Andreas Schnaas
Encyclopedia
Andreas Schnaas is a German
director
and actor, working exclusively in the horror
genre. Since he first appeared on the film scene in 1989, Schnaas has become a leader in Germany
's ultra-violent low-budget horror film industry
.
and embraced cinema at a very young age. Since many of the local theaters in his city did not care about how young their patrons were, he was exposed to violent martial arts
, zombie
films, and splatter very early on in his life. Schnaas' parents were not always pleased with his choice of entertainment, but recognized his artistic talents and vivid imagination. He used this imagination, compounded with his love of horror, to make his first film at age twelve. The film, entitled Hunted, featured Andreas and his friend ruthlessly killing an elderly man, who was played by his grandfather. His father filmed this feature, as well as many other movies that the boys made over the next several years. It was not until 1989, however, that he mustered together five thousand marks - enough to make his first full-length feature.
, went on to become Germany’s first direct-to-video horror film. An immediate success, the film quickly appeared on video stores in America and throughout the rest of Europe
. When asked where he came up with such a vulgar title for his film, the director once explained that a pen pal frankly told him, “All you’re making is violent shit,” and it stuck.
Still spiraling off Violent Shit’s unexpected success, Andreas created his homage to the undead with Zombie 90 - Extreme Pestilence (1990), the English version of which is regarded by some genre fans to have the most hilarious dubbing
ever put to celluloid. The following year, he decided to continue the story of Karl with Violent Shit 2: Mother Hold My Hand, eventually releasing it in 1992. Due to an intense fan interest through his official website, Andreas decided to continue the Violent Shit series - filming the third chapter of the trilogy the next year. Budget constraints kept the film from being released for years, but it eventually saw the light of day in 1999 under the title, Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom
(or Zombie Doom in the US). Andreas also played the killer, Karl, in all three films.
His following film was Der Kelch - Goblet of Gore of 1996, although various issues kept it shelved until 2005. As a homage to Italian director Joe D'Amato
, he then remade the classic slasher film, Anthropophagous
, changing the title to Anthropophagous 2000 (1999). It was also in 1999 that Andreas began preparing for his next film, which he would release as his “millennium shocker”. The movie, Demonium (2001), was his first 35MM project, made with completely professional actors and shot in English
.
In 2003 Schnaas directed his first film in America
, Nikos, featuring Joe Zaso
and Felissa Rose
. After that, he created the zombie action film Don't Wake the Dead (2006) and, in 2009, directed two films with fellow German auteur Timo Rose
- Unrated and Karl vs Axe, the latter of which being the latest chapter in his Violent Shit series.
In 2011 Schnaas will appear in Shaun Robert Smith's British War/Horror The 4th Reich as SS-Obersturmführer Willhelm.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and actor, working exclusively in the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
genre. Since he first appeared on the film scene in 1989, Schnaas has become a leader in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's ultra-violent low-budget horror film industry
German underground horror
German underground horror is a sub-genre of the horror film, which has achieved cult popularity since first appearing in the mid-1980s.Horror films produced by the German underground scene are usually trademarked by their intensity, taking on topics that are culturally taboo such as rape,...
.
Early years
Andreas Schnaas was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and embraced cinema at a very young age. Since many of the local theaters in his city did not care about how young their patrons were, he was exposed to violent martial arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
, zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
films, and splatter very early on in his life. Schnaas' parents were not always pleased with his choice of entertainment, but recognized his artistic talents and vivid imagination. He used this imagination, compounded with his love of horror, to make his first film at age twelve. The film, entitled Hunted, featured Andreas and his friend ruthlessly killing an elderly man, who was played by his grandfather. His father filmed this feature, as well as many other movies that the boys made over the next several years. It was not until 1989, however, that he mustered together five thousand marks - enough to make his first full-length feature.
Filmmaking
Shot with his friends over four extremely long weekends, Schnaas' gory tale of "Karl the Butcher", entitled Violent ShitViolent Shit
Violent Shit is an ultra-low budget horror film, most notable as the first feature-length film directed by Andreas Schnaas.- Plot :The film begins with a young boy named Karl Berger murdering his mother with a meat cleaver, after she reprimands him for returning home late...
, went on to become Germany’s first direct-to-video horror film. An immediate success, the film quickly appeared on video stores in America and throughout the rest of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. When asked where he came up with such a vulgar title for his film, the director once explained that a pen pal frankly told him, “All you’re making is violent shit,” and it stuck.
Still spiraling off Violent Shit’s unexpected success, Andreas created his homage to the undead with Zombie 90 - Extreme Pestilence (1990), the English version of which is regarded by some genre fans to have the most hilarious dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
ever put to celluloid. The following year, he decided to continue the story of Karl with Violent Shit 2: Mother Hold My Hand, eventually releasing it in 1992. Due to an intense fan interest through his official website, Andreas decided to continue the Violent Shit series - filming the third chapter of the trilogy the next year. Budget constraints kept the film from being released for years, but it eventually saw the light of day in 1999 under the title, Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom
Violent Shit III
Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom is a 1999 shot-on-video action/splatter/comedy film by German director Andreas Schnaas. It stars Andreas Schnaas, Marc Trinkhaus, Uwe Grüntjes, and Winni Holl.-Plot:...
(or Zombie Doom in the US). Andreas also played the killer, Karl, in all three films.
His following film was Der Kelch - Goblet of Gore of 1996, although various issues kept it shelved until 2005. As a homage to Italian director Joe D'Amato
Joe D'Amato
Joe D'Amato, was a prolific Italian filmmaker who directed roughly 200 films, usually at the same time acting as producer and cinematographer, and sometimes providing the script as well...
, he then remade the classic slasher film, Anthropophagous
The Anthropophagous Beast
Antropophagus, released in the UK as Anthropophagous: The Beast also known in some places as Zombie 7: Grim Reaper after 1981, the release year of Absurd and in the US as Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper, is a 1980 Italian language horror film, directed by Joe D'Amato and co-written by D'Amato and...
, changing the title to Anthropophagous 2000 (1999). It was also in 1999 that Andreas began preparing for his next film, which he would release as his “millennium shocker”. The movie, Demonium (2001), was his first 35MM project, made with completely professional actors and shot in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
In 2003 Schnaas directed his first film in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Nikos, featuring Joe Zaso
Joe Zaso
Joseph Zaso is an American actor and filmmaker.He is a b-movie regular and has been involved in the low budget science fiction and horror industry since 1990...
and Felissa Rose
Felissa Rose
Felissa Rose is an American actress, known for her role as Angela Baker in the 1983 cult classic, Sleepaway Camp.-Early life:She was born as Felissa Rose Esposito in Greenwich Village and grew up in Woodbury, Long Island....
. After that, he created the zombie action film Don't Wake the Dead (2006) and, in 2009, directed two films with fellow German auteur Timo Rose
Timo Rose
Timo Rose is a German horror and science fiction filmmaker, rapper, and founder of the production company Sword of Independence Filmworks .-Films:...
- Unrated and Karl vs Axe, the latter of which being the latest chapter in his Violent Shit series.
In 2011 Schnaas will appear in Shaun Robert Smith's British War/Horror The 4th Reich as SS-Obersturmführer Willhelm.
Filmography
- Violent ShitViolent ShitViolent Shit is an ultra-low budget horror film, most notable as the first feature-length film directed by Andreas Schnaas.- Plot :The film begins with a young boy named Karl Berger murdering his mother with a meat cleaver, after she reprimands him for returning home late...
(1989) - Director/Actor - Zombie '90: Extreme Pestilence (1991) - Director/Actor
- Violent Shit II: Mother Hold My HandViolent Shit II: Mother Hold My HandViolent Shit II: Mother Hold My Hand is a 1992 slasher film written and directed by Andreas Schnaas, who also plays the film's main antagonist, Karl Berger, Jr...
(1992) - Director/Actor - Goblet of Gore (1996) - Director
- Diabolica (1999) - Actor
- Mutation (1999) - Actor
- Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom (1999) - Director/Actor
- Anthropophagous 2000 (1999) - Director/Actor
- Dämonenbrut (2000) - Actor
- Midnight's Calling (2000) - Actor
- Demonium (2001) - Director
- Fog²- Revenge of the Executed (2002) - Actor
- Parts of the Family (2003) - Actor
- Nikos (2003) - Director/Actor
- Don't Wake the Dead (2006) - Director
- Unrated (2009) - Co-director (with Timo RoseTimo RoseTimo Rose is a German horror and science fiction filmmaker, rapper, and founder of the production company Sword of Independence Filmworks .-Films:...
)/Actor - Angel of Death 2: The Prison Island Massacre (2009) - Actor
- Karl vs Axe (2009) - Co-director (with Timo RoseTimo RoseTimo Rose is a German horror and science fiction filmmaker, rapper, and founder of the production company Sword of Independence Filmworks .-Films:...
)/Actor - Necronos - Tower of Doom (2010) - Actor
- Game Over (2010) - Actor
- The 4th Reich (2011) - Actor