This short movie is great! I've seen it at the Fantasy Filmfest. The whole audience laughed nearly till death. It is made like one of those clips about safety in factories, but there is a significant difference: The makers show what happens if the safety rules are not obeyed instead of just talking about it! So there are knifes sticking in heads or people cut in two halves by sharp metal plates.... and a lot of blood...... and the factory alarm rings on and on.... and the ambulance is very busy.....
22 Reviews
Hilarious - yet educational
Thom47474 December 2009
We watched this on vocational school (logistics line) yesterday and everyone laughed like hell.
We were expecting a boring, typical 70-80's educational video with an old dusty narrator in the background, and that's how it pretty much started. Then, after few gory details what not to do, everyone's interest rose up and most of the class started laughing in tears.
Everything in this video matches up, the music, actors, the setting - every part just makes this a great educational video, which really makes you learn what not to do with a forklift.
I just wish all of 'em videos were like this.
We were expecting a boring, typical 70-80's educational video with an old dusty narrator in the background, and that's how it pretty much started. Then, after few gory details what not to do, everyone's interest rose up and most of the class started laughing in tears.
Everything in this video matches up, the music, actors, the setting - every part just makes this a great educational video, which really makes you learn what not to do with a forklift.
I just wish all of 'em videos were like this.
Safety Last
Tweekums5 June 2008
This German short film is hilarious even if you don't speak the language. It starts off like a cheap corporate film about workplace safety. We see Klaus driving his forklift truck around a large warehouse. Things start to go wrong when he uses it to help a colleague reach a package by lifting him on a pallet... the poor chap falls off but we see no gore just here the alarm bell ring and an ambulance arrive.
The next accident occurs when Klaus forgets to take a box cutter off a package when he lifts it... just as another colleague removes his safety helmet; this time we see the results as the chap ends up with it stuck in his head. Things get much more gory from here on as people are cut in half, decapitated, have arms cut off and are impaled on the forks while holding a working chainsaw.
The next accident occurs when Klaus forgets to take a box cutter off a package when he lifts it... just as another colleague removes his safety helmet; this time we see the results as the chap ends up with it stuck in his head. Things get much more gory from here on as people are cut in half, decapitated, have arms cut off and are impaled on the forks while holding a working chainsaw.
Eww!
OllieZ31 October 2003
At first I thought I was watching one of those cheesy 70's documentaries which used bore us all at school, with its boring educational information. However, this short film starts to get extremely gory, and does it with such ease, as the blood and guts blend in easily, all of which should be taken tongue in cheek. The delivery of the actors is great, seeing their surprised and shocked faces after being impaled, or sliced in half by a metal sheet. By all means see this short film, it's a dark comedy, with lashings of evil dead style gore, to make it something fresh for our viewing pleasure.
The forklift as weapon
ProfessorPeach4 March 2006
This is one of those shorts that really surprises and delights. The fact that it is presented as your typical, cheesy safety-at-work type of video adds to the humour tremendously.
Our man- Klaus- is beginning a new job as a forklift driver in a warehouse. He does all the things he shouldn't where safety is concerned and is suitably admonished by the patronising safety expert who provides the voice over. The accidents start out as the fairly typical toe-curling scenes one usually sees in such instructional films, but soon they multiply into totally over-the-top affairs.
This may make it sound like a film only horror or gore fans would enjoy, but it really isn't. The effects are so daft that they would only put off the most extreme anti-blood viewers and I promise you that you will laugh yourself silly and be recommending it to your pals wholeheartedly. I certainly did, and everyone who's seen it has loved it.
If anyone ever criticises the German sense of humour, you have all the ammo you could ever need to shoot them down with this little number.
Can't recommend it enough.
Our man- Klaus- is beginning a new job as a forklift driver in a warehouse. He does all the things he shouldn't where safety is concerned and is suitably admonished by the patronising safety expert who provides the voice over. The accidents start out as the fairly typical toe-curling scenes one usually sees in such instructional films, but soon they multiply into totally over-the-top affairs.
This may make it sound like a film only horror or gore fans would enjoy, but it really isn't. The effects are so daft that they would only put off the most extreme anti-blood viewers and I promise you that you will laugh yourself silly and be recommending it to your pals wholeheartedly. I certainly did, and everyone who's seen it has loved it.
If anyone ever criticises the German sense of humour, you have all the ammo you could ever need to shoot them down with this little number.
Can't recommend it enough.
Unbelievably Funny
msteedle9 June 2002
I was definitely close to soiling myself last night when I saw this at the Florida Film Festival. Klaus was the highlight of the shorts program I attended. It is shot like the video you might be forced to watch when you are first hired at a company (complete with cheesy music) and shows everything that can go wrong as a forklift driver. You honestly won't think it can possibly get any better, but each situation manages to top the previous one. I don't want to spoil any of the surprises, but it was bloody as hell and extremely violent, but funny enough so you know not to be offended. If there is any way to get this on video or DVD, please let me know.
This absolutely rocks!
sailorddrn20 May 2005
A couple of weeks ago I saw this film as part of my forklift truck training. I thought it was going to suck when it first started up and the cheesy music came on but before I knew it, there were limbs and blood flying everywhere!
It's really really gory. But sort of 'Troma' gory, if you've seen Toxic Avenger or Terror Firmer, you'll know what I'm talking about.
The whole film is just a non-stop killing-fest. People being skewered on the forks, hands being severed, a knife jamming into someone's head and some guy getting cut in half by a sheet of metal. All makes for a VERY entertaining film.
But this is DEFINITELY NOT for people with weak stomachs!
But if you love your gore, I say what are you waiting for? SEE IT! Even if it is only 10 minutes long...!
It's really really gory. But sort of 'Troma' gory, if you've seen Toxic Avenger or Terror Firmer, you'll know what I'm talking about.
The whole film is just a non-stop killing-fest. People being skewered on the forks, hands being severed, a knife jamming into someone's head and some guy getting cut in half by a sheet of metal. All makes for a VERY entertaining film.
But this is DEFINITELY NOT for people with weak stomachs!
But if you love your gore, I say what are you waiting for? SEE IT! Even if it is only 10 minutes long...!
Absolutely Hilarious
hancocka4 April 2005
If you have ever wondered if a forklift could be used as a deadly weapon, look no further than the German short film Staplerfahrer Klaus: Der Erste Arbeitstag.
It starts out like any one of those cheesy workplace safety videos, with the narrator and animations explaining the do's and don't's of forklift operation, as our main character Klaus blunders his way through the first day of work. However, it's not long before his mistakes result in his coworkers dying in hilariously over-the-top gory fashions. Even as if the body count grows higher and higher, the film never really stops trying to be a serious workplace safety video, which is why the whole thing had me in stitches.
Staplerfahrer Klaus is in German, but you certainly don't need to understand the language to enjoy this short.
It starts out like any one of those cheesy workplace safety videos, with the narrator and animations explaining the do's and don't's of forklift operation, as our main character Klaus blunders his way through the first day of work. However, it's not long before his mistakes result in his coworkers dying in hilariously over-the-top gory fashions. Even as if the body count grows higher and higher, the film never really stops trying to be a serious workplace safety video, which is why the whole thing had me in stitches.
Staplerfahrer Klaus is in German, but you certainly don't need to understand the language to enjoy this short.
One of the funniest movies I've seen
forbjok27 January 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Even though I couldn't understand a word of what was being said, I really enjoyed this nice little movie. I had no idea what it was, but got it because someone said it was a splatter-movie. At first it looks like a sort of educational movie to demonstrate things a forklift driver should not do, but it quickly becomes obvious that it wasn't meant to be very serious when blood starts splattering all over the place.
Although it's not really gory enough to classify as a splatter movie (and most certainly *NOT* a horror movie) it's a really good movie, almost as funny as Braindead. (but not as long)
My favorite part was definitely the one with the chainsaw, where Klaus impales two co-workers on his forklift and gets his head chopped off :)
This is a movie you should all see! It's certainly worth seeing, despite the fact that it's in german.
Although it's not really gory enough to classify as a splatter movie (and most certainly *NOT* a horror movie) it's a really good movie, almost as funny as Braindead. (but not as long)
My favorite part was definitely the one with the chainsaw, where Klaus impales two co-workers on his forklift and gets his head chopped off :)
This is a movie you should all see! It's certainly worth seeing, despite the fact that it's in german.
Duck
and Cover; German style!
Coventry9 April 2007
This downright hilarious horror/comedy short instantly reminded me of those OTT and laugh-out-loud propaganda films, clumsily disguised as educational videos, featuring in satire shows like "The Simpsons" and "South Park", where people and preferably children are informed about the dangers of all kinds of events or evolutions. Remember the volcano eruption video in "South Park"? Or the sexual guidance video enacted by bunnies in "the Simpsons"? Or maybe even the factual and just plain wrong educational films spread by the American Government during the early 50's, like "All Women Have Periods". "Forklift Driver Klaus" is a brilliant German short, following the new employee of a large warehouse on the first day he owns the license for driving around the forklift. Klaus is proud and extremely enthusiast to drive around in his machine, but encounters all the bloody hazards that come with the job. The preachy voice-over reminds him never to transport people, personally repair mechanical issues or drive through crowded places on the work floor, but Klaus ignores them all and faces the gruesome consequences. The accidents are harmless at first, with a colleague falling off the forklift, but they rapidly get totally demented and by the end of the film several employees are decapitated, impaled or cut in half ... including Klaus. This deranged short film is utterly tasteless and therefore highly recommended to all people with a sick sense of humor. It started as a clever spoof on inaccurate safety training material, but it ended as a horror-extravaganza that can't possibly be taken seriously.
The first day for him... and the last for his colleagues
Horst_In_Translation14 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The best way to describe this 15-year-old short film is maybe as an educational slasher movie. We follow Klaus, a new recruit in the profession of forklift driving while a narrator explains us what to pay attention to in this particular field. It all starts off pretty harmless as one colleague manages to get out of the way in time before another falls of Klaus's forklift truck. And in the next minutes, it gets really bloody and people are severed everywhere you could think of. Even if it runs only for 10 minutes, I found this film slightly repetitive near the end already. The filmmaker team Prehn and Wagner did not really have a great career after this one here even if it has become a bit of a cult movie and won several awards. The funniest thing for me in this mockumentary was maybe the acting from the supporting players, i.e. the victims. So bad it was funny. Intendedly over-the-top probably. Actually, the actor who plays Klaus is enjoying a prolific career and has been in a whole lot of movies before and after this short one here. Most of these are hopefully better than Klaus' first day at work. Not recommended.
short films are great and here's why
korefuji23 November 2002
As a huge fan of short films, I only recently had the opportunity to see this on Channel4 (a UK channel that shows programmes that other channels don't think are commercial enough) - the beginning was intriguing as I was about to change channels, but then became curious to watch what looked like a work safety parody.
Gory though it is, it's the unfortunate situations that continue to make you laugh till the very end.
If you're a fan of Peter Jackson's Bad Taste and Braindead, you'll feel at home. Those that have 10 minutes to spare should spend it watching this. Highly recommended.
Gory though it is, it's the unfortunate situations that continue to make you laugh till the very end.
If you're a fan of Peter Jackson's Bad Taste and Braindead, you'll feel at home. Those that have 10 minutes to spare should spend it watching this. Highly recommended.
A near-perfect short film
Jeremy_Urquhart17 February 2023
Forklift Driver Klaus - The First Day on the Job has always been one of my favourite short films, and I remember first watching it as far back as high school. Despite that, it's one I always seem to forget about, but then when I stumble upon it again, I inevitably find myself rewatching it. It's just under 10 minutes long and has always been available on YouTube, so it's very easy to access.
It's a comedic short film that is really just one joke, but a perfectly executed one. As such, I almost don't want to say too much about it, and run the risk of giving away the whole thing. I will say it starts off feeling like an instructional video about forklift operation safety, and then gradually turns into a Sam Raimi-esque gory splatter-fest. The pacing and progression are perfect, and the way it escalates surprises me every time because I always forget just how ridiculous it gets.
It nails the feeling of generic safety videos and serves as an excellent parody of informational/safety content. For much of the film's duration, it's genuinely indistinguishable from the real thing, which makes the last few minutes all the more hilarious. It's a great short film that I've already said too much about, and well worth the 10 minutes it takes to watch.
It's a comedic short film that is really just one joke, but a perfectly executed one. As such, I almost don't want to say too much about it, and run the risk of giving away the whole thing. I will say it starts off feeling like an instructional video about forklift operation safety, and then gradually turns into a Sam Raimi-esque gory splatter-fest. The pacing and progression are perfect, and the way it escalates surprises me every time because I always forget just how ridiculous it gets.
It nails the feeling of generic safety videos and serves as an excellent parody of informational/safety content. For much of the film's duration, it's genuinely indistinguishable from the real thing, which makes the last few minutes all the more hilarious. It's a great short film that I've already said too much about, and well worth the 10 minutes it takes to watch.
HILARIOUS!
doco2 July 2002
A definite must-see, even if you cannot understand the German language, this film will knock you out of your shoes. From the gory details to the sonore oh-so-well-known voice of Egon Hoegen, everything falls in place just perfectly. An all-time favourite among me and my friends, and a nice bring-in to every party. 10 out of 10.
Good thing German Healthcare is good...
icehole48 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Staplefaher Klaus is one of those short films that you just have to think "This is just plain wrong." However, it's just wrong in a Bad Santa sort of way. Our hero Klaus gets hired as a forklift driver and proceeds to go around a series of accidents. These range from decapitation, hands getting cut off, impalement, and limbs being severed. A lot of the action was pure hyperbole, and it was funny yet repulsive at the same time. I must say I never knew Germans had a delayed reaction in bleeding until I saw this film. I also never knew that throwing blood on a ringing school bell would cause it to fall to the ground either.
Just great ...
mattin13 December 2001
I got this movie from the donkey and it really rulez. I didn't know, what kind of movie it was and was kind of irritated in the beginning. The well known voice of Egon Hoegen (Der Siebte Sinn) and the typical style of filming really tricked me into thinking of it as a real factory-safety video, but after a few minutes (the "knife-scene") I was totally surprised and amazed. Really a great movie !
Hilarious and Very Gory!
raavveenn5 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
First of all, Holy Crap! This film was insane. The gore was crazy but I loved it!!! This movie made me pee my pants with laughter and it looks like something you would see in the onion movie but totally deserved not to.
It was all German and I couldn't understand it but the extreme gruesomeness was so funny that I died of laughter.
I watched this on Youtube and my whole class heard me laughing and they ran up and said, "What?" and I told them to watch and they told me that the film was super disturbing and bloody but super hilarious and very random.
I HERE BY GRANT THIS FILM, STAPLERFAHRER KLAUS-DER ERSTE ARBEITSTAG THE BEST SHORT FILM AND FUNNIEST EVER CREATED ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!! Highly recommended (if you can stomach a double helping of gore)!
It was all German and I couldn't understand it but the extreme gruesomeness was so funny that I died of laughter.
I watched this on Youtube and my whole class heard me laughing and they ran up and said, "What?" and I told them to watch and they told me that the film was super disturbing and bloody but super hilarious and very random.
I HERE BY GRANT THIS FILM, STAPLERFAHRER KLAUS-DER ERSTE ARBEITSTAG THE BEST SHORT FILM AND FUNNIEST EVER CREATED ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!!! Highly recommended (if you can stomach a double helping of gore)!
Unexpected twist on workplace safety videos
beckyness-120862 November 2021
Just to add something.....
Dread-manwalking14 September 2004
I think my forewriters did a good job on describing the film and why its fascinating or a bit disturbing despite of ones taste when it comes to movies. But i just felt like adding something, I think most of you don't know, well when your living in England or the USA u can hardly know. But the voice Explaining klaus mistakes is actually the original voice from an old TV show which was shown about 12 years ago in Germany called "Der siebte Sinn" ( more or less literally : The seventh sense). which was quite like this movie, well except the gore, there where a bunch of episodes showing how to use a Car safely or a Motorcylce also some Industry stuff but it was quite famous because it was running on public television. So I guess its a bit more of a laugh for Germans because everyone who owns a TV HAS seen this show at least one time....
Surprisingly Funny...
Mara-Jade-Skywalker-2316 July 2019
"Forklift Driver Klaus: The First Day on the Job" surprised me with how funny it was. This German short film is a sort of work safety PSA parody. Detailing the first day of a forklift driver Klaus, who's clearly not ready for the job, hilarious slapstick ensues as everything goes wrong. This short is something I would recommend to anybody who likes film.
This film most benefits from the comedy value. I was constantly laughing during this picture. And though it's only 10 minutes, the film is short, sweet and didn't need to be any longer. Sure, it was made under a low budget, but it's not about the flashy visuals or spectacle. It's rather about the comedy value. And the comedy in this short works.
The story also concerns themes of being prepared and knowing what your doing. As it is a parody workplace safety videos, and this one really does a good job of getting it's point, actually better than most PSA's, while making you laugh along the way.
In the end, this short film is always able to surprise me with how memorable it is. I remember everything about this short, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. And certainly did not expect to give it a 9/10.
This film most benefits from the comedy value. I was constantly laughing during this picture. And though it's only 10 minutes, the film is short, sweet and didn't need to be any longer. Sure, it was made under a low budget, but it's not about the flashy visuals or spectacle. It's rather about the comedy value. And the comedy in this short works.
The story also concerns themes of being prepared and knowing what your doing. As it is a parody workplace safety videos, and this one really does a good job of getting it's point, actually better than most PSA's, while making you laugh along the way.
In the end, this short film is always able to surprise me with how memorable it is. I remember everything about this short, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. And certainly did not expect to give it a 9/10.
Drivers-ed teachers should stockpile this film!
HenrieSchnee8 August 2011
Well, on one hand it's kind of sad that this has to be the closest thing to a cult movie us Germans have produced during the last decades, but then again, it *is* funny as hell and raises more attention about the dangers of fork-lifts then all the Jaws-movie combined ever did about the dangers of shark-bites.
Which is a good thing, I guess, since fork lifters are gruesome killing-machines disguised as everyday tools - especially the titular fork lifter shown in this film. Who would have thought?
Another interesting trivia about this movie is the narrator, Egon Hoegen: For decades, this guy narrated the educational TV-show "Der siebte Sinn" ("The seventh sense") about the safety and regulations of everyday public driving. So, most Germans are familiar with his distinct voice, which makes his dry remarks after each brutal accident even more hilarious. This is not the first time, Hoegen used his distinct voice for the sake of comedy; he also narrated the propaganda-pieces in the German dub of "Starship Troopers", giving them an even crazier, authoritative feel.
Given it's short length (about 10 minutes, including end credits), I really don't see a reason why you shouldn't give this film a chance. Maybe it will even receive a fan-dub one day, so English-speaking audiences will also benefit from the insightful informations provided here.
I guess you can watch it online somewhere, but there once also was a really, really nice DVD of this movie, which compensated the relative short length of the main feature by a sheer abundance of bonus-features, easter eggs and background-information. And it was cheap as hell! Try to get that one!
Which is a good thing, I guess, since fork lifters are gruesome killing-machines disguised as everyday tools - especially the titular fork lifter shown in this film. Who would have thought?
Another interesting trivia about this movie is the narrator, Egon Hoegen: For decades, this guy narrated the educational TV-show "Der siebte Sinn" ("The seventh sense") about the safety and regulations of everyday public driving. So, most Germans are familiar with his distinct voice, which makes his dry remarks after each brutal accident even more hilarious. This is not the first time, Hoegen used his distinct voice for the sake of comedy; he also narrated the propaganda-pieces in the German dub of "Starship Troopers", giving them an even crazier, authoritative feel.
Given it's short length (about 10 minutes, including end credits), I really don't see a reason why you shouldn't give this film a chance. Maybe it will even receive a fan-dub one day, so English-speaking audiences will also benefit from the insightful informations provided here.
I guess you can watch it online somewhere, but there once also was a really, really nice DVD of this movie, which compensated the relative short length of the main feature by a sheer abundance of bonus-features, easter eggs and background-information. And it was cheap as hell! Try to get that one!
The safety instructional video from Hell!
bob the moo30 August 2002
A safety instruction video for forklift drivers follows young Klaus as he begins his first day on the job as a qualified forklift truck driver. The film highlights hazards and areas where accidents can easily occur in order to train others.
This short starts really well, taking the sort of straight laced, voice over heavy safety training video we've all seen and stretching it to the extreme. At the start it's amusing. However the accidents start to get more extreme and also a lot more gory as the short goes on. Eventually it turns into a gore fest which is still funny but not as funny as it was at the start.
The reason for this is that the gore is pretty unpleasant and also pretty cheap. The film felt like it was becoming about the effects rather than the humour. As a gore short it worked OK and if you like things like Bad Taste etc then this'll be a walk in the park for you!
However for me the gore just became the focus and everything else that had potential at the start of the film just basically was pushed to the back for a violent, unpleasant and unfunny final five minutes.
Like I said an acquired taste but maybe worth a watch if that's your humour. I felt it dumped it's humour in order to show off just how gory it could be on a small budget.
This short starts really well, taking the sort of straight laced, voice over heavy safety training video we've all seen and stretching it to the extreme. At the start it's amusing. However the accidents start to get more extreme and also a lot more gory as the short goes on. Eventually it turns into a gore fest which is still funny but not as funny as it was at the start.
The reason for this is that the gore is pretty unpleasant and also pretty cheap. The film felt like it was becoming about the effects rather than the humour. As a gore short it worked OK and if you like things like Bad Taste etc then this'll be a walk in the park for you!
However for me the gore just became the focus and everything else that had potential at the start of the film just basically was pushed to the back for a violent, unpleasant and unfunny final five minutes.
Like I said an acquired taste but maybe worth a watch if that's your humour. I felt it dumped it's humour in order to show off just how gory it could be on a small budget.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
