As with many true crime stories, the harrowing true story of Elisabeth Fritzl inspires fascination. It is hard to believe that someone’s father would do something as heinous as kidnap his daughter and subject her to torture, but according to The Guardian, Josef Fritzl did just that.
When she was only 18 years old, Josef convinced his daughter Elisabeth to enter the basement of their Austrian home. Elisabeth complied, only for her father to lock her in a cell that he had constructed. Elisabeth’s mother, Rosemarie, was oblivious to the fact that her alleged missing daughter would become a prisoner for the next two decades. Josef kept her as a captive in the basement while sexually assaulting her for years. During her time there, Elisabeth gave birth to seven children, some of whom also became prisoners as well. Josef chose three of them to bring upstairs, telling Rosemarie that Elisabeth had dropped them off on their doorstep to take care of. In reality, Elisabeth had not joined some cult or leading some bohemian lifestyle as her father pretended. She was raising her other children and schooling them as best she could under the house.
Elisabeth and her children eventually found freedom, but only due to tragic circumstances. In 2008, eldest daughter Kerstin fell ill due to her exposure to these unhealthy circumstances. After she was brought to the hospital, authorities became suspicious of Josef’s story. He ultimately let Elisabeth and her remaining children out of the basement and was finally arrested. Since this discovery, many media sources such as documentaries, narrative films, and podcasts have tried to understand what drives a person to commit such evil. Though we will never know for sure, here are all the creative endeavors that cover the story.
These movies, podcasts, and documentaries are not for the faint of heart
Elisabeth Fritzl’s story has inspired many movies, but none are direct adaptations. Instead, the films take artistic liberty instead of telling the exact story.
Movies:
- Girl In the Basement
- Room
Lifetime’s Girl In the Basement is perhaps the closest version to events. Part of the network’s ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling, the film depicts an American teen named Sarah (Stefanie Scott) whose controlling father, Don (Judd Nelson), builds a basement prison behind a sliding door and keeps her there. Like the true story, Don assaults his daughter, who only finds relief years after giving birth to his children. Academy-award-winning film, Room, takes even more liberties. Adapted from the book by Emma Donoghue, Brie Larson plays Joy, who has been captive for five years, raising her son, Jack. Donaghue maintained to The Guardian that the Fritzl case was only a brief inspiration for the book, but the similarities are unmistakable.
Documentaries:
- Monster: The Josef Fritzl Story
- The Longest Night: Secrets of the Austrian Cellar
In addition to the few documentaries about Elisabeth and her father, many news outlets covered the story in detail after she was found. 60 Minutes Australia also detailed the events leading up to Elisabeth’s confinement as well as the aftermath.
Podcasts:
- RedHanded
- Those Conspiracy Guys
- Murder Incorporated
- The Last Podcast On the Left
- Hostage
- Killer Queens
- Mystery Junkie
Podcasts are by far the most prolific medium that covers true crime. This case garnered explicit interest, and if there is interest, the true crime community will cover it. As with the genre in general, many podcasts lean towards the more controversial side. But some of our favorite true crime podcasts cover the story in one form or another.