In this episode, we venture into the snowy, isolated mountains to explore the 1979 Soviet-era Estonian film, Dead Mountaineer's Hotel. Directed by Grigori Kromanov and based on the 1970 novel by the legendary sci-fi authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (who also wrote the screenplay), this classic film is a fascinating blend of science fiction and film noir aesthetics.

We break down the film's gripping plot, which kicks off when Inspector Peter Glebsky is called to a secluded European mountain hotel named after a climber who tragically fell from a cliff. Cut off from the outside world by a heavy snowfall, Glebsky investigates a mysterious "pseudo-murder" only to uncover that the hotel's eccentric guests are actually aliens and their robot companions. We discuss the film's tragic climax, where Glebsky's rigid adheren ...