“Tatort” today from Vienna: Eisner and Fellner clarify the murder of an exorcist

“Tatort” quick check
Scary case from Vienna: In this crime thriller reigns supreme

The murder of a priest leads the Viennese “Tatort” inspectors Bibi Fellner and Moritz Eisner to deal with the subject of exorcism. In fact, many inexplicable, chilling things happen during the course of the investigation.

What’s the matter?

The Catholic priest Manfred Gabler is found dead in downtown Vienna. He was badly beaten and then pushed down a flight of stairs. For the church he was active in the so-called deliverance service. “People like to speak of an exorcist,” learn the inspectors Moritz Eisner (Harald Krassnitzer) and Bibi Fellner (Adele Neuhauser) when they ask around in the archdiocese. During their investigation, they come across the psychiatrist August Sittsam (Sven Eric Bechtolf), who worked with Gabler, and the scientist Tea Berkovic (Angela Gregovic), who researches the subject of exorcism. In addition, an ominous Nathalie (Maresi Riegner) comes into focus: the young woman claims to be possessed by a demon, breaks objects with superhuman strength and eats dog food to the horror of Eisner and Fellner.

Why is the case “The Gate to Hell” worthwhile?

Pictures falling off the wall, water turning to blood, hanged women suddenly reaching out their hands: this “crime scene” is scary. Director and screenwriter Thomas Roth uses classic elements of the horror genre and creates images that should send shivers down the viewer’s spine at one time or another. Excitement is guaranteed in any case.

What bothers?

“Pimp or bouncer?” Moritz Eisner asks his colleague Bibi Fellner, when she accidentally pulls an “old acquaintance” out of the hat who provides the crucial clues. Fellner’s past in the custom and its connection to the milieu has already been discussed in numerous cases. Bringing it up again and again or making it the decisive plot line is redundant in the long run. In addition, the case does not always manage the balancing act between claim and silliness: in addition to Goethe and Dante quotes, some dialogues about demons and witches seem involuntarily funny.

The commissioners?

The case brings back memories of the past for Bibi Fellner. Her grandmother used to conjure spirits in her house, she reports to her colleague Eisner. “That was spooky.” When inexplicable things happen in Fellner’s apartment and Eisner also finds a satanic sign on his apartment door, the inspectors begin to ponder.

Turn on or off?

Not a case after which you go to bed relaxed on a Sunday evening. If you’re a little scared, you might want to skip this “crime scene” episode.

Moritz Eisner and Bibi Fellner also investigated these cases: