Whilst being aware that he has a vast number of credits,the only films starring the legendary Udo Kier I've seen is the bonkers Dario Argento flick Mother of Tears (2007) and fellow auteur Walerian Borowczyk's excellent The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981-both films also reviewed.) Checking the line up on the Cine-Excess festival,I found that they were streaming Kier's "Return to Horror",leading to me going for a skinny.

View on the film:

Entering with the same spirit he had for Mother of Tears (2007),Udo Kier gives a joyful performance of cutting thick slices of ham as Claus, who when not cackling with glee Kier has give menacing smirks to all who catch his sight. Forced to return to the family estate, Amber Anderson gives a bubbly turn as Regine, whose downcast withdrawn state Anderson burns at the edges with returned horrors from her childhood entering Regine's adult life.

Wearing the potential in the screenplay for a intelligent examination in his feature film debut on the long-term effort of psychological trauma in childhood from the family home, writer/director Christian Neuman skins chances for slow-burn chills or any depth by throwing a trashy splatter Horror mood.

Neuman & cinematographer Amandine Klee shake the camera round like it is having a seizure, spinning out of the rich Gothic Horror reds and purples with constant agitating twist and turning camera moves which comes off as utterly detached from the characters and distracting from the elegant Gothic design on the skin.

What the hell it rate of 6.9? Noway. Just a nothing of this movie and not horror at all. Please remade and return my money back !

I was reading the reviews before putting my own here.

This is not a 2 or for stars (of 10) not a 8 or 9.

It is slow and it intends to tell the story from the "point of view" of an unreliable narrator, that being Regine herself. As of this kind of style in narrative has had been done before and in a much better ways with more effective results, we cannot say is terrible just for this.

It is actually a little derivative, and even predictable (I, myself, resolved the "mystery" within the first half of the movie).

Performances are pretty good, for the 2 main characters, because Udo Kier is excellent in what he does, and Amber gave a great performance as a fractured soul with a fractured mind.

The end and resolution was kind of knowable since a mile away. But, it was well executed.

This is intended as an "artsy" thriller drama. Not that bad, but not as profound as it was trying to be.

For me could be 5/10 but I give one more point for Udo and Amber (and even the child actress portraying young Regine).

As a curiosity: Hellheim Institute called my attention as Hellheim is the Hell Realm in Norse Heathenry.

Not exactly recommend it, but for making a critic we all must watch before. And to the very end.

6/10 for me. Watch at your own risk.