Vague Visages’ The Devil’s Bath review contains minor spoilers. Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s 2024 Shudder movie features Anja Plaschg, Maria Hofstätter and David Scheid. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

*

Back in the 80s, there was an influx of schlocky slashers with attention-grabbing titles like Death Spa (1988). Sadly, for the most part, these movies turned out to be significantly less fun than their colorful posters, which ultimately emerged as the only memorable elements. The Devil’s Bath (aka Des Teufels Bad) might sound like it fits within the same demographic, but the latest day-ruiner from Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy) is the furthest thing from that long-buried strain of tacky, throwaway fare. The duo’s 2024 Shudder film is anti-fun — the kind of horror movie that makes one question whether it’s even worth getting out of bed in the morning. But for a certain viewer, this will be a major selling point, and that’s exactly who Fiala and Franz targeted.

Kicking off with a “based on historical records” graphic (further details emerge during the credits, though discussing them would constitute a major spoiler), The Devil’s Bath wastes no time dispensing with what is arguably the only remaining taboo in cinema by showing an unnamed woman hiking to the top of a waterfall and then unceremoniously dropping her baby into the depths below. Rather than focusing on the character’s motivations or even constructing a tense mystery around her, the filmmakers transition to the woman’s confession and subsequent execution. This is Fiala and Franz’s introduction to the desolate 18^th century village in which protagonist Agnes (Anja Plaschg) and other women like her exist. 

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Know the Cast: ‘The Village’

Agnes seems to be on the right path, with a marriage to the quiet but seemingly harmless Wolf (David Scheid) on the horizon. However, following their low-key wedding ceremony (which visually references the similarly unforgiving Midsommar), the couple is left alone in their new home and the cracks start to show. Although Agnes is expected to bear a child, and is ostensibly eager to do so, Wolf won’t touch her, stiffly turning away in bed and refusing even the smallest embrace. Once he’s had a few drinks, though, Scheid’s character lightens up a bit, even making a pass at another local man, suggesting that his romantic proclivities skew male. Obviously, in rural 18^th century Austria, a same-sex relationship isn’t an option, but Wolf isn’t terribly cut up about the fact he might never get to be with someone he truly loves. And yet, where does that leave Agnes, whose sole purpose in life is to be a wife and mother? 

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘You Are Not My Mother’

The Devil’s Bath, despite being set hundreds of years ago, exemplifies how far women still have to go when it comes to equal rights. With conservatives working overtime to prevent American women from getting the life-saving healthcare they require, it’s discomfiting to watch a female protagonist trying her absolute best — including doing backbreaking work that “womenfolk” aren’t suited to, as one man dismissively puts it — and it still not being enough. The Devil’s Bath is essentially about Agnes being abandoned by everybody who’s supposed to care about her simply because she reacts completely understandably to being stuck in a loveless marriage and the ensuing lack of purpose in her life. Watching the protagonist act out, first by sadly cuddling a wax statue of a child until it melts and later by imbibing rat poison and stealing a baby she finds by the river, is heartbreaking because it’s clear that all Agnes really wants and needs is for someone to take her concerns seriously. 

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Know the Cast: ‘Under Paris’

Even more devastating is that Agnes is even more pious than the rest of the community, stopping to pray during a shift and keeping tokens under her mattress — including a severed finger from the woman executed at the beginning of the movie — to promote fertility. The protagonist’s face crumples when Wolf’s mother informs her “The Lord won’t like it if you don’t cook for your husband” as though his carelessness is somehow her fault. In reality, Agnes is so dedicated to fulfilling her so-called duties in life that she gets a thread inserted through the back of her neck, which she’s instructed to pull back and forth to release the “melancholy” curdling within her. This is, unsurprisingly, the most memorable image in The Devil’s Bath as well as the moment most people will point to as the cringiest. But its deeper meaning speaks to the film’s insightful messages about depression and mental health, and how we fail those who are most in need. One of the most evocative shots is a recurring image of severed fish heads that look as though they’re silently screaming. Likewise, the focus consistently returns to an artfully foggy vista high above the forest, demonstrating how isolating it is to be severely alone and surrounded by people at the same time. 

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘Sister Death’

Life is incredibly difficult for the townspeople in The Devil’s Bath’s makeshift community, which is evident from the dirt underneath their fingernails — a nice touch given how many period movies feature actors with distractingly clean teeth, hair and hands. Everybody looks like they absolutely stink and are about to keel over at any moment. Furthermore, it doesn’t inspire much shock that Agnes has a collection of dead bugs that she’s lovingly keeping aside for undisclosed reasons. What else is there to do in a society that prizes dedication to family above all else and punishes those who fail at it? One poor soul who kills himself rather than succumbing any further to the misery of his waking life is disposed amongst the waste, cast out even in death. The moody landscape, gorgeously photographed with rolling plumes of grey smoke, suggests he could be in limbo, though it’s tough to imagine anywhere worse than the world he just left.

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Know the Cast: ‘Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever’

The harshness of The Devil’s Bath’s landscape is lovingly captured by cinematographer Martin Gschlacht, who also shot Goodnight Mommy. It’s easy to forget that modern life is happening just outside the confines of the forest, since it appears so vast and all-consuming. Likewise, the period detailing, from the costumes to the ramshackle structures in which everybody lives and gathers to pray (and judge), is flawless, adding to The Devil’s Bath’s sense of encroaching dread. There’s clearly no escape, the only option being to exit this earthly plane. Indeed, the idea that suicide is a desperate way out rather than a selfish act of self-preservation is keenly felt. It’s not exactly the most optimistic outlook, but Fiala and Franz, who also co-wrote The Devil’s Bath, aren’t interested in making viewers feel comfortable. What they’ve crafted, even more so than their breakout hit, is a tough, distressing watch by design. And even though it begins with an act most will balk at, nothing is presented solely for shock value. The filmmakers instead force the audience to confront certain deeply held beliefs about women’s roles in society, as well as the long-disputed idea that mental health is ever straightforward or easily understandable.  

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Soundtracks of Cinema: ‘Pet Sematary: Bloodlines’

At the center of The Devil’s Bath is Plaschg’s devastating performance. The relative newcomer takes to each moment with aplomb, whether Agnes is giving her all trying to catch fish or falling apart at the seams. She’s a complex character, tough to love or even comprehend at times, but Plaschg’s open face communicates every tiny moment of self-doubt or confusion at the hand she’s been dealt (the actor also composed the string-driven, otherworldly score in a neat touch that fits the unnerving offering perfectly). Scheid, on the other hand, is surprisingly empathetic as Wolf, who’s fighting his own internal battle, while Maria Hofstätter makes a major impression as the well-meaning but endlessly interfering Mother Gänglin, who makes the focal couple’s burgeoning life together so much harder. Even in a society where women are so mistreated, they can’t find the strength to back each other up — or perhaps it’s never even occurred to them to do so. As for the next generation, a little girl silently watching an execution, who later celebrates among the revelers while enjoying the spoils of the woman’s death, is presented as completely unaware of the surrounding danger. Hence, The Devil’s Bath warns that we haven’t come nearly as far as we think.

Shudder released The Devil’s Bath on June 28, 2024.

Joey Keogh (@JoeyLDG) is a writer from Dublin, Ireland with an unhealthy appetite for horror movies and Judge Judy. In stark contrast with every other Irish person ever, she’s straight edge. Hello to Jason Isaacs.

The Devil’s Bath Review: Related — Know the Cast: ‘When Evil Lurks’