‘They just f-cked with the wrong Heidi!’
Mad Heidi is a 2020 Swissploitation comedy horror film and a parody of the much-loved children’s storybook character Heidi.
Now all grown up, Heidi is just a girl from the Alps in an alternative Switzerland that has fallen under fascist rule. Little does she know that her yearning for personal freedom will be the spark that ignites a revolution…t
Written, co-produced and directed by Johannes Hartmann and co-produced by Tero Kaukomaa (Iron Sky and Iron Sky: The Coming Race).
Reviews:
“They expand the classic Swiss Heidi children’s novel (1881) into an action pic/satire (if you can believe!). The well-choreographed fight scenes get over, the comic attempts are silly but fun and the sci-fi /horror parts work despite not really working. It’s a low-budget film, with low-tech special effects and low expectations.” Grade: B- Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
“The fight choreography and scenes are great, the science fiction and horror nods are a blast, the lower-budget special effects are a hoot, and the comedy lands more often than not. Mad Heidi is a mind-blowing celebration of what genre-film fans love, and if you consider yourself such a fan, you’ll want to seek out this crazy romp for an hour-and-a-half of fun entertainment.” Horror Fuel
“A Swissploitation film full of funny gags and clichés about Switzerland and a parody of misguided monarchy and megalomania that makes you laugh up your sleeve. Even if the isolated splatter scenes invite you to be disgusted. The flat jokes with and about Swiss products should cause more than just a smile, especially among the home crowd.” Outnow [translated from German]
” …bloody, silly and bloody silly – and its laughs, though somewhat hit and miss, certainly come thick and fast. Its plot, if taken at all seriously, is as holey as a Swiss comestible, but best just to let its lactose-filled diet rot your own as much as the characters’ brains, and surrender to the mad maximalism of its faux-grindhouse sensibilities.” Projected Figures
“The cheese jokes are funny throughout and they’re helped by an onslaught of visual gags. The film opens on an aggressively saturated and hyperreal image of the Alps, characters’ battle costumes are made of giant Swiss cowbells and sexed up traditional clothing, and Heidi’s personalized long ax has an edelweiss flower forged into it.” Screen Anarchy
” …a satisfyingly cheesy mix of skewered clichés, skewered bodies, bare breasts and some surprisingly well-choreographed fight scenes […] too many genre parodies such as Exorcism at 60,000 Feet end up being less funny than the films they’re supposed to be making fun of. Mad Heidi, like the makers of fine cheese, gets the formula right.” 4.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
YouTube reviews:
Teaser:
Background:
Cult American screenwriter, actor, director and producer Trent Haaga joined Mad Heidi‘s scriptwriting team, stating:
“I’ve always been a huge fan of old-school exploitation films – from spaghetti westerns, kung-fu movies, the counterculture movies of the late 60s, and the timeless alternate reality of the Iron Sky films. I see Mad Heidi as a love letter to all of the above, and I was thrilled to be offered the chance to play in the world that Tero, Valentin, and Johannes have created.
Mad Heidi holds a dark funhouse mirror up to the world through the lens of a Switzerland that never was. It’s a futuristic fairy tale heavily inspired by a classic and much-loved novel. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in something like that? I’m also a huge fan of the way these guys put their films together – eschewing traditional financing models, embracing new forms of distribution, and valuing input from the fans during production. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the future of independent filmmaking, and I’m delighted to be making this journey with this team.”
Co-producer Tero Kaukomaa added: “It’s great to have someone of Trent‘s undoubted talents on board. He always delivers and is a perfect fit for the amazing new film we are producing for our fans. I can assure you people will not be disappointed. In fact, we are sure they’re gonna love it. We know our fans have been waiting, and the good news for them is that things are starting to move quickly. So, watch this space as there’s plenty more news to come.”
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