The Cremator/Spalovač mrtvol (Juraj Herz, 1969, Czech Republic)

4K restoration

A landmark work of Czechoslovak New Wave, Juraj Herz’s hauntingly surreal adaptation of Ladislav Fuks’s novel is a darkly comic horror masterpiece, as scathing as it is groundbreaking.

Set in 1930s Prague, the film follows Karel Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrušínský), a seemingly mild-mannered crematorium worker who becomes increasingly obsessed with the notion of death as a means of purification. As Nazi ideology begins to infiltrate his worldview, Kopfrkingl's twisted sense of morality spirals into madness, leading him to see his work as a divine mission to ‘save’ humanity by sending souls to the afterlife.

A chilling exploration of how ordinary people can be seduced to commit unspeakable evil, The Cremator’s unique visual style — marked by disorienting close-ups — externalises the interior degradation of a man, and by extension a society, corrupted by a poisonous ideology.

The 2024 edition of Samizdat is supported by Screen Scotland’s National Lottery Film Festival and Screening Fund and Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funds from Screen Scotland and National Lottery funding from the BFI.

Accessibility

Wheelchair accessible, English subtitles, Pay-what-you-can tickets (£2-£8)

If you want to attend this screening but find it unaffordable, you may be able to have the cost of your ticket, commute, and/or childcare covered by the Audience Access Fund — see here for further details.

Content notes: Murder, death, the Holocaust, antisemitism