The Devil's Bath

“Where guilt festers, the devil waits.”

A Grim and Gripping Descent into Madness and Folklore

From the acclaimed Austrian filmmaking duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy, The Lodge) comes The Devil’s Bath, a bleak and unnerving historical horror that trades jump scares for emotional devastation and slow-burning dread. Set in 18th-century rural Austria, the film is a chilling portrayal of isolation, superstition, and the horrors that emerge from within.

The story centers on Agnes, a deeply religious young woman (played with haunting fragility by Anja Plaschg, aka Soap&Skin), who enters into an arranged marriage with a quiet, emotionally distant farmer. Isolated in a remote village surrounded by dense forests and governed by the church, Agnes finds herself descending into despair. Her days are filled with silence, suffocating rituals, and the unspoken fear of the villagers — all of whom seem to know something she doesn't.

After a disturbing series of visions and a mysterious death in the village, Agnes begins to believe she is cursed — or worse, that the devil himself is near. But the true horror of The Devil’s Bath lies not in the supernatural, but in the societal structures that gaslight and imprison women within cycles of spiritual and psychological abuse.

The “Devil’s Bath” of the title refers to a nearby spring, rumored to be cursed, where sinners drown themselves. But it also serves as a metaphor for the mental abyss Agnes slowly slips into. Her world becomes increasingly surreal: mirrors reflect the wrong image, whispers echo with accusations, and even the church seems to condemn her without cause. The question becomes: is she possessed… or simply broken by a world that offers her no agency?

Franz and Fiala’s direction is meticulous and unflinching. The film is shot in muted grays and earth tones, using natural light and long, static takes that heighten the sense of dread. The sound design is sparse but eerie, often using silence as a weapon. The pacing is deliberate — almost punishing — but rewards patient viewers with an emotional gut-punch by the final act.

The Devil’s Bath isn’t a typical horror film — it’s a psychological descent into cultural madness, similar in tone to The VVitch or Saint Maud. It’s an indictment of oppressive religious systems, gendered trauma, and the loneliness that festers when grief is silenced. It won’t be for everyone, but for those who appreciate horror as metaphor and mood, this is a masterclass.