Rex Resolution 72: Telefonterror

This happens to be one of my favourite episodes. Paulus Manker has just the right amount of creepiness as the phone stalker Kurt Baudisch.

Interesting fact. Paulus Manker's mother Hilde Sochor is a Recycled Rexer, appearing in three previous episodes: Stocki's Letzter Fall, Hetzjagd and Die Tote von Schoenbrunn.

Katharina Lenz is driving her car when an unknown caller rings on her mobile. It's a threatening caller, threatening to hurt her daughter and Katharina loses control of her car, crashing through a barrier and down the side of a cliff. Two cyclists are witnesses but unfortunately cannot do anything to help her. The caller is still talking though and the cyclists notice that and report the details to Brandtner and team.

Brandtner and Rex have the unhappy task of informing Katharina's family. While Brandtner talks to the husband, Rex amuses the small daughter Marion - which, later, turns out to be critical move in solving the crime. Rex is taken with a new toy that Katharina bought for Marion days before, a tree climbing figure, and Marion kindly gives it to him.

Herr Lenz tells Brandtner about the strange telephone calls his wife had received. Luckily, she had taped some and he passes the tape to Brandtner for analysis.

In the city, Kurt Baudisch is making his living selling tree climbing figures but also using it as an opportunity to get contact numbers for women. At home, in his dingy apartment, Kurt has detailed records of a number of women.

Meanwhile Brandtner has called in a voice expert to help get some kind of profile from the tape. The profile they put together is pretty accurate. Under 45, with a record of minor sexual offences.

Kurt is about to strike against his next victim, Janine. He tells her he's been in her flat and has stolen some racey photos of her . In fact, right at this moment, he's on the phone outside her apartment and can see her. He gets her to dress sexily and come to the window, to light a candle but when, in her distress, the candle gets knocked over, the flat catches fire and his game, for the moment, is over. Neighbours raise the alarm and Janine is taken away to hospital unconscious but alive, not before informing police of the evening's events.

While Brandtner and team wade through piles of reports of strange phone calls, Kurt selects his next victim, Karin Eder. Ringing her workplace, he discovers she's visiting her mother in hospital.

Brandtner and teams search through the files ultimately pay off when they discover another victim, Frau Dressler. While the voice on the tape sounds different, the voice analyst soon confirms it's the same man. They can't find the connection between victims though, which is a shame because that evening Kurt breaks into Karin Eder's house after luring her out by posing as a doctor asking her to visit her sick mother. Seems Kurt has a fetish and is surprised in the act of going through underwear by Karin returning when her taxi fails to arrive. He fails to shut the drawer and Karin notices, becoming suspicious and locating him in the bathroom. He's quick to tell her he's brought the teddies for her. Right. Stupidly, she moves closer (what the?) and is strangled by Kurt.

At home, Kurt burns evidence of the women he's attacked and takes his underwear collection and buries it in the woods. Obviously, he's concerned people will be on to him.

Rex is quick to notice the open drawer at the crime scene and alerts Brandtner. This latest victim gives some kind of pattern - all women worked in the same area and then, another breakthrough, they locate the phone booth from which Kurt called. From the phone booth, Rex chases a scent which leads Brandtner to the hidden undies.

Brandtner turns up in the office at the same time as Boeck and Kunz are talking to Frau Dressler, an earlier victim, and she is able to identify some of her garments from the haul unconvered by Rex. Shocked, she sits down again, before then noticing Rex playing with the tree climber. Aha! The team are homing in on Kurt and, before long, they have his name and address and find the burnt evidence.

With Kurt away from home, it's off to the city to track him down. Supersnout Rex changes his focus to hearing and soon tracks down the noise of the tree climber toys. Before long, Kurt's reign of terror is at an end as they compare his voice to the voice on the tapes. Bingo!

Other players include Paulus Manker , above, as Kurt Baudisch, Margot Vuga , above, as Katharina Lenz, Alina Bimashofer, not listed with IMDB at all, Krista Birkner above, as Janine Toman, and Bernhard Murg above as Felix Lenz.

A single Recycled Rexer in Bernd Birkhahn, above, as the voice analyst, not credited with IMDB for this episode but also appearing in 'In letzter Sekunde' (2001) as Hans Bergmann.