This Unknown Horror Movie Was Robbed Of An Oscar Nomination

Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards were released today. The notoriously snubbed horror genre actually did well with body horror movie The Substance receiving five nominations including  Best Picture, Best Actress (Demi Moore), Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Nosferatu was also nominated for Best Production Design, Best Cinematography and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. However, there is another, lesser known, horror movie that should have received a nomination and did not.

The Devil’s Bath (2024) is a historical horror drama written and directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, who previously made Goodnight Mommy (2014) and The Lodge (2019). It follows Agnes (Anja Plaschg), a young woman who marries a man from another village in 18th century Germany. Agnes struggles to fit in and to keep up with the demanding chores required of her. She desperately wants a child but her husband rejects her advances, as it is implied he is gay.

Agnes feels increasingly isolated and depressed as time goes on. Her husband’s best friend (and the object of his desire) dies by suicide and the religious community is reminded by the church that this is a worse sin than even murder. Trapped, Agnes finds an unthinkable solution to her problem in the film’s shocking and devastating finale.

The Devil’s Bath was selected as Austria’s entry for the Best International Feature category but was not chosen as a nomination by the Academy. It is based on true events, as researched by Kathy Stuart. The historical basis is detailed in white text between the film’s tragic final scene and the credits.

The Devil’s Bath is currently streaming on Shudder.