Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, German and Austrian respectively, have collaborated again, and this time to produce their best effort yet.
Set in the forests of Austria in the 18th century the story centres around a young newly married woman who is frustrated that she cannot bear a child for her husband.
The opening of the film though provides a suggestion of what may lie ahead, when a similarly young woman is executed by decapitation for the murder of her baby.
The beauty of this relatively long piece of folk horror is in trying to figure out exactly what is going on. The murder of babies may seem distasteful, but it does play a crucial part once the film's theme is established. But to inform on that would be a spoiler.
Suffice to say, that the film's title, 'Des Teufels Bad', is a German expression that refers to a perilous circumstance likely to lead to catastrophe.
Those who seek to watch this purely for its shock value and its horror content are likely to be disappointed. Rather, this is a beautifully filmed tragic historical drama that is based on actual events. It just so happens to have moments of violence and gore. The landscape is pictured as being gloomy, repetitive and remote; life is about survival and the routine of fishing and farming is monotonous; represented by the length of the film, and many of its scenes where not very much happens. However, tension does build, and the finale is particularly rewarding.
Be sure to watch the closing credits where an explanation of events is clarified.