The Violent Shit films are a prime example of doing exactly what it says on the box-i.e. they are (extremely) Violent, and very often (highly) shitty & low-grade. All four films follow the escapades of Karl the Butcher, and his sons- as basically they go around the German countryside dispatching a long line of victims in all manner of gory, at times deranged & perverse manners. Basically, you are watching the films first for the OTT gore, which makes up most of their runtimes. And secondly for the moments of slapstick comedy and campy-some-times amusing dialogue.

Released in 1989 the original Violent Shit film was the first venture of Hamburg based Andreas Schnaas- a hardcore horror fan who had a camcorder, a group of friends, basic gore effects, and spare weekends. The resulting film is an extremely lo-fi, at times nonsensical & plot-less example of extreme splatter- as we follow the plaid shirt wearing Karl- as he butchers one person after another. We get a varied & wide selection of different dismemberments, a host of disembowelings, & even some extreme castration, as well as other sexual themed slaughter. The effects are very, very basic & often drenched in forming pink blood- meaning a lot of the more extreme & depraved violence is less shocking, and at times pitch blackly comical. When it’s not focusing in on violence & extreme gore we get some padding in the form of people aimless wondering around woods, or going on a dull & uneventful car- and from time-to-time, we get some slightly amusing & perverse dialogue. Schnaas was in his late teens/early twenties when he made the film, and really it shows coming off like the product of a horror teens mind- there’s no real structure, lack of pacing,  or any type of filmmaking finesse,  and the films eighty minutes run really does drag quite often. But at times it does have a certain dubious charm in its overloaded depravity, and a general feeling of bloody punk-ness about it.  It’s not a good film by any stretch, or even a particularly watch-able SOV film; but much like those really nasty, brutally aimless, and ultra crude black or death metal album in one's collection, there are times when you just want mindless, stupid & OTT violence- and the first Violent Shit film fits that need.

Violent Shit 2: Mother Take My Hand is from 1992 and is set some twenty years after the first VS film. It follows Karl the Butcher Jr, and his mother- out for revenge of his father’s death. VS 2 is the most balanced, fun, and deprived of all the VS films. It features a bit more story structure too, as well as more action & martial art elements too. But most importantly of course is the gory- which is much more realistically realized, more OTT, inventive & depraved than the first VS. We get your standard selection of dismemberments & disemboweling, along with female & male genital mutilation with hooks, staple guns, and other things. Eye gouging, and a host of depraved torture. Added to this you get the frankly creepy & at times amusing relationship between Karl Jn., and his mother.  It’s certainly my favorite of the four films and stands re-watching.

The third film in the series came in the form of VS3:Infantry Of Doom. This was made in 1999, ten years after the original film. The film takes place on an island where Karl Jn & Srn. lives, along with a group of disciples who worship them- three friends come across the island, and land…and then well the shit hit’s the fan. Over the next hour & twenty minutes, we get a shed load of the over the top gore & bad taste slaughter, low-grade ninjas, unexplained zombies, bloody action, & amusing dubbing. On the whole, it’s not quite deranged & perverse in it unfolds as VS2- but it’s a worthy follow-up, and I’d say my second favorite of the franchise.

The last Violent Shit film on the set is Violent shit 4.0-Karl The Butcher vs. Axe, was made in 2010 and is a much, much more tongue-in-cheek almost Troma like venture. The film leans heavily on the more sleazy humorous & action side of the franchise- with a post-apocalyptic-like/ low rent Mad Max type setting with a female & male tribe and the return of Karl & his new nemesis Axe.  The gore is here, but it takes second fiddle to the more joke bound sleazy vibe of the film. It’s ok for a one watch, but I can’t really see myself watching it again.

The final & extra film on the third disc is Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence, which was made in 1991, been the second film directed by Andreas Schnaas. The version here features rather bizarre & often senseless American dialogue track dubbed over the original German track, and this adds an often comic & surreal edge to proceedings. Visually the films pretty much what the title suggests- I.e. a zombie splatter film, which of course is filmed on a tread of a shoelace- the dubbing just about saves it from complete indifference, but really it’s just a rather medico zombie film. But I’m not really the biggest fan of the zombie genre, to be honest, so who knows if you dig very lo-if flesh-eating fun you may get more from this.

Big, big kudos must go to Synapse Films for putting out this three-disc set in a bigger edition, and making sure this underground horror series gets a larger audience. And really if you have any love for SOV horror, OTT gore films, or crazed & deranged low budget fare- you'll really need to pick this set up.