Review: Urban Explorer (2011)

Director: Andy Fetscher | 88 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Nathalie Kelley, Nick Eversman, Klaus Stiglmeier, Max Riemelt, Catherine de Léan, Brenda Koo, Adolfo Assor, Johannes Klaußner, Andreas Wisniewski

‘Urban Explorer’ is a German horror thriller by Andy Fletscher. Nick Eversman, a young American, decides to book an adventure trip with his girlfriend (Nathalie Kelley) and a few friends. The quartet wants to explore the immense tunnel system of Berlin and enlists the help of the guide Kris (Max Riemelt). The trip is not without danger. The club soon comes into contact with two dirty neo-Nazis. The greatest danger, however, lies in the particularly strange Armin (Kaus Stiglmeier).

Don’t watch this slasher for surprises. All clichés are pulled out of the closet: loud noises, dirty animals (bats, cockroaches) and dirty foreigners. However familiar these things may seem to you, they are portrayed very beautifully. Fletscher makes good use of the location (an abandoned tunnel system) and uses color filters and a dreamy imagery that enhances the ominous atmosphere.

The greatest asset of this film, however, is the role of Stiglmeier. This man puts down such an incredibly nasty creep that you still have it in your head afterwards. His mimicry and menacing posture are the best this standard genre film has to offer. Stiglmeier portrays a villain with visible pleasure and as soon as he is out of the picture, the film collapses. Yet the threat of his presence is always palpable. The rest of the cast is very hit and miss. Eversman and Riemelt are certainly not acting badly, but the actresses fall through the basket. With their amateurish playing they mainly arouse irritation.