Heart Starts Pounding: Horrors, Hauntings and Mysteries

Episode 140: The Vampire: Peter Kurten, the Blood Sucking German Serial Killer // MONSTERS SERIES

Host: Kayla Moore
Release Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

Kayla Moore opens the podcast’s annual October "Monsters Series" with a chilling exploration of Peter Kurten: the real-life "Vampire of Düsseldorf." This gripping episode delves into Kurten’s years-long reign of terror in 1920s Germany, his gruesome crimes, and the ways his life echoes dark vampire folklore. Kayla also weaves in Augusta Kurten’s tragic experience as Kurten’s wife, the culture of fear in Düsseldorf, and the psychological hunt that would ultimately lead to his sensational capture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Discovery and Panic in Düsseldorf

• [06:00] Police, responding to a cryptic map and the chilling word "Murder," discover the body of five-year-old Gertrude Olbermann with deliberate bite marks on her throat. Officers recognize a recurring pattern: bodies, young and old, showing evidence of blood being sucked or drained.
• Quote:

  "The vampire of Düsseldorf has struck again." – Kayla Moore as recounted by an officer ([07:30])

The Vampire in Folklore and Popular Imagination

• [10:30] Moore provides a concise history of vampire mythology across the world—from Mesopotamian ghosts to Chinese Jiangshi, to Eastern European panics. She describes how literature like Polidori’s The Vampyre and Stoker’s Dracula shaped popular notions of seductive, bloodthirsty aristocrats.
• Quote:

  "But in Eastern Europe in the 1920s, it had been over 200 years since the vampire panic... Everyone in the area thought that vampires were just historical creatures of myth, folklore and fiction, especially in Germany in the 1920s." – Kayla Moore ([13:12])

Düsseldorf: A City of Contrasts

• [15:10] Düsseldorf in the late 1920s is depicted as a bustling metropolis with modern amenities yet surrounded by ominous ancient forests and secluded river paths—perfect hunting grounds for a killer.

The Attacks Begin

• [18:00 - 20:00]
  • Frau Kuhn: Attacked and stabbed 24 times with scissors, survives, reports her assailant as a well-dressed man with neat hair.
  • Rose Oliger (8): Found burned and drained of blood near a factory, killed by a man matching earlier descriptions.
  • Rudolf Scheer (45): Found stabbed and dragged to a ditch, neck shows both sharp wounds and possible bite marks. The killer appears at the scene, calmly questioning police.

The Reign of Terror Escalates

• [30:00] Women come forward to say they were strangled or attacked but escaped. Police are dismissive as most survivors are women.
• Maria Hahn (17): Last seen with a well-dressed man at a beer garden; her body is discovered months later after a similar cryptic letter with a hand-drawn map surfaces. Like other victims, her blood is drained, throat bitten, and her body shows pleasure-derived wounds.

Augusta Kurten: Living With a Monster

• [40:00] Augusta, Peter Kurten’s wife, begins to suspect something is deeply wrong as she observes his bloody clothing, sudden absences, and increasing paranoia.
• Relationship History:
  • Augusta met Peter after serving prison time herself, describing their courtship as “intense and dark.”
  • Peter’s violence toward Augusta and other women is recounted, including a chilling early declaration:

    “If you don’t have sex with me, I will push something in between your ribs and kill you.” – Peter Curtin ([47:00])

  • Peter’s predatory habits become harder for Augusta to ignore, culminating in his chilling confession:

    “I have done everything that has happened here in Düsseldorf.” ([54:30])

Unmasking Evil: The Psychology of Peter Kurten

• [58:00] Exploration of Kurten’s horrific childhood: third of 13 children, ruled by an abusive, incestuous father. Early animal torture and double homicide at age 9.
• Jail Time: Early imprisonment only increases Peter’s resentment and violence; he learns to blend into society and hide his compulsions.
• Bloodlust: Kurten explains to psychiatrists that it was the sight of blood that excited him most, in a way “nothing before ever had.”
• Quote:

  "While a vampire may don nice clothes and seem charming... the bloodlusting monster still lives inside." – Kayla Moore ([01:05:00])

The Capture and Confession

• [01:10:00] Augusta, after months of terror, finally breaks and goes to the police. She leads them to Peter during a church service, resulting in a sensational arrest.
• Media Sensation: Newspapers proclaim Kurten as “the vampire”—a monster in human form.
• Dr. Karl Berg: Renowned psychiatrist conducts extensive interviews with Kurten in prison, later published in “The Sadist.”
• Kurten’s Own Words:
  • He describes the uncontrollable impulse to kill:

    “I don’t know myself. It just came over me.” – Peter Curtin ([01:17:50])

  • His desire to relish even the gruesome details of his own death:

    “Tell me… after my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? … That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures.” – Peter Curtin to Dr. Karl Berg ([01:24:15])

Execution and Legacy

• [01:23:00] July 2, 1931: Kurten is beheaded, seemingly unrepentant, meticulously groomed until the end.
• Aftermath: Scientists try to find an anatomical reason for his depravity (enlarged thymus gland), but the show concludes that evil of this magnitude defies simple explanation.
• Moral Reflection:
  Moore reminds listeners that real monsters don’t live in fiction; they hide in plain sight, in society, making truth even more frightening than legend.

  “Maybe that’s why we need our monsters to be supernatural. Because the truth—that ordinary humans can become something so evil—is more terrifying than any legend.” – Kayla Moore ([01:27:30])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [07:30] “The vampire of Düsseldorf has struck again.” – Officer, noted by Kayla Moore
• [13:12] “Everyone in the area thought that vampires were just historical creatures of myth, folklore and fiction…” – Kayla Moore
• [47:00] “If you don’t have sex with me, I will push something in between your ribs and kill you.” – Peter Curtin, recounted by Augusta
• [54:30] “I have done everything that has happened here in Düsseldorf.” – Peter Curtin to Augusta
• [01:05:00] “While a vampire may don nice clothes and seem charming... the bloodlusting monster still lives inside.” – Kayla Moore
• [01:17:50] “I don’t know myself. It just came over me.” – Peter Curtin
• [01:24:15] “Tell me… after my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? … That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures.” – Peter Curtin to Dr. Karl Berg
• [01:27:30] “Maybe that’s why we need our monsters to be supernatural. Because the truth—that ordinary humans can become something so evil—is more terrifying than any legend.” – Kayla Moore

Timeline of Important Segments

• [06:00] – Discovery of Gertrude Olbermann’s body; "vampire" panic begins
• [10:30] – Vampire folklore and literary history
• [15:10] – Düsseldorf’s geography and atmosphere in the 1920s
• [18:00 - 20:00] – First three major attacks: Frau Kuhn, Rose Oliger, Rudolf Scheer
• [30:00] – Spike in violent attacks, escalation, and public paranoia
• [40:00] – Augusta Kurten's suspicions and personal story
• [47:00] – Augusta and Peter's relationship, early warning signs
• [54:30] – Peter’s confession to Augusta
• [58:00] – Peter’s childhood, psychological profile, early crimes
• [01:10:00] – Augusta’s report to the police; Peter’s arrest
• [01:17:50] – Peter’s detailed confessions to Dr. Karl Berg
• [01:23:00] – Execution and failed scientific attempts to explain his evil
• [01:27:30] – Societal reflection on monsters in human form

Episode Tone and Style

Kayla Moore’s narration is atmospheric, suspenseful, and laced with dark curiosity—a tone that matches the horror genre but remains respectful to the victims and historical context. She skillfully connects myth with reality, blurring the line between folklore and true crime, and leaves the listener contemplating the true nature of evil.

Closing & What’s Next

The episode closes with an ominous reminder that the series has only begun, teasing the next installment about a "siren"—a woman who lured men to their deaths. The message: sometimes the monsters that haunt us aren’t supernatural, but terrifyingly human.

Stay Curious.