Practically a monologue by our lead guy, who becomes more demented and self-obsessed, devolving from a family man to a family-murdering nazi. He’s a recognizable type too, always talking in circles but without anything of his own to say, picking up outside ideas, internalizing and amplifying them. Sure we got grotesque lenses and fast cuts, but the thing that turns this from a series of scenes into one years-spanning monologue is the terrific transitions, where some Rope-like camera move will have him finishing a thought or a sentence in a new location or month than he started it. Herz would go on to even weirder things, like the vampire car movie.

Cremator vs. cat:

Cremator’s innocent son with his goofy smile:

Wax museum:

Unfortunately not a wax museum: