Death and the Divas is the fourth episode of the fifteenth series of Midsomer Murders and was originally aired on 2nd January 2013.
In Midsomer Langley, DCI Barnaby and DS Jones investigate the murder of writer Eve Lomax, who is found in a pool of blood in her home. She was found by her landlord Patrick Tilman and was writing a book about local 1960s film star Stella Harris and her more famous sister Diana Davenport, also an actress. In fact, at the time Lomax was found the Midsomer Langley Film Society was holding a festival in Stella's honor when Diana unexpectedly arrived. Dr. Wilding determines that Lomax bled to death as a result of two vampire-like puncture wounds her neck, much like some of the characters in one of Stella Harris' old films. Stella's daughter Emma knew Lomax from school days but there is soon a second and then a third death, both patterned after one of Stella's movies. A attempt on a fourth person leads to solving the murders.
Tropes:
- Dead Man Honking / Magic Brakes / Vehicular Sabotage: An attempted murder by cutting the victim's brake lines ends with the intended victim's face planted on the steering wheel and the horn blaring.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo: It is revealed that when Diana Davenport had an illegitimate baby, Stella Harris, her older, married sister, registered the baby as hers and raised the girl as her own.
- Stylistic Suck: The movies featured in the episode,. complete with wooden acting and
poor effects. This is justified, as they were supposed to be low-budget horror films from the late '60s and early '70s. - Theme Serial Killer: The killer's theme is the horror movies of Stella Harris.
