# The Corpse of Anna Fritz
**The Corpse of Anna Fritz** (*El cadáver de Anna Fritz*) is a 2015 Spanish thriller directed by Hèctor Hernández Vicens in his feature debut, in which three young men break into a hospital morgue to view the corpse of a famous actress and sexually assault her, only for her to wake up.[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) • [2](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-235849/sensacine/) The film premiered on the festival circuit in 2015, screened in the official section at Sitges and at SXSW, and received a Spanish theatrical release on 30 October 2015.[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original / international title | *El cadáver de Anna Fritz* / *The Corpse of Anna Fritz*[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) |
| Director | Hèctor Hernández Vicens (born Palma, 1975); feature debut[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) • [4](https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/cultura/2015/10/12/163966/hector-hernandez-lleva-miedo-muerte-social-festival-sitges.html) |
| Screenplay | Hèctor Hernández Vicens and Isaac P. Creus[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) |
| Cast | Alba Ribas (Anna Fritz), Albert Carbó (Pau), Cristian Valencia (Iván), Bernat Saumell (Javi), Belén Fabra[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) |
| Spanish release | 30 October 2015; rated not recommended for viewers under 18[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) |
| Spanish box office | €36,701.54 from 9,030 spectators[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) |
| Festivals | SXSW 2015; Sitges 2015 official feature competition; L'Etrange Festival; BFI London; Fantaspoa; Neuchâtel; Valencia[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) |
| Ratings | Rotten Tomatoes 50% Tomatometer (8 reviews), 42% audience score; IMDb 5.9/10 from about 7,000 votes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_corpse_of_anna_fritz) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4441280/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Anna Fritz is a beautiful and famous film actress, described in the film's synopsis as one of the most desired women in the world. One afternoon she is found dead in a hotel suite, and the news of her death spreads worldwide.[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) • [8](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/306234/)
Pau, a shy and introverted orderly at the hospital where her body is taken, photographs her naked body and sends the picture to his friends Iván and Javi.[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) The two friends, who are somewhat drunk, come to the hospital and persuade their way into the morgue to see the corpse.[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) • [9](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/movie-review-the-corpse-of-anna-fritz/) Struck by her beauty and reasoning that no one would ever know, they decide to have sex with her body.[8](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/306234/) The situation collapses around them when Anna unexpectedly opens her eyes, and the three men must try to conceal what they have done.[2](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-235849/sensacine/)
## Production
The film was produced by El Cadáver de, A.I.E., with the participation of A Contraluz Films, Corte y Confección de Películas, Benecé Produccions, Playtime Movies, Silendum Films, and Televisió de Catalunya, and with support from the ICEC and the ICAA.[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) Shooting ran from 18 November to 19 December 2013.[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) The crew included cinematographer Ricard Canyelles, editor Alberto Bernad, and composer Tolo Prats.[3](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf) The director credited five weeks of rehearsal as key to the film's construction.[7](https://diariodevenusville.com/el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz-rueda-festival-sitges-alba-ribas/)
Runtime figures differ across sources: the ICAA registry records 73 minutes, Cineuropa lists 76 minutes, and Rotten Tomatoes lists 1h 16m.[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) • [8](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/306234/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_corpse_of_anna_fritz)
## Themes and style
The film engages directly with the idea of necrophilia, and the [Strasbourg](https://www.edgepedia.org/strasbourg) festival's catalog described it as an example of the boldness of Spanish genre cinema on the subject of rule-breaking, confronting its characters with their relationship to image and celebrity.[10](https://strasbourgfestival.com/en/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz-en/) The reviewer Heather Wixson of Daily Dead read the script as a commentary on how audiences feel entitled to access to celebrities, and on how those interactions can escalate inappropriately in the social media era.[11](https://dailydead.com/review-round-up-nina-forever-camino-and-the-corpse-of-anna-fritz/)
The story plays out almost entirely within the morgue, a single setting that critics noted produces a claustrophobic atmosphere.[12](https://www.elperiodico.cat/oci-i-cultura/20151012/necrofilia-al-diposit-de-cadavers-4581878) • [9](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/movie-review-the-corpse-of-anna-fritz/) Andrew Marshall, writing in *Starburst*, observed that despite the potential for trashy exploitation, the story's most deplorable elements are portrayed with a degree of tact, with tension sustained by the constantly shifting levels of control among the three men.[9](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/movie-review-the-corpse-of-anna-fritz/)
## Reception
At the 48th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in October 2015, the director presented the film as his first feature.[4](https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/cultura/2015/10/12/163966/hector-hernandez-lleva-miedo-muerte-social-festival-sitges.html) Spanish critics were divided. Jordi Costa of *El País* called it a synthetic and effective debut, a minimalist thriller that transcends its morbid starting point, and praised Alba Ribas for making Anna's inanimate face seductive, angelic, and enigmatic at once.[13](https://www.cine.com/us/pelicula/el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz/criticas_prensa) Salvador Llopart of *La Vanguardia* called it a small great film in which the horror of a deplorable act is only the beginning.[13](https://www.cine.com/us/pelicula/el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz/criticas_prensa) More critical voices included Ezequiel Boetti of OtrosCines.com, who felt the repetitive story would have worked better as a short film, and Fernando López of *La Nación*, who judged the thin plot barely sufficient for its 74 minutes.[13](https://www.cine.com/us/pelicula/el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz/criticas_prensa)
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 50% Tomatometer from 8 reviews and a 42% audience score from more than 250 ratings; on IMDb it stands at 5.9/10 from about 7,000 votes.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_corpse_of_anna_fritz) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4441280/ratings/) Julia Bembenek of *Under the Radar* found inventiveness in the conceit, setting, and narrative but concluded that the film lacks the philosophical horror needed to escape B-movie territory, rating it 3.5/10.[14](https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/the_corpse_of_anna_fritz)
Despite a modest theatrical run of 9,030 spectators in Spain, the film later spread widely through unauthorized online viewing; in a 2016 interview, Hernández Vicens described it as an unexpected success that became viral content among millions of viewers and attained cult status.[1](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714) • [15](https://reverendowilson.com/2016/10/01/entrevista-con-hector-hernandez-vicens-director-de-el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz/)
## Availability
As of the most recent listings, the film streams on Troma NOW, Bloodstream, and Chilling, and free with ads on Filmzie and Tubi TV, with rental available on Bloodstream.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz) In Spain it was released on VOD on 25 March 2016 and on DVD on 13 April 2016.[17](https://www.elseptimoarte.net/peliculas/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz-10746.html)
## References
1. [El cadáver de Anna Fritz, ICAA Catálogo de Películas, Ministerio de Cultura de España](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=11714)
2. [El Cadáver de Anna Fritz, crítica de Gerard Casau, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-235849/sensacine/)
3. [El cadáver de Anna Fritz, ficha de película, Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (2015)](https://www.cultura.gob.es/dam/jcr%3A928cb6fe-ace6-4379-a2fb-874af45611a9/Ficcion-Fiction1-2015.pdf)
4. [Hèctor Hernández lleva «el miedo a la muerte social» al Festival de Sitges, Última Hora (2015)](https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/cultura/2015/10/12/163966/hector-hernandez-lleva-miedo-muerte-social-festival-sitges.html)
5. [The Corpse of Anna Fritz, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_corpse_of_anna_fritz)
6. [The Corpse of Anna Fritz (2015), IMDb Ratings](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4441280/ratings/)
7. [El cadáver de Anna Fritz rueda: La muerte os sienta tan bien, Diario de Venusville (2015)](https://diariodevenusville.com/el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz-rueda-festival-sitges-alba-ribas/)
8. [El cadáver de Anna Fritz, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/es/film/306234/)
9. [The Corpse of Anna Fritz, review by Andrew Marshall, Starburst Magazine (2016)](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/movie-review-the-corpse-of-anna-fritz/)
10. [The Corpse of Anna Fritz, Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival](https://strasbourgfestival.com/en/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz-en/)
11. [Review Round-Up: Nina Forever, Camino and The Corpse of Anna Fritz, Daily Dead (2016)](https://dailydead.com/review-round-up-nina-forever-camino-and-the-corpse-of-anna-fritz/)
12. [Necrofília al dipòsit de cadàvers, El Periódico (2015)](https://www.elperiodico.cat/oci-i-cultura/20151012/necrofilia-al-diposit-de-cadavers-4581878)
13. [Críticas de prensa de El cadáver de Anna Fritz, Cine.com](https://www.cine.com/us/pelicula/el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz/criticas_prensa)
14. [The Corpse of Anna Fritz, review by Julia Bembenek, Under the Radar (2016)](https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/the_corpse_of_anna_fritz)
15. [Entrevista con Hèctor Hernández Vicens, El Gabinete del Reverendo Wilson (2016)](https://reverendowilson.com/2016/10/01/entrevista-con-hector-hernandez-vicens-director-de-el-cadaver-de-anna-fritz/)
16. [The Corpse of Anna Fritz streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz)
17. [El cadáver de Anna Fritz (2015), El Séptimo Arte](https://www.elseptimoarte.net/peliculas/the-corpse-of-anna-fritz-10746.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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