Des Teufels Bad

The filmmaking duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala have already proven their mettle to global audiences with their chilling films "Goodnight Mommy" (2014) and "The Lodge" (2019). As a horror aficionado, their latest project, "Des Teufels Bad," has been a source of immense anticipation for me.

This Austrian/German co-production transports us to 18th century Europe, where the characters we encounter are the ancestors of those depicted in Robert Eggers' "The Witch" (2015).

While monotheistic Middle Eastern religions have tried to impose their dogma on humanity for 5,000 years, it hasn't been easy to eradicate our pagan roots. Even today, from rural America to the Mesopotamian shores of Turkey, Muslims, Jews, and Christians lead lives intertwined with pagan culture, despite the prohibitions of their respective faiths.

The film's premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and its disqualification from Eurimages funding demonstrate Shudder's unwavering commitment to quality horror cinema.

Martin Gschlacht's exceptional cinematography, coupled with Anja Plaschg's (of the band Soap&Skin) haunting score, elevates this disturbing story into the pantheon of unforgettable folk/horror films. The meticulous attention to ambiance and authentic historical detail, combined with a screenplay based on extensive research into the era when chronic depression drove hundreds in Europe - mostly women - to escape the hell of their daily lives through murder, make "Des Teufels Bad" truly deserving of all the praise and awards it has received.

"Des Teufels Bad" is a German idiom that describes a dangerous, risky situation with potentially dire consequences. It's often used when someone, intentionally or not, puts themselves in harm's way. I hadn't heard this expression since my school days at the German High School in Istanbul, where it appeared in a few assigned texts. The film stirred up those old memories, adding another layer of unease to the experience.

I've read in a few places that the film's story is inspired by real events, but I neither believe it nor would be surprised if it were true. Hollywood has a history of manipulating moviegoers' emotions with such claims in their PR campaigns, but the history of Abrahamic religions is indeed rife with such tragic events.

In short, I hope SHUDDER releases this film on Blu-Ray so I can add it to my collection.

The movie probably would not have been made without some modern liberal angle, yet it stands on its own merits as a chronicle of those times. The account is also pieced together from documentary evidence.

Bleak and harsh-yes-but life was simply like that. Death and starvation were everywhere. If you felt sorry for Agnes in the end, you're lost in modern mores. The denouement shows a tribe at ease with itself and with God. The punishment was just, and I felt satisfied with the outcome as logically consistent with the story, each character's role, and the way life was lived at that time.

It might have been tempting to "Apple-ify" or "Netflix-ify" it, but Germanic cinema can still handle authenticity very well. I hope Heimat Films continues making movies like this, exploring tribal life and life before the nation-state.

The preview mentioned mental illness, but that presumes an individual mind in an era predating Liberalism. You traveled with the tribe, produced the next generation, and that was that. And woe betide you if you did something that harmed the whole.

What Filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala succeeds with horror is that using slow, but creepy and uncanny atmospheres that creeps towards it's viewers which ultimately leads to an engaging, creepy, and dark horrific setting and narrative. Having highly enjoyed The Lodge and Goodnight Mommy (2014), The Devil's Bath is another banger from the duo.

Settled with gorgeous camerawork, production, and direction choices, it doesn't shy away on showcasing depressing and horrifying themes, bold decisions that are risky, providing interesting characters, and stellar performances from the entire cast members. The feeling of isolation, terror, and sadness throughout it's observation of it's character remains engaging and heartbreaking at times.

It surely does take a significant amount of effort to recreate bygone era themes and this movie does that execution exceedingly well. From rituals to clothing to food, audiences would be thrilled and enamored to just comprehend what life was like back then.

Then it's the core theme of the movie, which revolves around what depression was like back then and how people dealt with it. Very much compelling and thought provoking.

But in between, this movie also has hideously slow pacing which can make audience yawn or even fall asleep, dreaming between 21st and 16th century.

There's a lot that could've been done here, but it seems the filmmakers decided to focus more on minute details of how people lived back then, than on developing a storyline that showcased how depression evolved.

Not a bad watch, but not something I would highly recommend as well. Gore was mediocre and felt more pushy and relevant.

I went into this with low expectations. It started off seemingly innocent enough. I wasn't sure where the movie was going. Without giving anything away, I will say that the movie shocks you before long. There are some scenes that run on too long but overall the movie was pretty good. The depiction of life in 1750s Germany was grim but there were moments of happiness. The main character's descent into mental illness was sad to say the least. The treatment at the hands of the barbers of the time only made things worse. I couldn't believe that things like that actually happened and was horrified to find out how often these things took place.

My only complaint is thst there was no explanation for why people were punished in certain ways.