There are movies that are slow-paced terrifying watches, and then there are terrifying slow-paced watches that just miss the mark and create a world of unease that just doesn’t deliver upon the promise until its too late. Unfortunately for Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy (2014) and The Lodge (2019)), their newest, The Devil’s Bath, falls into the latter category. While the film itself is dreary, horrifying, and uneasy, the horror starts at the very beginning, is sprinkled throughout, and goes full throttle in the final moments. The problem is that the sprinkling is not enough and not engaging enough for the audience to continue sinking their teeth into the film, and, thusly, the payoff is not as satisfying as anyone hopes.
Anja Plaschg as Agnes in Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s THE DEVIL’S BATH. Courtesy of Ulrich Seid Film Produktion and Heimatfilm. A Shudder Release.
The film opens on something truly horrific before the person responsible for the true atrocity we just witnessed then transposes themselves to Agnes (Anja Plaschg). It is the 1700s and Agnes is a single woman and highly religious. She decides to get married to Wolf (David Scheid) and they retreat to their cottage land. However, unlike the marriage Agnes wanted, Wolf shows next to no interest in her other than fitting into whatever societal normalities existed in the 1700s. Wolf would rather be a single bachelor. This continues to eat away at Agnes who desperately wants a child and wants to be a mother while Wolf remains disinterested. If things couldn’t get worse for Agnes, she has to deal with her overbearing and generally awful mother-in-law (Maria Hofstätter). She tears down and dismantles Agnes at every opportunity, making her feel inadequate and less than worthy of Wolf’s time, let alone affection.
L-R: Anja Plaschg as Agnes and David Scheid as Wolf in Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s THE DEVIL’S BATH. Courtesy of Ulrich Seid Film Produktion and Heimatfilm. A Shudder Release.
Agnes runs into the woods and lays eyes on something horrific, something that could potentially mirror a future for her, and it intrigues and horrifies her simultaneously. With her constant inability to intrigue Wolf into procreating with her, she becomes delirious and tries to leave Wolf and go back to her family, but is eventually dragged back to her miserable life. Without going into further detail and spoiling the film, Agnes is continuously battling her inner demons, her thoughts of worthlessness, and the fear that she’s never going to actualize the life she always wanted.
L-R: Anja Plaschg as Agnes and David Scheid as Wolf in Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s THE DEVIL’S BATH. Courtesy of Ulrich Seid Film Produktion and Heimatfilm. A Shudder Release.
As the film continues to slowly burn the candle at both ends, the saving grace is Anja Plaschg (The Dreamed Ones), herself. Despite the slow burn that Fiala and Franz create with The Devil’s Bath and their track record, something more engaging was certainly hoped for. But Plaschg’s performance certainly withstands any tribulations with the film. Her ability to create a world of angst and terror with her expressions and movements is simply uncanny and creates such a tense viewing experience for the audience. David Schied (Sargnagel), who plays the uninterested husband, Wolf, makes the audience feel like he’d literally quite rather be anywhere else than with Agnes, and this exudes throughout his uninterested and disengaged performance. As an actor, trying to disconnect on such a deep level is an art in and of itself. It’s so remarkable how disinterested he is in Agnes, and anything in her life, to be fair. Moreover, though, Maria Hofstätter (Paradise: Love) as the mother-in-law from hell is truly exceptional as her tongue and overall presence evokes sheer evil and terror for both Agnes and the audience.
A scene from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s THE DEVIL’S BATH. Courtesy of Ulrich Seid Film Produktion and Heimatfilm. A Shudder Release.
The Devil’s Bath boasts some terrific performances, but, overall, the story crafted by Fiala and Franz takes too long between the horrors to evoke something from the audience. It starts off with something traumatizing, lingers, and sits on human fears and nature, then finally snaps the final straw. The performances carry strong throughout the feature, but the overall delivery lacks and the audience’s interest is sadly gone before they get to the final moments which will leave them shocked and uneasy.
International premiere during Tribeca Film Festival 2024.
Screening at IFC Center in New York June 21st, 2024.
Available on Shudder June 28th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Tribeca 2024 The Devil’s Bath webpage.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews, streaming
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