- Oliver Kalkofe declares an endless supply of subpar cinematic experiences.
When a Kraken-like monster with six arms instead of eight stalks its prey at a leisurely pace, when a serial killer claims lives in an aerobics studio, or fugitives must escape from zombie water-Nazis wearing sunglasses: That's when audiences know they've joined forces with comedians Oliver Kalkofe and Peter Rütten.
This past Friday at 10:00 PM, their "junk-festival" "#SchleFaZ – The worst movies of all time" began its latest leg. The subsidiary channel of RTL, Nitro, has now become the new home for "#SchleFaZ", offering a new gem from the junk heap every week.
The Holiday Miracle
It's only been a few months since the series appeared to be on the verge of extinction. Tele 5 had finally let it go at the end of 2023. But then, just before Christmas, a miracle occurred: Nitro claimed the format.
Kalkofe shared his delight with the fans during a dpa interview, "Announcing the Christmas miracle that '#SchleFaZ' would continue on Nitro and stream on RTL+ after ending on Tele 5 was one of the most exciting and emotional moments I've ever had on stage. The unbearable sorrow and despair of the fans transformed into pure joy. People were genuinely crying and hugging each other. It was amazing."
The original team from the previous seasons is still on board. "That's why we can proudly say: It will stay just as delightfully cheesy as it always has been. In that sense, it's both a reboot and a fresh start." Experiencing this once more, "at a ripe old age," feels great, says the 58-year-old.
Born Out of a Whimsical Idea
The series has been around since 2013 - with over 160 films in its collection so far. "#SchleFaZ was originally just a crazy idea for a summer. We never thought we'd start something like this."
Bad movies were popular to watch with friends in England and America, where the viewing led to unintentional comedy and cathartic relief. "Not so much here. But it helps you release your frustrations: You take something that's genuinely terrible and turn it into something enjoyable. Through our editing, the bad movie becomes a big party. By yourself, you'd be irritated by the awful film, but with us, you can laugh and have a great time."
It's clear that everyone involved is passionate and enjoys what they do. "The audience appreciates your honesty, because honesty isn't usually found in television."
For the premiere, a film from the RTL archive
What can fans anticipate? "We're particularly proud of the season's opening because we have a fantastic RTL original production to offer," says Kalkofe. "Of course, finding something suitable for '#SchleFaZ' among the excellent, high-quality RTL productions is quite the challenge," he says with a hint of irony. But they managed it: "S.O.S. Barracuda: The Death Plays Roulette" is from 1999.
"The film is an action series from the late 1990s, featuring Heinz Hoenig as the main villain, Verona Feldbusch before her Pooth days, and Maren Gilzer. It's a 'Die Hard' knockoff, but set on a gambling fishing cutter off Travemünde."
Nick Wilder, known for his Hamburg-Mannheimer insurance commercials, will take on the Bruce Willis role. "That's true '#SchleFaZ' gold! As a 'Die Hard' fan, this overly ambitious school theater production is a fantastic and more than worthy start at the new RTL home."
Will Oliver and Peter, masters of junk films, run out of trashy movies anytime soon? Kalkofe: "I don't believe so." However, one should not underestimate the task. "At first, we took whatever we could get. But we soon realized that wasn't enough."
"Many films are bad because they're simply dull and boring. But our motto is 'Beautiful Shit'. That means we want films that are so bad you can laugh at them, that were made with unintentional passion and energy. Finding these truly exceptional pieces of shit is a real job."
On this Christmas Eve, fans of "#SchleFaZ" were rejoicing as Nitro announced the continuation of the series, which had seemingly come to an end on Tele 5 at the end of 2023. Kalkofe expressed his excitement during an interview, describing the moment as one of the most emotional he'd ever experienced on stage.
With the new episode starting on Nitro's subsidiary channel at 10:00 PM, audiences were in for a treat as they prepared to laugh their way through another junk film. This past Friday marked the beginning of another leg in the "junk-festival" of "#SchleFaZ", promising a fresh start and a continuation of the series' delightfully cheesy style.
