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Iconic Swiss character Heidi appears in a bizarre horror film as a pig-tailed, leather-corseted KILLER who seeks bloody revenge against a dairy baron dictator who drowns his enemies in fondue.
- Mad Heidi, a crowdfunded horror-comedy from Swiss directors, is full of cheese
- The film sees an adorable mountain girl embark on a bloodthirsty rampage to overthrow a cheese magnate and fascist dictator in dystopian Switzerland.
- With gore so gratuitous it would make Tarantino blush, the film proved an unlikely hit with fans and critics alike, garnering numerous awards.
When the word ‘cheesy’ is used to describe a movie, it’s rarely taken as a compliment.
But the makers of Mad Heidi, a crowdfunded Swiss horror-comedy film that has proven to be a sleeper hit with critics, are perfectly happy to accept that label.
Billed as the world’s first ‘Swissploitation’ film ahead of its November 2022 release, Mad Heidi sees an adorable mountaineer from the Swiss Alps embark on a blood-soaked rampage to overthrow the country’s fascist dictator and cheese magnate.
Heidi, played by British actress Alice Lucy, is based loosely, very loosely, on the eponymous character at the center of Swiss author Johanna Spyri’s bestselling children’s novels.
And the film, which features gratuitous nudity, violence, and levels of gore that would make Tarantino blush, seems on its way to becoming a cult classic.
British actress Alice Lucy makes her film debut as Heidi, loosely based on the eponymous children’s character from Swiss author Johanna Spyri’s novels.
The Nazi-style dictator and his cronies have a few preferred methods of keeping the population in check, one of which is water fondue, complete with a gag made of croutons.
Mad Heidi is set in a dystopian 20th century Switzerland languishing under the rule of a fascist cheese magnate on a mission to monopolize the dairy industry and exterminate the lactose intolerant.
After her smuggled piece of goat cheese is publicly executed before her eyes, Heidi quickly undergoes a dramatic transformation from sweet, suave mountain girl to cold-blooded murderer.
Tying back her pigtails and donning a leather corset, she picks up a battle ax and sets out to hunt down the baron and his Nazi cronies whose favored methods of keeping their enemies at bay include mock fondue (with a gag made of croutons) and death by Toblerone.
The film delivers a veritable smorgasbord of gory murder, wanton nudity, and bags of cheese – in both senses of the word – that has delighted fans and critics alike.
The president of this dystopian Switzerland is also a cheese and dairy magnate who wants to exterminate the lactose intolerant
Mad Heidi is set in a dystopian 20th century Switzerland languishing under the rule of a fascist cheese magnate on a mission to monopolize the dairy industry and exterminate the lactose intolerant.
Heidi transforms from a happy-go-lucky mountain girl to a savage killer.
Forced to watch her smuggled piece of goat cheese being executed in a public square, Heidi decides to go on a rampage to bring her killers to justice.
The film has been a hit with critics and fans alike, receiving several awards and honorable mentions at horror and fantasy film festivals.
Directors Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein knew they would never be able to raise enough money to make the ridiculous blood fest from traditional sources, so they turned to crowdfunding to bring their exploitation film to life.
Their funding goal was 2 million Swiss francs (approximately £1.7 million) and their crowdfunding campaign launched in September 2020.
Just half a year later, the filmmakers had reached their goal thanks to 538 investors from 19 countries who donated the funds through blockchain, the technology that underpins bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
And by distributing Mad Heidi directly through its website, where viewers can rent the movie to stream, those who donated will receive a decent share of the proceeds because there are no middlemen, sales teams, or distribution agencies to compensate.
Producer Valentin Greutert said swissinfo.ch of the relationship between producers and investors.
They loved this trip with us. From the very beginning of the project, the production team created a notable community on social media…fans even helped the creators find filming locations and costumes. They were happy to be part of this special journey.’
Greutert is also convinced that “our times really need silly movies.”
“Climate change, war, the Covid pandemic: in these depressing times, foolishness can save the world,” he said.
Given the film’s slew of awards at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, the Vancouver Horror Show, and the Trieste Sci-Fi festival, it seems Greutert is right.