| Horror Vacui | |
| Director: | Rosa von Praunheim |
| Producer: | Rosa von Praunheim |
| Starring: |
|
| Music: | Marran Gosov |
| Cinematography: | Elfi Mikesch |
| Studio: | Rosa Von Praunheim Filmproduktion |
| Runtime: | 85 minutes |
| Country: | West Germany |
Horror Vacui (German: '''Horror Vacui - Die Angst vor der Leere''') is a 1984 German avant-garde film directed by Rosa von Praunheim.
The film was shown at international film festivals and in 1985 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[1]
Shot in a neo-expressionist style, the film is a satire on cults of any kind. The plot follows Frankie and Hannes, a young gay couple living in Berlin. One is studying art and the other medicine. Their happy life is disrupted when Frankie attends a lecture and quickly becomes involved in a sinister cult operating as a self-help group called "Optimal Optimism". 'Madame C', a former Nazi party member, is the leader of 'Optimal Optimism'. When the cult members find out that Frankie is gay, they rape him. Hannes has to find a way to save him.[2]
"If you have a soft spot for fantastic and ironic films, you won't feel any inner emptiness [horror vacui] with Praunheim's wealth of fantasy." (Cinema Film Journal)[4]