Cult/ Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (18)

Police office Glebsky arrives at a lonely hotel in the middle of a snowy mountain range. He is there to investigate a crime, but the hotel’s isolated setting instead gives Glebsky the impression of a peaceful resort – even if it does host some very unusual guests.

An anonymous tip sets Glebsky off on the trail of a traditional whodunnit riddle, but things quickly move into the worlds of surrealistic farce, film noir and science fiction in the mysterious and enigmatic Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel.

Thematically and stylistically moving between Thomas Mann’s novel Magic Mountain and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, the film boasts intense modernistic interiors, glistening shots in deep snow and the psychedelic synthesiser sounds of composer Sven Grünberg.

One of the standout titles of Cinema Rediscovered 2026, Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel is a fascinating classic of Estonian fantasy cinema.

Part of Cinema Rediscovered on Tour: a Watershed project in association with Wiper & True and collaboration with principal sponsors Park Circus and StudioCanal. With support from BFI Audience Projects Fund awarding National Lottery funding.