Oliver Kalkofe resurrects the infamous #SchleFaZ
When the Octo-Crustacean monster, boasting six limbs rather than the usual eight, stalks its prey at a snail's pace, when a slayer strikes in the midst of an aerobics class, or sunbathers find themselves running from Nazi-zombies with shades on - these are the signs that viewers have tumbled into the strange realm of entertainers Oliver Kalkofe and Peter Rütten. Their trash movie extravaganza "#SchleFaZ - The Worst Films of All Time" once again emerges on Fridays at 10 PM. RTL NITRO and RTL now serve as the new haven for "#SchleFaZ", offering a new dumpster dive gem every week.
It wasn't all that long ago that the series appeared to be coming to an end. Tele 5 allowed it to fizzle out towards the tail-end of 2023. Yet, a day prior to Christmas Eve, the miracle occurred: Nitro adopted the format. Kalkofe recalls announcing the incredible news to the fans on stage: "When we declared that '#SchleFaZ' would continue on Nitro and on the stream on RTL+ after its departure from Tele 5, it was one of the most touching and emotional experiences I've ever had on stage. The sheer despair and anguish of the fans transformed into an indescribable joy. People were actually weeping and hugging each other. It was a sight to behold."
The seasoned team from the previous installments remains intact: "Thus, we can boast that it will continue to remain every bit as delightfully awful as it always was. In that sense, it's a revival, as well as a fresh start." Embracing it anew, at this advanced age, feels fantastic, says the 58-year-old.
"#SchleFaZ" first debuted in 2013 - with over 160 films under its belt so far. "#SchleFaZ" was originally merely a whimsical notion for the summer. "We never presumed the impact it would have," Kalkofe admits. In England and America, it was typical to gather around and watch bad movies with friends, finding unintentional humor in their mistakes. "It wasn't quite as popular here. But it offers a cathartic release: You take something seriously detestable and turn it into something enjoyable. Through our editing, the rotten movie becomes a raucous party. Solely consumed alone, one might become irked by the atrociously bad film, but with us, it becomes an opportunity for laughter and merriment."
The enthusiasm and passion for the project are palpable. "The audience appreciates honesty, as it isn't always in abundance within television."
What does the audience have to look forward to? "We're quite proud of the season premiere since we've managed to secure a fantastic RTL original production for it," Kalkofe tells us. "Of course, it's quite challenging to find something suitable for '#SchleFaZ' amidst RTL's superior, high-quality productions," he humbly says with an air of irony. But they succeeded: "S.O.S. Barracuda: Death Deals the Cards" hails from 1999.
"The film is an action series from the late 1990s, starring Heinz Hoenig as the main villain, Verona Feldbusch transitioning into her 'Pooth' days, and Maren Gilzer. It's a 'Die Hard'-esque replica set aboard a gambling fishing trawler off the coast of Travemünde. Nick Wilder, the actor famous for his role as Mr. Kaiser in the Hamburg-Mannheimer insurance commercials, assumes the Bruce Willis role. 'This is pure '#SchleFaZ' gold!' remarks the narrator, a 'Die Hard' aficionado who finds this overdramatic, high school theater rendition a grand and absolutely fitting start to the new RTL Home."
Will the trash-loving curators ever exhaust their supply of trash-worthy films? Kalkofe muses, "I don't think so." However, the task should not be trivialized. "Initially, we used whatever we could get our hands on. But we soon realized that wasn't sufficient. Many films are terrible just because they're dull and pointless. But our motto is 'Beautiful Shit'. We seek out films that are so bad you can't help but laugh at them, that were driven to the brink of collapse by unintentional passion. Tracking down these truly magnificent pieces of rubbish is no easy feat."
The return of "#SchleFaZ" to RTL NITRO and RTL+ was a joyous occasion for its loyal fans, as they were delighted to know that they could continue to enjoy the series' delightfully awful films. With the new platform, "#SchleFaZ" has the opportunity to dig up more hidden gems and present them to its viewers every week.
In their search for the perfect garbage film, the "#SchleFaZ" team is always on the lookout for movies that are so bad they're hilarious, drove by an unintentional passion that pushes them to the brim of collapse. They aim to find films that embody their motto of "Beautiful Shit," movies that are so terrible yet so captivating that they can only be enjoyed with laughter and merriment.
