The Corpse Of Anna Fritz -2015 Direct

The film’s central provocation is the explicit depiction of necrophilia—one of the last cultural taboos in Western cinema. Unlike mainstream horror (e.g., Nekromantik’s cult treatment), The Corpse of Anna Fritz presents the act without sensationalist fantasy. The rape is shown as degrading, banal, and motivated by power, not perverse romance.

The Corpse of Anna Fritz was produced on a razor-thin budget of approximately €500,000. It was shot entirely in an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of Barcelona, which lent the production an authentic, eerie atmosphere.

The biggest challenge was casting Alba Ribas in the title role. For 90% of the film, Ribas is either unconscious, being dragged, or bound naked on a metal gurney. It is an extraordinarily vulnerable and physically demanding performance. Ribas has stated in interviews that she used a body double for the most explicit sexual assault simulation, but the emotional toll was immense. She described the shoot as "three weeks of screaming and cold."

Upon release at the 2015 BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema), walkouts were reported. Critics were divided:

This paradox remains at the heart of the film’s legacy. Is it a feminist horror film that exposes male depravity, or is it torture porn dressed up as social commentary?

The film premiered at the Sitges Film Festival (2015) to polarized reactions. Some critics walked out; others praised its audacity. It gained limited international release, largely via streaming and cult horror circuits.

Despite the controversy, The Corpse of Anna Fritz has become a staple of the "New Spanish Extremism" movement—a wave of cinema (alongside films like [REC] and The Bar) that combines social realism with extreme violence. The Corpse Of Anna Fritz -2015

It is frequently cited in academic essays on necrophilia in cinema and the male gaze in horror. The film forces a conversation that most mainstream movies avoid: the thin line between a fantasy and a crime.

For viewers brave enough to seek it out, the film is available on several streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime (via subscription or rental) and Tubi (with ads), depending on the region. Due to its NC-17-level content, a rated version does not exist; the cut shown in festivals is the only cut.

The Corpse of Anna Fritz is not entertainment in the traditional sense. It is a chilling, low-budget pressure cooker designed to make you feel complicit, uncomfortable, and horrified. It succeeds brilliantly at what it sets out to do—but you will not “enjoy” it. Watch it if you appreciate morally complex, arthouse-adjacent horror that challenges the viewer. Avoid it if you are sensitive to sexual violence or prefer escapist cinema.

Rating (Artistic Merit): ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Rating (Rewatchability): ☆☆☆☆☆ (0/5) – One viewing is more than enough.

Beyond the Grave: The Taboo-Breaking Horror of The Corpse of Anna Fritz (2015)

The Corpse of Anna Fritz (El cadáver de Anna Fritz), the 2015 feature debut from Spanish director Hèctor Hernández Vicens, is a psychological thriller that transforms a sterile hospital morgue into a site of profound moral depravity. Eschewing the traditional gore of the horror genre, the film instead weaponizes social taboos to force its audience into a state of visceral discomfort. A Nightmarish Concept The film’s central provocation is the explicit depiction

The premise begins with a chillingly mundane premise that rapidly spirals out of control. Pau, a timid hospital orderly, finds himself alone with the body of world-famous actress Anna Fritz (played by Alba Ribas) after her sudden death. Succumbing to morbid curiosity, he sends a photo to his friends Ivan and Javi, who arrive at the morgue fueled by drugs and alcohol. The narrative takes its first transgressive leap when the men decide to sexually assault the corpse—a decision that triggers an impossible twist: Anna Fritz is not dead. Tension in a Single Space

Much like the clinical, detached horror of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games, the film focuses on the terrifying lack of remorse in its protagonists. By confining the entire story to the morgue, Vicens creates an intimate, claustrophobic atmosphere where the characters' shifting loyalties and mounting panic are as suffocating as the setting itself.

Pau (Albert Carbó): The quiet "insider" whose initial lapse in judgment sets the tragedy in motion.

Ivan (Cristian Valencia): The predatory catalyst who pushes the group past the point of no return.

Javi (Bernat Saumell): The "moral" friend who objects to the acts but ultimately becomes an accomplice in the cover-up. Critical Reception and Themes

Critics have noted that while the film borders on "B-movie" territory, it succeeds as an exercise in psychological tension. It explores the dark intersections of celebrity culture, male entitlement, and the fragility of the human conscience. Rather than relying on jump scares, the horror is derived from the characters' increasingly desperate attempts to protect themselves from the consequences of their own depravity. This paradox remains at the heart of the film’s legacy

For those looking for a similar blend of morgue-set horror and medical mystery, reviewers from Reddit’s horror community often recommend pairing this with The Autopsy of Jane Doe.

Interview: Director Hèctor Hernández Vicens on ... - Daily Dead

| Character | Role | |-----------|------| | Anna Fritz | The victim. A famous actress in a coma. Transforms from passive object to fierce survivalist. | | Pau | The “moral compass” who regrets the situation but lacks courage to stop it. The most sympathetic of the three men. | | Javi | The instigator and main villain. Narcissistic, cruel, and entitled. Represents pure predatory behavior. | | Iván | The follower. Weak-willed, easily manipulated, but complicit in every act. |

Feminist critics are divided. Some praise the film for shifting sympathy entirely to Anna and showing male perpetrators as pathetic, not glamorous. Others condemn it for again using a woman’s violated body as the vehicle for male-directed horror.

Iván embodies toxic masculinity—domineering, entitled, and violent. Pau follows him out of weakness and a desire for belonging. Javi represents passive conscience, ultimately useless. The film shows how male bonding can enable atrocity, and how the fear of losing status can override basic humanity.