It's the severed finger that does it. Not because it's gross, but because it's presented so matter-of-factly. When Agnes... receives that body part from her brother on her wedding day as a good-luck charm for a hoped-for pregnancy, the film enters a fully alien place.
Agnes seems like a genuine innocent, as fragile as the dry leaves and delicate butterflies she likes to collect. That a severed finger would be a source of joy upends our initial impression of her and adds a subtle up-is-down quality to the film...
The Devil's Bath is a deeply fucked-up picture. I say that with admiration. ...make sad, striking films that never entirely reveal what they're about, which is a pretty great way to both grab and unsettle the viewer, especially when it comes to the horror genre.
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