Gonger - Das Böse vergisst nie (2009)

Altbrunnstedt, North Frisia, 1942: The superstitious villagers see a little boy named Eric as the embodiment of evil and regard him as the “child of Satan.” To banish the odd boy, the townspeople plan to commit a crime together. Four playmates of the same age then lure the unsuspecting Eric out onto the tidal flats, intending to leave him to the incoming tide. Their plan succeeds, and their victim dies. His remains are subsequently laid out in a crypt beneath a church. Over the years, the church is relocated, and a library is built on the same site. In the present day, the orphaned, troubled 27-year-old Philipp Hansen returns to Altbrunnstedt after 15 years away to settle his late grandfather’s estate. In the tranquil village, his hometown, he wants to sell an inherited manor house as quickly as possible; however, a number of formalities force him to stay for several days. Philipp uses this time to reconnect with old friends from his youth. Along with the brothers Martin and Pelle, he soon meets Eike and the attractive Helma. The latter suffers from strange daytime visions about the return of a little boy whose eyes were bound and who was once left to his fate on the tidal flats. She is convinced that the little boy is a Gonger. At the same time, she fears for the safety of her school friend Eike, since her visions foretell his death. At first, no one believes this prediction. Soon, mysterious incidents become more frequent, and Eike dies under mysterious circumstances. Warned by his sudden death, Philipp and Helma begin investigating separately. More deaths follow. Philipp is also confronted with his own past. Eventually, the two find evidence connected to the legend. Their ancestors were responsible for the little boy’s death. Eric, their defenseless victim, has now returned years later as a Gonger to haunt and punish the grandchildren of his killers. Meanwhile, Philipp confronts Mayor Schwarz, whom he has by now identified as the murderer of his parents. Through a ruse, he manages to expose the unscrupulous head of the municipality. A little later, Schwarz becomes the Gonger’s final victim. In an open ending, Philipp overcomes his childhood fears in a surreal scenario and apparently breaks the Gonger’s curse, which he had previously triggered by returning. Philipp and Helma watch in harmony as Eric is disturbingly reincarnated; his statement that he is back again gives rise to new fears.