The Dead Mountaineer Hotel (1979)

The Dead Mountaineer Hotel is a film that will first and foremost appeal to fans of trippy surrealist cinema along the lines of Lynch (this one has a very Twin Peaks-y vibe), as well as fans of the History Channel series Ancient Aliens. While watching this, I had a hard time believing this was made in Soviet-occupied Estonia, because the aesthetic matches up more with the western European genre flicks of the era, but also feels far more contemporary. The plot starts out deceptively simple; a detective receives a call from a remote alpine hotel, but when he arrives the owner tells him no such call was placed. Because of the thick fog, the detective has to stay the night with some rather eccentric guests who spend their time debating the theories of the infamous Erich von Däniken, and vying for the affections of the beautiful Mrs. Moses. But things take a turn for the strange(er) when the detective is slipped a mysterious note informing him that a notorious serial killer is hiding out in the hotel and must be stopped. And then during an avalanche that traps the guests in hotel, someone is murdered trying to grab a briefcase that contains... something. Surely extra-terrerstrial forces must be at work! The Dead Mountaineer Hotel is a fun and stylish film. Visually it is a thing of beauty, each shot is full of light, color, mirrors, and modern art. The sound design and music bursts with electronic riffs and flourishes. Strange camera angles and POV shots add to the overall sense of unease and wonder. This is not exactly the type of film one should take seriously. The characters are more caricatures, and there are a lot of weird things happening for the sake of weird things happening, but it is a beautiful, and above all, fun discovery. Certainly a new favorite of mine.