Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (the duo behind Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge ), this isn’t your typical jump-scare horror. It’s a harrowing, gut-wrenching look at 18th-century Austria and a dark chapter of history I never knew about. The term " The Devil's Bath
: In 18th-century vernacular, people suffering from deep melancholy or depression were said to be trapped in the "devil's bath" [27]. It was viewed not just as a mental state, but as a spiritual entrapment where "madness" took hold [8, 26]. Social Context the devils bath
At the time, the Catholic Church declared suicide a mortal sin, denying the deceased a Christian burial. Desperate and tortured by "dark thoughts," these individuals would rationalize that if they were going to hell anyway, they might do something "worthy" of damnation—like murdering their newborn—so that they could confess, repent, and be executed by the state (which guaranteed salvation in their eyes). Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (the
★★★★½
: In 18th-century Europe, suicide was considered an unpardonable sin that led to eternal damnation because the person could not confess before dying. It was viewed not just as a mental