Spare Parts (aka: Fleisch, made-for-German-TV)

(1979) **1/2

Newlyweds Monika and Mike are on their honeymoon in Las Cruces, New Mexico. With hardly any cash to speak of, musician Mike springs for a room at a dingy little motel that only charges $7.50/night. The seemingly friendly hotel owner, who reminded me of Maude from Harlold and Maude, makes them feel at home with a large pot of coffee. She was really insistent on giving them coffee, so insistent, in fact, that I brewed myself up a batch. Later, after a pretty good sex scene replete with Monika’s impressive bosom, the two run off into the large field in back of the hotel. As they frolick and act like idiots an amubulence starts heading their way. Somehow sensing evil Monika runs away screaming. Dimwitted Mike stays behind and is promptly kidnapped.


After a long chase scene, Monika finds herself back at the crappy hotel. When she begins explaining to the old innkeeper what just transpired, the old bitch pretends that she has never seen Monika before. Monika, a bit slow to catch on, tries to convince the innkeeper that they had indeed met before (“Don’t you remember, you gave us coffee!?”). Monika finally figures things out and promptly heads for the door. The old bitty, meanwhile, attempts to prevent Monika from leaving while she contacts the evil ambulance. Evading the old bitty, Monika flees and ends up running down the highway where she is picked up by friendly trucker, Bill. Bill initially believes she’s nuts, but after a strange encounter with the ambulance “paramedics” at a truck stop he realizes that she’s onto something and the two embark on a wild adventure, which involves the craziest plan. The two return to the crappy hotel with Monika in disguise, and allow themselves to be kidnapped by the ambulance. Lucky Bill previously arranged a trap with all his trucking buddies and the “paramedics” are tortured until they reveal what’s going on.

What they eventually uncover is an underground organ smuggling ring. Apparently there is a large network of fake ambulances that kidnap unsuspecting travelers all over the country. The kidnapped are taken to Roswell Air Force base (of course) where their organs are harvested. So off to Roswell Monika and Bill go, will they be able to save Mike in time before his organs are purchased by some rich sonofabitch? (yes).

Surly Spare Parts was the German response to the then-popular Coma. I threw this in not expecting much and to my surprise I found myself enjoying the hell out of it. The film gets pretty involved and I always love movies where the protagonist, against all odds, infiltrates a place that could never be infiltrated with the most basic security measures in place. Not bad for a German made-for-TV movie.