) serves as a harrowing historical investigation into the intersection of religious dogma and mental illness in 18th-century Austria. Rather than a traditional horror film, it is a "slow-burn" psychological drama that breathes life into the forgotten stories of women trapped by societal and theological constraints. Historical Context: "Suicide by Proxy"
The film’s power lies in its historical accuracy. Franz and Fiala based the script on court records of 18th-century Austria, where a phenomenon known as "Besessenheitsmord" (obsession murder) or suicide-by-execution occurred. Women, trapped in clinical depression with no vocabulary for mental health, would kill a child (often their own) specifically to be executed. In their logic, a beheading by a merciful executioner was kinder than an eternity of hellfire for self-harm. the devils bath
Deep within the deepest river gorge in North America, certain swirling eddies and deep pools in the Snake River have historically been nicknamed the Devil’s Bath by rafters and explorers. Visiting the New Zealand Icon ) serves as a harrowing historical investigation into
In 18th-century Upper Austria, suicide was considered an unpardonable sin that led to eternal damnation. However, those suffering from profound depression—historically referred to as being in the —found a grisly legal and religious loophole: Franz and Fiala based the script on court
Franz and Fiala, known for Goodnight Mommy (2014) and The Lodge (2019), excel at creating claustrophobic interiors. The Devil’s Bath extends this into the pastoral. The opening shots of lush Austrian forests and waterfalls quickly give way to the dark, low-ceilinged kitchen of a remote millhouse. The protagonist, Agnes (an extraordinary performance by Anja Plaschg, aka musician Soap&Skin), moves through this space like a ghost already dead.