Trailer for Kaifeck Murder, which screens at the Fanastic Fest 2009.
Drawing inspiration from historical events, Kaifeck Murder weaves thriller and fantasy together into a terrifying alchemy. On assignment in the Bavarian countryside, photographer Marc Barenberg and his son Tyll chance upon the small town of Kaifeck, the site of an infamous, unsolved mass murder. Marc becomes infatuated with the mystery but finds no one in the township willing to talk with him about it, not even the pretty, talkative innkeeper Juliana. Locals believe the derelict farmhouse where the killings took place to be cursed, but Marc finds himself drawn there regardless. Soon after visiting the place, he begins to have bizarre dreams filled with visions and details about the murders that no one could know. When his body starts to spontaneously manifest wounds that mimic those of the legendary slain victims, Marc’s curiosity turns to obsession. Benno Fürmann’s excellent performance as Marc adds a stolid reality to this gothic tale even as director Esther Gronenborn steeps each scene in a dark fairytale atmosphere—the very stuff from which nightmares are made.