Shudder Acquires Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s Psychological Thriller ‘The Devil’s Bath’ Ahead of Berlin Film Festival Debut (EXCLUSIVE)
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Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror films, thrillers and supernatural stories, has acquired “The Devil’s Bath,” the new film from Austrian horror auteurs Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. The deal comes ahead of the psychological thriller’s world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it will play in competition.
Shudder has picked up all rights in North America, as well as in the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. “The Devil’s Bath” will be released this summer.
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The German-language film is set in 1750 Austria, at a time when villages were surrounded by deep forests. There, a deeply religious woman has married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her turmoil.
“We are more than proud that our latest movie, ‘The Devil’s Bath,’ found a home at Shudder,” said directors Franz and Fiala. “We greatly appreciate their love for a film that can’t be put into a box easily, a movie that tackles the horrors of depression and aims to give a voice to women who have been unheard throughout history.”
Franz and Fiala, who wrote and directed “The Devil’s Bath,” are best known for making “Goodnight Mommy” and “The Lodge.” They also wrote and directed a segment of the anthology horror film “The Field Guide to Evil.”
“Veronika and Severin are an incredible filmmaking duo that have been terrorizing audiences for years. With ‘The Devil’s Bath,’ they’ve delivered an utterly harrowing new vision,” said Emily Gotto, Shudder’s vice president of global acquisitions and co-productions. “We can’t wait to share this chilling, impactful film with Shudder members this summer.”
“The Devil’s Bath” stars Anja Plaschg, David Scheid, Maria Hofstätter, Camilla Schielin and Lorenz Tröbinger. It is produced by Ulrich Seidl Productions as a co-production with Heimatfilm and Coop99 Filmproduktion. The deal was negotiated by Gotto on behalf of Shudder and Nicolas Brigaud-Robert for Playtime on behalf of the filmmakers.
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