‘5 ways to die – one way to survive’
The Bitter Taste is a 2024 horror film about a former pentathlete being hunted by an undead countess and her followers.
The movie was directed by Guido Tölke from a screenplay co-written with co-star Julia Dordel (Sky Sharks). The Dorcon Film production also stars Nicolo Pasetti (The Last Voyage of the Demeter), Anne Alexander-Sieder (Ojai) and Imme Beccard.
Plot:
Marcia, a retired pentathlete, is captured by undead Countess Badesky and her cursed followers. She must use her outdated athletic abilities to survive a terrifying hunt for human prey. To increase her chances of survival, she reluctantly teams up with a charming fisherman and an irritable cop…
Reviews:
” …it took director Guido Tölke five years to bring this movie to the screen. His second feature, and running at over two hours, it’s in desperate need of editing and a more coherent storyline. The FX work – and there’s a lot of it – looks halfway decent but everything feels thrown together and bitty.” Bloody Flicks
“Though it has been characterised in some places as an exercise in gore, and it does feature a few meat hooks, this isn’t a film focused on suffering. It has much more of an adventure vibe, and it rattles along sufficiently fast that it’s possible to overlook the problems with the plot and focus on the spectacle. That said, it’s not going to be winning any prizes.” ★★ Eye for Film
“The Bitter Taste clearly wanted to be a fun schlock fest, pulling from horror video games and 70s/80s grindhouse films, but it’s let down by a director that’s taken on more than he can handle. Some people might enjoy this if you’re a fan of the later Resident Evil films, but it really wasn’t for me. ” ★½ The Fright Club
“At about three-quarters of the way through this two hours-plus movie, something happens which made me think the listed running time was a mistake and the downbeat ending had just happened … only then the film springs yet another twist […] This is very rough around the edges, but a few of its eccentricities – a mix of accents and the occasional speech balloon dialogue (‘stop trying to do my job’, ‘we’re not so different, you and I’) – actually work for it.” The Kim Newman Website
“This uses the concepts of outdated traditions to create a survival horror, creating a series of different challenges, threats and enemies to deal with. Julia Dordel is excellent in the leading role of the movie as a character with nothing to lose in her battle for survival.” ★★★★ Movie Reviews 101
” …the film is over-edited, but that adds to the sense of snowballing insanity, and there is an undeniable energy and enthusiasm that refuses to be dampened. It’s all such eye-rolling fun it just seems churlish to unpick the flimsy stitches of its patchwork narrative. Once the pentathlon-inspired section of the film unfolds in all its glorious disbelief, you will already be won over by its inherent desire to please. ” ★★★ The People’s Movies
“There is grotesquerie galore, plenty of wild detours, and a final girl who really is put through hell before finding strength she never knew she had (or thought she had lost forever) – but mostly this is gothic updated with a mad, maximalist spin, and with Clemens Damerau’s in-your-face soundtrack underscoring the shrill craziness of it all. Tölke’s film may be an acquired taste, but for those attuned to its zany (blood)sports and undying tropes, it will prove more sweet than bitter.” Projected Figures
Trailer:
Cast and characters:
Nicolo Pasetti … Josh
Anne Alexander-Sieder … George Balough
Julia Dordel … Marcia
Imme Beccard … Sonja
Country of origin:
Germany
Also known as:
The Taste of Prey
Technical specs:
2 hours 5 minutes
