DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Es tut sich was um Mitternacht remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you’re a complete sucker for 1930s European sets and don't mind a story that feels like it was written on a napkin during lunch. If you want a tight, logical thriller, skip this. If you enjoy watching people in fancy outfits wander through dark hallways while looking for money that might not exist, you’ll probably find something to enjoy.
The whole thing feels like a stage play that got lost on its way to a soundstage. It’s got that stilted, slightly stiff energy you find in movies like Der Sprung ins Dunkle, where everyone is acting as if they’re being watched by a headmaster.
We’ve got a group of musicians here. They aren't exactly convincing as a band, but their frantic energy is kind of charming. Watching them scramble around this drafty old pile of stone is just… well, it’s a lot of running in circles. 🏰
There’s this one sequence where a character keeps ducking behind a curtain, and I’m pretty sure they just reused the same three feet of film. It’s clumsy. I kind of loved it.
It’s not as polished as something like Die Nibelungen: Siegfried, but that’s fine. It doesn’t need to be. It’s just weird, and sometimes that’s enough.
The pacing is a complete wreck, honestly. One minute they’re joking around, the next they’re screaming about a ghost or a thief or whatever. It’s like the editor just threw the reels in a bucket and hoped for the best. 🤷♂️
If you liked the vibe of Broadway After Midnight, you might appreciate the way this handles its nightlife aesthetic. But don't expect it to make sense. It doesn't want to make sense. It just wants to exist in that weird, flickering gray space between a musical and a haunted house flick.
I left feeling a bit hungry, honestly. Maybe it was just the late hour. Or maybe the movie is just that thin.
