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The following character is not named in the movie, but for convenience' sake, I will call him Werner Kniesek in this proposal because the character was inspired by Kniesek and it is thus his unofficial nickname.
What’s The Work[]
Angst is a 1983 Austrian horror film. It is about a psychopath who was recently released from prison who goes on a killing spree, and it was inspired by the story of a real life mass murderer called Werner Kniesek.
Who is the Candidate? What Have They Done?[]
Werner Kniesek is the main protagonist and the narrator of the film. When he was a child, he was horribly abused by his mother. She eventually abandoned him, and he was sent to live with his grandmother. His grandmother wanted him to become a priest, so she sent him to a convent to train to be one. However, his bloodlust caused him to kill a pig, and he was subsequently kicked out. He eventually killed his mother, and after he was released from prison, he killed another woman, resulting in him being locked up for another decade.
Towards the beginning of the film, Werner gets released from prison for a second time. Immediately after his release, he plans a killing spree. He first enters a coffee shop, but the place is filled with potential witnesses, so he calls a taxi, hoping to strangle the driver. When the driver begins to realize the situation, she kicks him out of the taxi, and he finds a house located in a secluded area where there will be no witnesses to any crimes he commits. He breaks into the house and hides, waiting for the family who lives there to enter. Once they enter the house, Werner attacks and incapacitates them before tying them up. He plans to slowly torture them to death as a means of fantasizing getting his revenge on his own abusive family. However, his plan fails when he is forced to kill the disabled son and the daughter as they attempt to escape, and the mother dies from health conditions before he can torture and kill her himself. He rapes the daughter's corpse before stealing the family's car and storing the corpses in the trunk, hoping to use them to frighten and psychologically torment his next victims.
He drives around town and returns to the coffee shop. He first contemplates killing a couple of girls who are dining there before deciding to kill everyone in the shop. Before he can do this though, the authorities arrive and discover the corpses in the car. Werner is arrested again and given a life sentence.
Freudian Excuse/Mitigating Factors[]
As mentioned earlier in this proposal, Werner grew up in an abusive home and, needless to say, had an awful childhood. While this is slightly understandable, his actions go far beyond any justification, and in the end, he is killing and torturing purely for kicks, nullifying any true gravity in his FE.
Heinous Standard[]
Easily sets it by being the only villain. His mother, stepfather, and sister were all mentioned to be abusive, but none of them actually appear onscreen and none of them do anything to transcend the standards set by him.
Final Verdict[]
Yes.