Spooky Noses Between Horror and Comedy - Halloween Horror in Styria: A Vintner’s Murder Shakes a Village
A quiet wine-growing village in Styria becomes the scene of a shocking murder during Halloween celebrations. The festivities, usually filled with youth parties in a ruined castle and wooden windmills, take a dark turn when a vintner is shot dead. The crime unfolds in the latest instalment of the Styrian Landkrimi series, Tote Hunde, set to air on German television soon.
The murder occurs during a séance led by clairvoyant Vera, where a winegrower is fatally shot. Detectives Sascha Bergmann and his new partner, Anni Sulmtaler, step in to investigate. Anni, who replaces Bergmann’s late colleague Mohr, brings a complicated past—raised by an aunt after her parents’ early deaths, then sent to her grandmother when an uncle posed a threat.
The case quickly points to jealousy as the motive. A hunting rifle, discovered in the cabin of vintner Fuchs, makes him the prime suspect. The film’s script balances eerie tension with sharp, witty dialogue, blending dark humour into the unfolding mystery. Tote Hunde marks the 15th episode in the Landkrimi series, with six additional spin-offs already released in Germany. Filming for this and the 16th instalment took place between August and October around Graz. Stefanie Damm stars as Lena Herzog, partnering with Hary Prinz’s Sascha Bergmann, while Maya Unger also joins the cast in a key role. The first German broadcast of the previous film, Steirerwahn, aired on Thursday, February 12, at 8:15 PM on ARD.
The murder mystery unfolds against the backdrop of a village where Halloween cheer turns deadly. With a mix of personal drama and criminal intrigue, Tote Hunde adds another layer to the Styrian Landkrimi series. The investigation into the vintner’s murder will test both the detectives’ skills and the village’s hidden tensions.
