making leaps and bounds in becoming one of the most depraved in the world. They've been desperately trying to take over the French, and they're very close.

    Because cinema is a fairly good reflection of the society that creates it, in Europe at least, I suspect that this society must be in need of a major clean-up. But that's a topic for some other time and place. Besides, most western nations need major reconstructive surgery, because the patient has never been as demented, confused and as cretinous.

    This idiotic thriller for bird-brained sadistic perverts is not only based on several preposterous premises, but it is predictable nearly every step of the way. I managed to predict 95% of all the "surprises", and not because I'm brilliant (which I am) but because anybody could predict most of them.

    Dumb premises:

    SPOILERS

    1. That a famous actress's corpse can be accessed and then sexually molested by just about anybody. I am pretty sure real morticians would laugh their asses off at how stupidly mortuaries are portrayed here. This is the pervert's view of the medical profession. A moron's view also.

    2. That 2 out of 3 (i.e. 67%) regular young men (and these three are intended to be just average guys) would resort to necrophilia at the drop of a hat. This idiotic premise (about widespread interest among male youth to stick their peckers into corpses) was abused even worse in the even more idiotic though at least somewhat stylish piece of trash called "Deadgirl". But at least that girl was a zombie so we understood her behaviour. You can read more in my review of this stinker.

    3. That a body pronounced as dead could simply come back, for no reason. Again, someone (the writer of course) isn't taking the medical profession seriously at all. The writer essentially knows zero about bodies, biology and mortuaries and is basically drawing up all this baloney out of his dumb ass. He was making it up as he went along: no idea was too dumb or too far-fetched not to be used to complete his pathetic screenplay.

    4. That a "famous beautiful sex-bomb actress" would look as mediocre as this very average-looking actress playing Fritz. She neither has the looks nor the body to be a modern-day Monroe - which is basically how she'd been introduced. Not even close. The scene when they reveal her face had me laughing out loud. I had kind of expected it (because it's a Spanish film) but I still couldn't not find it funny. They might as well have placed Rosie O'Donnell in there, if laughs were what they were after.

    5. That "Anna Fritz's body's location is being kept secret" because - somehow - this dumb movie wants us to believe that nowadays actresses have such a strong, fanatical, massive, cult following that when an actress snuffs it at a young age authorities have to take extra precautions to hide her body because masses of fans would be hurling into the mortuary to touch it. Laughable. 100 years ago cinema had this kind of magic pull on the audiences, when a guy like Valentino drew thousands of hysterical mourners into the streets. This doesn't happen anymore, not even close. The stars of modern cinema haven't got that kind of wide cultural appeal anymore, such huge impact; such extreme actor worship hasn't been around since 50 years, or more. Maybe in India it still exists, no idea, but not in the West.

    Not to mention what a DUMB name Anna Fritz is. Which self-respecting actress of world renown wouldn't change her name? Into something sexier, like Anna Estrada. Sillier yet, she is a Spanish actress. Fritz? You gotta be kidding me. So her mother had a fling with a drunken German tourist at Mallorca? This title would work in a black comedy though.

    It's very convenient for the incompetent writer to not allow Anna to walk - at all. She can speak, move her head, yet somehow she is paralyzed. What a cretinous plot-device. Nothing about this movie rings true even remotely. Except one thing... explanation follows.

    How about the fact that a RAPE brings her back to life. Shouldn't she have THANKED the rapist for "resurrecting" her? Instead, she kills him. Well, at least that was realistic: that a "world famous actress" would act this thanklessly to the person who resurrected her - and later saved her life - is the only realistic thing about this crappy little turd-cake of a pelicula. I could certainly picture Emma Watson or Jennifer Lawrence stabbing their saviour 11 times with no emotion or remorse...

    Perhaps the writer is making a world-wide appeal with this movie to allow molestation of fresh bodies, in order to find out which corpses are still alive. This may be a revolutionary new sport that the world can partake in, or at least Spain...
  • It's a well built simple story. Nice twist at the end.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    The body of a famous and beautiful movie star is brought to a local morgue where some young guys have their fun with it. How could they not? She's once in a lifetime. They get coked and liquored up and have a good time with her. Then the corpse wakes up. Is she a zombie? A metaphor for their guilt? Actually alive? A surreal combination of all those? It would have been cooler if it was.

    Nope, she's alive and there's no pretension whatsoever about it. Any theme is lost in this straight laser-focused twist on the kidnapped young woman thriller genre. It's a good twist for the genre, but other than that offers nothing new or of any substance to it.

    Oh, and you never find out why anyone thought she was dead in the first place - it's completely inexplicable.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Watched this movie with English subtitles (English is not my primary language, please ignore any mistakes in my writing) Minor Spoilers

    If you are looking for a thriller, suspense, mystery, or want to have a feeling of watching a well-plotted decent film, avoid this. After watching this I was left with a sour taste and a satisfying feeling of watching a decent film. For any movie to be interesting to a viewer, most important is an interesting story and believable screenplay. Even if cinematic liberties are taken, they should be plausible, not when common sense says that is ridiculous.

    In the beginning, it seems like a satire of celebrity culture, but finally, I could not find any point the director is showcasing. All the actors are decent and performed their roles with sufficient skill. The film is very crisp with no filler scenes. The camera, artwork and background score are good considering almost the entire film happens in a closed small space.

    Anna Fritz is shown as one of the most popular figures in the place. Also, with a huge fan following and success. That means she is young, rich, influential, and beautiful. Following are the few scenes or story points that I find very hard to believe and far-fetched.

    1. Mortuary is usually kept at -10°C to 4°C. In this none of the characters feel cold, even Anna Fritz who is completely naked but never feels cold. We don't see any vapors/condensation when people speak.

    2. The hospital seems to be seedy or in rundown condition, surprisingly with no security personnel anywhere or even cameras as they are usually present in almost all hospitals. The dead body is easily taken from the morgue and dumped in a nearby road and no one notices.

    3. When a hugely popular person dies suddenly without any known illness, police will suspect unnatural death till it is proven otherwise after investigation. When the postmortem is scheduled for the next day, police will keep the body securely in their control under a guard so that no one can tamper with the body and destroy any evidence. Even if the body is kept at a public hospital, they will have some personnel posted there to guard the body. This is not the case in this film.

    4. When a person dies, death is confirmed by taking ECG and observing flat lines or any similar measures by doctors. They will not confirm death unless they are sure, especially when it is a celebrity. Here how she comes back to life is not explained, a miracle? Black magic or what there is no explanation about it.

    5. Few minor issues like, for such a popular and loved person, not even a single family member or friend is present in the hospital. As she is rich and famous, why they will choose a rundown hospital and not a good one? Any healthy person, if spent naked in near-freezing temperatures of the morgue, will suffer and strength drops but here Anna Fritz is like superman and survives serious beatings and still have enough strength to crawl and attack.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    This is a rather disturbing and putrid Spanish thriller, short in length (76 minutes) with its story unfolding in the sterilized environment of a hospital morgue. Anna Fritz is a young and popular actress who died early and Pau who works the night shift decides, along with his two friends, Ivan and Javi, to commit one of the most revolting acts ever, that is to rape the corpse of Anna. Sounds horrid, right? The story takes a crazy turn when Anna wakes up from her coma and sees Pau molesting her. Now the three friends have to face their worst nightmare as they have to kill Anna in order to cover their sick actions. But Anna is not an easy victim...

    The story moves forward at a rapid pace and the finale brings the catharsis that the audience demands since the beginning of the film. The order is restored and the perpetrators are severely punished by Anna herself. "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" is a bold film, considering its disturbing theme, and even though it is not a class-A thriller, it is definitely entertaining enough to devote an hour of your time in order to watch it. Nevertheless, Spanish cinema has delivered some of the most memorable crime/thriller movies of the last decade such as "Contratiempo", "El Cuerpo", "Que Dios nos Perdone" and many others that are a level above "The Corpse of Anna Fritz" in terms of quality in screenwriting, plot and cinematography. So, if you haven't watched those, it would be better to start with them.
  • lipjam6 August 2017
    Warning: Spoilers
    I watched this based on the good reviews. The acting isn't bad nor is the production. The music score is quite good also. However, the story line is so preposterous and filled with holes as to beggar belief. Even if you can get over the opening sequence: This actress who is so famous and adored is simply abandoned in the charge of a testosterone charged young man who posts photos of her and has has his friends visit the hospital without any suspicion or checks. It doesn't get any better. It is predictable and a little tedious at times. The plot twists for me were not really twists as sweeping bends you can see coming a mile off. The ending just takes the biscuit. I did not see that coming but it is so stupid that it could only be made up on the spot. I suppose if you're twelve and want to see a naked dead lady then knock yourself out. If you want a thriller with a believable story line then I doubt this will satisfy. Not really worth the one hour and four minutes of your life. If you still want to see it prepare to suspend disbelief (like leave it outside the front door) and you may not be disappointed but I would recommend you opt for something a little less puerile.
  • One of the things I really love about this film is how precisely its told. At no point did I feel that the film was dragging on, nor that it was showing me something that was unnecessary to the plot. I also loved how quickly it dealt with its exposition in the beginning of the film. A lot of directors would have spent 15 minutes or more following Anna Fritz on the red carpet, showing her fans cheering at her, and then cut to her being found dead. This film deals with all exposition within the first two minutes, leaving the viewer to only have to focus on the films tension. The Corpse of Anna Fritz really shows how you get a lot out of a small budget, and is a great example of "less is more".

    This film is incredibly tense, and had me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the film. This is due to a very good score, great pacing, as well as all actors performing really well, especially Alba Ribas.

    The visual style is really good. I really like way its lit, and the hand-held camera increased the tension, drawing me into the film.

    One of the most tense indie-thrillers I've seen in a long time.
  • taralunn18 April 2020
    Well this all escalated rather quickly and ended just as quick...

    quite believable other than a couple of moments but other than I quite enjoyed it x
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Necrophilia usually guarantees a tastelessly entertaining time for fans of sick cinema (see Aftermath, Nekromantik and Deadgirl), but it's not long into The Corpse of Anna Fritz that writer/director Hèctor Hernández Vicens cheats his audience with a silly twist, his film becoming a rather predictable thriller as a result.

    The delightfully demented initial premise - that a group of friends would seize the opportunity to bonk a famous actress, even if she was dead- descends into a trite 'woman in peril' horror. Anna, actually still alive despite her earlier appearance, tries to avoid becoming a stiff for real as her assailants desperately try to cover up their deviant behaviour.

    As matters progress, friends' loyalties crumble, Anna tries to escape, and logic goes out the window: as if the woman being mistaken for dead at the beginning isn't daft enough, Anna successfully convinces the guys that she has expired once again, hoping they will leave her alone.

    The not totally unexpected ending sees the actress exacting revenge on the men, but it's all so frustratingly pedestrian. Given the controversial nature of the opening scenes, it could have been so much more.
  • There are a lot of people who would try to know more and more about the term necrophilia. yet they are not afraid for any violence, filth or gore scenes. I think this movie is great for them.

    As a thriller it did some very good work,. The acting was also quiet good. there's not very much character on the film but yet you won't realize it so often cause the film does have a thrilling nerve on the viewers mind.

    and i believe anybody will love this spanish thriller. they have a different path on thriller movie.
  • okpilak14 February 2024
    Anna Fritz is indicated as a renowned actress and she is found dead after a party, and brought to an undisclosed hospital for an autopsy. Because she is famous, where is a secret. But Pau works at the hospital she is brought to, and he snaps a picture of her in the morgue. His two friends, Ivan and Javi come to the hospital, and want to see the corpse. If you took the intelligence combined of Pau, Javi and Ivan all together, one might get a half wit. Ivan is very much into cocaine. And Pau seems tentative and out of his element with them. He takes them into the morgue, and that is where things take a much different turn. And Ivan becomes what is probably always is, and that is psychotic. What Ivan never figures out is what they do would be found out in any autopsy, so his rationalization has no basis in fact.
  • From the title, the bio, and even the imagery used in the cover, I was expecting The Corpse of Anna Fritz to go in a direction that we have seen once or twice before. Thankfully I was proven wrong, as the plot travelled a very different direction from my expectation. The acting and early gradual character development was believable, the story was simplistic but gripping, and the setting was claustrophobic and unsettling whilst not being too out of the ordinary.

    My one and only gripe with The Corpse of Anna Fritz is within the story; more specifically the conclusion in which I won't divulge too much information in order to avoid spoiler territory, however I felt certain aspects of the storyline could have been concluded in a more impactful and in-theme circumstance.

    As an English-speaking viewer, the subtitles were not distracting, and the emotions conveyed by the acting made me feel as if I was getting the gist of conversations without even reading the subtitles at times! I'm personally very glad that it was not dubbed, as I feel you could easily lose a lot of the conversational charm and emotions portrayed throughout the dialogue of the film.

    Overall The Corpse of Anna Fritz is well worth a watch; a very well done take touching upon an unpleasant but all-too-real macabre premise. Even with limited locations throughout the entire film, it maintains a gripping tension throughout. I rated The Corpse of Anna Fritz a 7 spooks out of 10 scares. A short but memorable addition to Spanish horror that I would certainly recommend to the avid horror enthusiasts among us.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    As I reached the final section of my free 30 days of Shudder,I spotted a Spanish cinema viewing challenge on ICM,which led to me checking round on Shudder and finding a Spanish Horror with a swift runtime, that caused me to explore the death of Anna Fritz.

    View on the film:

    Laying dead on a cold steel morgue table, Alba Ribas gives a incredibly raw performance as Fritz, whose frozen, anguished face is held by Ribas with the abuse inflicted upon Anna. Entering as three frat boys who clash from their first sighting of Anna's body, Cristian Valencia, Albert Carbo and Bernat Saumell give great turns as Ivan, Pau and Javi abrasively stand at utter odds with each other, from Valencia keeping Ivan on a short fuse, Caro pushing Pau round as the flunky, and Saumell running Javi as the guy trying to be the voice of reason to calm things down.

    Bringing Fritz into the morgue as a background radio plays out her obituary, co-writer/(with Isaac P. Creus) director Hector Hernandez Vicens & cinematographer Ricard Canyellas place on the table a lean and mean Horror atmosphere, with Vicens and Canyellas stylishly using the one location for pristine wide-shots clean of any morals from the trio. Abusing Anna's body, Vicens carefully stays away from presenting the horrific acts in a overly indulgent, sleazy manner , by closing the camera in on tight close-ups to Fritz's innocent face as horrific abuse is inflicted on her.

    Matching the limited location with just a handful of character, the screenplay by Vicens and Creus take the acts the guys do, and tightly twist the repercussions that unfold from their actions, bringing them at deadly odds with each other. Disrespecting Anna in life from her films and continuing to the most extreme level in her passing, the writers display a sharp twist which starkly confronts the trio of over what they did to the Anna.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    This film has a shock factor due to the subject matter. The characters aren't bad, but with the one setting and only few characters they do feel a little one dimensional at times. Alba Ribas (Anna Fritz) steals the show for me. But the other actors do a good enough job too. The story is non-existent. Although I get what Isaac P. Creus is trying to convey. But it doesn't quite work for my taste. However, the payoff is pretty satisfying after what they did to her. I however cannot recommend this film as I think it doesn't really offer anything, but a shock value which is over after a couple of minutes.
  • What has this world come too ? Most all of the reviews gave this between a six and a 10 watching some two guys screw a dead girl really what a bunch of sick people live in this world and even sicker who directed this and produces garbage how can I even put this on TV free TV at that oh my God you guys should be sent to the electric chair for watching this freaking trash it's just unbelievable I mean little teenage kids can watch this just unbearable I couldn't sit through the whole movie but it's just a horrible display wow and they probably won't post my review cuz they're so biased just sickening.
  • kosmasp14 June 2020
    Let's be clear: it is not just about beauty here, but about celebrity and what that makes people think. We have three male characters here, which all do drugs. Now that alone may be enough for some to judge them. But if you are not too close minded, you will let that one slip (no pun intended). When it comes to discovering the body of Anna Fritz and what occurs then ... that is completely different and despicable to say the least.

    Now one of the three has some common sense. Not just some, but enough for all 3 of them and therefor can be excused to a degree. The things that happen do make sense. Even the really abhorent acts in it. Some are tough to watch to say the least. I know some will have the same excuse as the two characters, but if you look inside yourself you should know it is just plain wrong.

    Having said that, the movie develops quite the tension and quite the suspense that does carry through to the end. Spanish thrillers have really found a niche and place for themselves and this is just another one of those. Very well made to say the least
  • billcr1225 March 2021
    A famous actress, Anna Fritz, has died and a young man working at the hospital morgue impresses his two buddies with her fresh corpse. On a dare, the boys decide to have a little fun with the sexy but cold body. Bad choices in life go south rather quickly as trouble is ahead and trouble behind in this adventure. The lead actress makes for a fine dead body but the three guys are not exactly A list actors. The movie is mildly amusing and is only an hour and sixteen minutes. Dive in at your own risk.
  • FounHUGO23 December 2018
    The pattern is too small and does not touch the ethical level at all. Compared to the French film of the same subject a few years ago, it is not at a level.
  • Well, feed your curiosity, what can I say, it's watchable and worth a shot, 2 bad it's not English.
  • The movie does its job.Its thrilling till end.It gas some horror moments too.All the characters are complicated.Wonderful thrilling experience
An error has occured. Please try again.