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| 13 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=0et4dnby5rj9mhsd79qwoikk |
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| 16 | [[quoteright:330:[[Music/{{Eminem}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Eminembath_4165.jpg]]]] |
| 17 | [-[[caption-width-right:330:In this variation, a man harnesses ThePowerOfBlood to attempt to rejuvenate his music career.]]-] |
| 18 | |
| 19 | A character, typically evil or sadistic, immersed in a bathtub filled with blood. Frequently, any blood used for this purpose will be a type of AppliedPhlebotinum that is intended to cause some fantastic effect on the bather. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | The {{Trope Maker|s}} derives from legends surrounding the UsefulNotes/{{Hungar|y}}ian "Blood Countess" UsefulNotes/ElizabethBathory, a SerialKiller who purportedly bathed in the blood of young women (specifically {{virgin|Sacrifice}}s, according to some accounts) in order to restore her [[LooksWorthKillingFor beauty]] and [[FountainOfYouth youth]]. While the ''real'' Countess Báthory was accused of many gruesome acts, it's certain that her baths in blood are only the stuff of fiction. However, the Blood Bath is very much a key component to be found in any story in which she is featured, and any stories that feature a Blood Bath without Báthory as a character will often allude to her motives for doing this (lifted directly from the legends) and may also mention her by name (or, at least, give a character partaking in this a similar-sounding name as a ShoutOut). |
| 22 | |
| 23 | The trope can often follow the RuleOfSymbolism to deliver a moral tract about [[FairestOfThemAll the evils of vanity]] and ImmortalityImmorality. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Characters who bathe in blood often exhibit other qualities closely associated with [[VampireTropes vampirism]], especially when alluding to blood being rejuvenating or how they come to acquire their blood in the first place; BloodLust and [[FangsAreEvil fangs]] can be commonly noticed as well. In cases not involving outright vampiric entities, characters may be dabbling in TheDarkArts, especially BloodMagic. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | A less common, [[OlderThanTheyThink but much older]], variant of the trope takes after the story of the warrior Siegfried from the ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}'', whose body was made invulnerable after bathing in the blood of a dragon. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | This trope is '''NOT''' to be associated with instances where bloody corpses are found in bathtubs or [[BloodIsSquickerInWater any kind of small body of water]], like in BathSuicide or [[DeadlyBath any grisly murders in bathrooms]] (unless the blood from the victim(s) of said tropes is used for ''someone else'' to bathe in, of course). |
| 30 | |
| 31 | Compare: BloodIsTheNewBlack, where a character ends up covered in gore as a result of fighting. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | See Also: LiquidAssets, LifeDrinker. For bathing and washing in other unusual substances, see OurShowersAreDifferent. |
| 34 | [[noreallife]] |
| 35 | ---- |
| 36 | !!Examples |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 41 | * Based on both the Elizabeth Bathory legend and UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler, one of the scariest villains of ''Manga/GhostHunt'' was a Japanese lord who bathed in the blood of numerous servants in the hope of extending his life and took up the moniker "Urado" (Vlad). [[spoiler: It's implied that the power of Urado's multiple {{Human Sacrifice}}s [[note]]the team find a burial chamber set up like the famous Paris catacombs, and looks to have ''triple-digit'' numbers of skeletons [[/note]] has [[PoweredByAForsakenChild preserved the spirit of Urado and his two attendants/accomplices in an unending loop of kidnapping and sacrifice]] even after Urado is no longer alive to benefit from it.]] |
| 42 | * In ''Anime/{{Golion}}'', the evil witch Honerva bathes her cat in blood (although [[{{Bowdlerised}} it's called a "lava bath"]] in ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''). |
| 43 | * In the Korean {{Manhwa}} ''Horror Collector'', the protagonist seeks to resurrect Elizabeth Bathory from a doll that she had apparently sealed her spirit inside of through one of her blood bathing rituals. Bathory herself is shown to be surprisingly compassionate, despite bathing in the blood of her victims. |
| 44 | * {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Literature/Overlord2012''. Shalltear Bloodfallen normally appears as an ElegantGothicLolita, but when she bathes in blood, her glamor breaks and she turns into what can best be described as a humanoid [[LampreyMouth lamprey abomination]]. |
| 45 | * Dubhe Siegfried of ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' (Anime only) shares his AchillesHeel with his namesake from the ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}''-- he slays a dragon and bathes in its blood, making himself invulnerable, but at that very moment, a tiny leaf falls on his back (coincidentally over his heart), preventing that bit of skin from being touched by the blood, and therefore making that spot the only part of his body that can be dealt a mortal blow. |
| 46 | * In ''Literature/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'', the spirit of the main antagonist, Carmilla, is brought back to her physical body by bathing her corpse in [[spoiler:Charlotte's]] blood. |
| 47 | * In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', it's revealed in a flashback that the [[spoiler:Black Book Club]] bathed in the blood of the [[DarkIsNotEvil innocent demons]] they had slaughtered, mostly ForTheEvulz. The discovery of this (as well as several other factors) [[spoiler:[[StartOfDarkness drove Shinobu Sensui]] [[SanitySlippage batshit]] [[SplitPersonality insane]]]]. |
| 48 | [[/folder]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 51 | * ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': |
| 52 | ** Creator/GarthEnnis wrote a comic (''Legends of the Dark Knight'' #91-93) in which the villain, Doctor Freak, was a drug lord who got people hooked on a drug so he could kill them, fill a pool with their drugged-up blood, and get high by bathing in it. |
| 53 | ** In ''ComicBook/BatmanTheCult'', Deacon Blackfire bathed in blood, supposedly to make himself immortal. |
| 54 | * ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' foe Man-Ape gained his SuperStrength by eating the flesh and bathing in the blood of a rare white gorilla. |
| 55 | * Readers first meet Solomon Ravne from ''ComicBook/CaballisticsInc'' in the middle of one such bath, surrounded by the naked, bleeding corpses the blood had to have come from. [[spoiler:Because Ravne is suggested to be Really700YearsOld]], it may be that such a bath is needed to maintain his age and appearance or prolong his life. |
| 56 | * The JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind one-shot ''ComicBook/{{Carnage}}: It's A Wonderful Life'' has a sequence where Carnage (wearing swim trunks, goggles, and a bathing cap) is shown high-diving into a luxury pool filled with blood, as two babes cheer him on. |
| 57 | * In ''ComicBook/ConanTheBarbarian'', when the [[TheCaligula malicious]] King Numedides expressed a desire to become immortal, he enlisted the services of the EvilSorcerer Thulandra Thuu, and together, they sacrificed young women in order for Numedides to bathe in their blood. |
| 58 | * One group of people infected by the HatePlague in ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'' take to soaking themselves in blood, doing it so often that their skin begins turning a faint shade of red. The character who informs the others about this tribe then goes on to recount having stumbled onto a "party" in which the infected filled an empty pool by shredding people with woodchippers and lawnmowers they had aimed at it. |
| 59 | * Elizabeth Bathory was a very minor adversary in Creator/MarvelComics' ''ComicBook/DraculaLives''. Originally, Dracula intended to make Bathory his vampiric servant, but her baths in the blood of virgins had made her immune to Dracula's control, so they briefly agreed to form an alliance. When Bathory finally betrayed Dracula, he ended up [[HistoricalInJoke stealing her journals and turning them in to the authorities, which led to her being sealed in a room in her castle as punishment.]] Dracula later confronted Bathory in her cell and drained her of all her blood; she aged to death in seconds. |
| 60 | * Emily Christy of ''ComicBook/HackSlash'' resorts to something akin to this in order to retain a human appearance in ''Tub Club'', manipulating students into weird bloodletting pool orgies as a part of being in the titular secret society. Cassie is also depicted as partaking in one [[http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/9241/401403-19269-130951-1-hack-slash--the-ser_super.jpg on a cover]] from the same StoryArc. |
| 61 | * ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}: Wake the Devil'' references the original legend about Elizabeth Bathory. The blood baths are only mentioned, not shown, but the iron maiden that was used to obtain the blood plays a pivotal role in the plot. |
| 62 | * A ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' strip published in ''Judge Dredd Mega Special 1995'' concerns a pop singer who retained his youth and good looks through TheDarkArts, human sacrifice, and bathing in blood--the literal blood bath being implied to be the most crucial step in the singer's rejuvenation rituals. Strangely enough, 22nd Century technology in Dredd's world has made several means of rejuvenation (including some that are legal) readily available to [[MegaCity Mega-City One]] citizens, which makes it a bit odd to see somebody taking this route, instead. |
| 63 | * One chapter of the ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'' strip ''ComicBook/ALoveLikeBlood'' features the vampire king Karkossa lounging in what appears to be a blood ''jacuzzi'' while also being entertained by female vampires. |
| 64 | * ''ComicBook/NikolaiDante'''s invitation to a gathering of the Cadre Infernale led to him meeting the High Priestess of the order, [[Literature/{{Carmilla}} Camilla]] [[ShoutOut Le Fanu]], bathing in what Nikolai at first thought was red wine. She alludes to the rejuvenating effects of Blood Baths being discovered by Bathory but insists that, unlike Bathory, she gets her blood from young women who are ''willing'' to donate a few pints in exchange for a tax exemption. However, it turns out that jobless women who can't pay taxes are [[KillThePoor bled for all they got]]. |
| 65 | * This is the main gimmick of ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' villain Brother Blood, a supervillain cult leader who bathes in the blood of his followers to prolong his life (although not indefinitely). |
| 66 | * In ''ComicBook/WarlordOfMars'' #17, Commandant Keisari, military commander of the Vathek (a race of vampires who dwell on Saturn), is shown bathing in a tub that is being filled from draining corpses suspended above it. |
| 67 | [[/folder]] |
| 68 | |
| 69 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 70 | * In Lauralot's fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4679528/1/Act_Like_We_Are_Fools Act Like We Are Fools,]]'' the Joker fills a bathtub with blood in a misguided, possibly intentionally traumatizing, attempt to alleviate Jonathan Crane's dislike of baths. |
| 71 | * This bath is taken by the vampires in ''JustForFun/AvatarAndTheAirbendingFellowshipOfVampireSlayers''. |
| 72 | * In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' fic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3872861/1/The_Blood_Game The Blood Game,]]'' [[spoiler:Marluxia]] forces [[spoiler:Vexen]] to bathe in a tub full of blood with him. |
| 73 | * ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6221033/1/Bridal-Shower Bridal Shower]]'', a [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden Files]] fanfic, is connected to the Bathory blood bath myth. |
| 74 | * ''Fanfic/{{Queen of Blood|sirwill}}'': Castlevania contains a blood pool for Taylor to soak in. Since the blood represents her power, drinking it doesn't make her any stronger. |
| 75 | [[/folder]] |
| 76 | |
| 77 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 78 | %%* The ''Film/ThirtyDaysOfNight'' sequel has one of these. |
| 79 | * ''Film/BladeTrilogy'': |
| 80 | ** The first ''Film/{{Blade}}'' movie opens at a vampire rave called "Blood Bath" where all the vampires get ''showered'' in blood through the sprinkler system. |
| 81 | ** In ''Film/BladeII'', Vampire Lord Damaskinos wades into a small but literal pool of blood. Then, later on, Blade is rejuvenated when he takes a nosedive into one such pool. |
| 82 | * ''Film/TheCountess'', a drama about Elizabeth Bathory, depicts Bathory as having first applied the blood of virgin girls as a cosmetic but gradually demanded more and more blood until, eventually, she was bathing in it. |
| 83 | * ''Film/CountessDracula'' is a Film/HammerHorror film about Bathory bathing in blood. |
| 84 | * In ''Film/DraculaIIAscension'', Dracula is revived when his corpse is put in a bathtub full of blood. |
| 85 | * In ''Film/EmbraceofTheVampire2013'', Charlotte has a waking dream where she steps into the shower and it starts spraying blood over her. She stands there as it flows over her, resulting in a SexySoakedShirt. |
| 86 | * In ''Film/{{Eternal}}'', Elizabeth Kane (a.k.a. UsefulNotes/ElizabethBathory) bathes in the blood of women to maintain her youth. The climax is set in the cellar of her Venetian mansion where she has specially designed marble tub where she chains seven [[{{Stripperific}} scantily-clad]] young women to drain their blood into the bath simultaneously. |
| 87 | * In Mark's nightmare in ''Film/FreddyVsJason'', Freddy first appears lounging in a bathtub full of blood, disguised as Mark's dead brother, who [[BathSuicide committed suicide while taking a bath]]. |
| 88 | * In ''Film/FrightNight2NewBlood'', the vampiress regularly lures in victims to drain them of their blood and bathe in it to restore her youthful appearance. She even has a giant Roman bath filled with blood hidden in a catacomb. She's all but clearly stated to be Elizabeth Bathory. |
| 89 | * The indie horror flick ''Film/GraveEncounters'' features a character who disappears in a bathtub full of blood when some paranormal force pulls him into it. |
| 90 | * In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' Ronan bathes in the blood of Xandarians he's executed. This isn't immediately apparent due to the Xandarians' [[AlienBlood blue-black blood]], but then we see him start to refill his tub. |
| 91 | * ''Film/HoboWithAShotgun'': The first time The Drake has a guy's head ripped off, one of his bimbos takes an excited shower in the fountain of blood that results. |
| 92 | * In ''Film/HostelPartII'', one of the clients of the Elite Hunting group is a woman who slices up a suspended female captive with scythes and sickles, and bathes in the blood that spills out of her wounds. The client happened to be named [[ShoutOut Mrs. Bathory]]. |
| 93 | * ''Film/ImmoralTales'' is an AnthologyFilm which includes a section on Bathory and sequences of her bathing in blood. |
| 94 | * ''Film/LasVegasBloodbath'' ends with a police officer finding the killer hanging out in a bathtub filled with the blood and body parts of a group of people he had just massacred. |
| 95 | * The Japanese fantasy film ''Film/LegendOfTheEightSamurai'' has the BigBad villainess bathing nude in blood to rejuvenate herself. |
| 96 | * The German film ''Film/{{Nekromantik}}'', which follows the everyday lives of a pair of [[ILoveTheDead necrophiliacs]], has two scenes in which the main characters bathe in blood-laden water. |
| 97 | * In ''Film/TheNeonDemon'' [[spoiler:Ruby, Sarah, and Gigi]] murder [[spoiler:Jesse]], a beautiful and virginal young woman, and not only bathe in her blood but cannibalize her as well. The director and co-writer said he was directly inspired by the tales of Elizabeth Bathory. |
| 98 | * Sorceress Irendri, the SorcerousOverlord villainess of the fantasy film ''Film/OnceUponAWarrior'' would bathe in the blood of sacrificial victims to maintain her youth and immortality. While immersed in blood, she can also use the liquid as a pool of visions to [[SinisterSurveillance spy on the good guys]]. |
| 99 | * The psycho in 1987's ''Film/{{Rampage|1987}}'', loosely based on the serial killings of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Chase Richard Chase]], has recurring hallucinations in which he is showering himself with blood. |
| 100 | * ''Film/SpeedDemon2003'' has several scenes where men clad only in boxers perform a "purification ritual" that involves sensually washing each other with blood. |
| 101 | * In ''Film/StayAlive2006'', the vengeful spirit of Elizabeth Bathory suspends [[spoiler:Abigail]] over an empty bathtub caked in dried blood and threatens to have her bled into the tub, heavily suggesting this trope, but [[spoiler:Hutch saves a Abigail before any bloodletting could occur]]. |
| 102 | * In the Australian horror movie ''Film/Thirst1979'', one of the attempts taken by a vampiric cult to recruit and condition the story's unwilling protagonist, believed by the cult to be a descendant of Elizabeth Bathory, involves rigging her plumbing to release blood, instead of water, while she takes a shower. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 106 | * ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'' sees the [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorceress]] and priestess of a ReligionOfEvil, Zandramas, show a fondness for cutting out people's hearts and bathing in their blood. |
| 107 | * Erzebet Bizecka of Alisa Libby's ''Blood Confession'' has a habit of killing her servants in her dungeon and bathing in their blood in order to preserve her youth and beauty. |
| 108 | * One of the Magpyr ancestors in ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'' is a parody of Bathory (although her name's Literature/{{Carmilla}}). The modern Magpyrs believe the story of her bathing in the blood of two hundred virgins is highly exaggerated. The bath would overflow if you used more than eighty. They've checked. |
| 109 | * In ''Literature/TheBlackestNight'', the final act of the ''Literature/DarknessFalls'' trilogy, the powerful witch Katrina Waters uses one of these to rejuvenate her body and power up the magical sigils engraved in her flesh. |
| 110 | * ''Literature/{{Carmilla}}'': Evoked when the grave of Mircalla Karnstein is opened because of suspicion of vampirism, and her body is found in a leaden coffin perfectly uncorrupted and floating in seven inches of blood. |
| 111 | * According to events in ''Literature/CountAndCountess'', Elizabeth Bathory's blood baths began as a means to cure her epilepsy. [[spoiler:It didn't work.]] |
| 112 | * In ''[[Literature/{{Spellsinger}} The Day of the Dissonance]]'', a group of fairies decide to sacrifice a young girl who they have captive, believing that bathing in virgin's blood will help them. The sacrifice is called off, however, when the girl breaks into hysterical laughter after being told this. It seems she was held captive by pirates for quite a while and is no longer a fitting sacrifice. |
| 113 | * Invoked in "Literature/TheDiaryOfAMadman", the short story by Creator/GuyDeMaupassant. After seeing the nephew guillotined, the judge wishes he could have bathed in his blood. |
| 114 | * In ''[[Literature/DraculaTheUnDead2009 Dracula the Un-Dead]]'', John Seward, who suspects Elizabeth Bathory of being a vampire, witnesses her bathe in a young woman's blood. |
| 115 | * In the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' stories, Maladar's backstory contains a few details about slaughtering thousands of nobles' sons, just so he can bathe in their blood. |
| 116 | * In the ''Literature/GodspeakerTrilogy'', Mijak's godspeakers bathe in animal blood to commune with their god. |
| 117 | * The character Elizabeth Bartholdi appears in Creator/MercedesLackey, Creator/EricFlint, and Creator/DaveFreer's ''Literature/TheHeirsOfAlexandria'' HistoricalFantasy series. She bathes in a special tub carved from a single slab of marble, and the blood keeps her eternally young in an attempt to avoid the price of her deal with the Devil. |
| 118 | * James Follett's book and radio play ''Ice'' has a bizarre variation on this one. When the heroine is dying from hypothermia at sea, one of the heroes cuts a human-sized hole in a Blue Whale's skin, [[ItMakesSenseInContext which promptly fills with warm blood]]. |
| 119 | * ''Literature/TheJenniferMorgue'' by Charles Stross references the original legend with Bathory [=PaleGrace=] (TM), a makeup that carries a youth-projecting glamour in every jar. As the company's founder says, [[PostModernMagik stem cell research means they're down to about 14 parts per million virgin blood]] in every jar...but [[HumanSacrifice there's no other way to get the endorphins that come with stress]]. |
| 120 | * In ''[[Literature/JackelianSeries The Kingdom Beyond The Waves]]'', the siltempter Prince Doublemetal regularly lounges in a warm bath of ''oil'' that his tribe of {{Steampunk}} [[MechanicalLifeforms sentient robots]] donate from their own "body fluids". Unlike most examples, he and the other siltempters can retrieve this oil and use it to lubricate their mechanisms again between baths. |
| 121 | * In ''Literature/LilyQuench'', bathing in the blood of a dragon will cause the bather to become immune to fire and fear, although this also comes at the price of the bather's humanity burning away so that even if a good character does this, it's bound to eventually turn him/her evil. |
| 122 | * Gloria Tesch's ''Literature/MaradoniaSaga'' features a fabled "Pool of Blood", a lake of red water which renders anyone who bathes in it invulnerable to "the powers of darkness." |
| 123 | * The eponymous demonic VillainProtagonist from Creator/CliveBarker's ''Literature/MisterBGone'' bathes in a tub full of blood from dead babies. He complains how difficult it is to keep them alive long enough for the bath to be warm when he empties their blood into it. |
| 124 | * The German epic poem ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}'' (c. 1200 AD) has the hero Siegfried becoming invulnerable (except for [[AchillesHeel a spot on his shoulder]]) by bathing in the blood of a dragon that he killed. (This does not apply to Siegfried's Norse counterpart Sigurd.) |
| 125 | * A demonic shower room which features shower heads that shoot blood shows up in a dream sequence in ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet: Dreamspawn''. Freddy (who's [[{{Squick}} wearing absolutely nothing but a towel around his waist]]) finds it refreshing, while his intended victim is completely horrified, especially when the drains fail to work and the room starts filling up. |
| 126 | * Jarek the Wilder Icecarl, of ''Literature/TheSeventhTower'' series by Creator/GarthNix, slew a Norrworm in its cave and had to swim in its blood for days until it drained out. The dip turned his skin blue and made it NighInvulnerable. |
| 127 | * In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', they tell tales of Danelle Lothston, aka Mad Danelle, who bathed in the blood and feasted on the flesh of her victims. |
| 128 | [[/folder]] |
| 129 | |
| 130 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 131 | * On ''Series/AmericanHorrorStoryFreakshow'', Dandy Mott believes that bathing in people's blood will give him their power. The first onscreen instance of this comes right after he [[spoiler:[[{{matricide}} kills his own mother]]]], though the fact that [[spoiler:he is covered in blood after killing Andy]] may suggest that he did this then, too. |
| 132 | * The ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E1WelcomeToTheHellmouth Welcome to the Hellmouth]]" had [[BigBad The Master]] hanging out in a pool of blood while [[NonNudeBathing fully dressed]]. |
| 133 | ** In a later episode, when Spike thinks he's going to get his MoralityChip removed, he boasts about how he's going to kill Buffy and swim in her blood. ("I'm going to do the backstroke!") |
| 134 | * ''Series/FromDuskTillDawn'' has Santanico Pandemonium taking a bath in blood before she goes onstage. |
| 135 | * In ''{{Series/Outlander}}'', the Season 3 episode “The Bakra” features Geilis Duncan bathing in the blood of a goat to ostensibly maintain healthy skin. |
| 136 | * In the ''Series/PennyDreadful'' episode "Fresh Hell", Madame Kali takes a blood bath from a freshly murdered woman [[DissonantSerenity while singing "The Unquiet Grave"]]. |
| 137 | * The first episode of HBO's ''Series/{{Rome}}'' features Atia taking a nude shower in the blood cascading down from a slaughtered bull as part of a religious ritual in an unspecified Great Mother cult. The ritual was to provide spiritual protection for [[UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} her son]] on a journey to meet [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar his uncle]] in Gaul. Such a ritual actually existed but it was associated with Mithraism not Goddess cults and became popular well after Atia's time. |
| 138 | * One prank on ''Series/ScareTactics2003'' set up the target as a new employee at a health spa "for professional clientèle" that uses "very expensive ingredients". Along with female clients who come in for rejuvenation treatments is a list of younger women and their corresponding blood types. The exact scare prank involved the target walking in as one young woman is being bled over a bathtub that an older client was bathing in. |
| 139 | * In ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Sanguinarium", Nurse Waite is discovered lying in wait for Dr. Lloyd at his house, submerged in a bathtub filled with blood. |
| 140 | [[/folder]] |
| 141 | |
| 142 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 143 | * The metal band Music/{{Bathory}} not only shares its name with the TropeMaker, but has also written a number of songs about her that also hint at this practice - notably, "Woman Of Dark Desires". |
| 144 | * Metal band Music/CradleOfFilth released the concept album ''Cruelty And The Beast'' about Countess Bathory. The album cover depicts her in a bathtub filled with blood. |
| 145 | * The song "Bathe In Blood" by metal band Music/{{Evile}} references both using blood to restore youth and the vanity that would entail. |
| 146 | * The album cover for Music/{{Kamelot}}'s ''Karma'' depicts a woman in a nightgown waist-deep in a pool of blood. The last three songs on the album, "Elizabeth I, II, & III," are about Elizabeth Bathory's life. |
| 147 | * Music/{{Venom}}'s song "Countess Bathory" from their album ''Black Metal'' is obviously about the TropeMaker and makes mention of this practice. |
| 148 | * Music/YoshikiHayashi took a Blood Bath in a photoshoot for Fool's Mate magazine and, in the past with Music/XJapan, has written a song about Elizabeth Bathory entitled "Rose of Pain". |
| 149 | [[/folder]] |
| 150 | |
| 151 | [[folder:Music Videos]] |
| 152 | * Music/{{Eminem}} is seen taking one such bath in the video for his single "3 A.M." |
| 153 | * The video for Supergrass's single "Mary" parodies the "video nasties" of the 1970s and 80s. At one point a woman is in a bath when the pipes on the wall start to rattle and spew blood, the bath is soon overflowing with blood, and the drain tries to suck her in. |
| 154 | * Music/{{Milgram}}: In the music video for Mikoto's song "[=MeMe=]", he [[spoiler:(or, at least, his evil SplitPersonality)]] is shown bathing after killing his victims. The first couple of times, he's showering normally and washing blood off him, but the [[RuleOfThree third]] and final time, he is shown [[FanDisservice shirtless]] in a bathtub full of blood. |
| 155 | [[/folder]] |
| 156 | |
| 157 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 158 | * Poet Peter of Eboli alleged that Court of Norman member [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_of_Ajello Matthew of Ajello]] attempted to cure his gout by washing his feet in the blood of children. |
| 159 | * According to Christian legend, when Roman Emperor Constantine I contracted leprosy, the pagan priests told him to bathe in the blood of babies as a cure. Refusing to do this, he allegedly sought counsel from Pope Sylvester I, who cured him. This legend is the background for the Donation of Constantine, now shown to be a forgery, which purported to grant the entire Western Empire to the papacy. |
| 160 | * In rabbinic tradition, the Pharaoh of Egypt from Exodus (the first one, not the one Moses famously confronts) is said to have contracted leprosy and treated it by bathing in the blood of Israelite babies, ordering one baby a day killed for this purpose. |
| 161 | * In ''Literature/TheBible'', some translations of [[Literature/BooksOfKings 1st Kings 22:38]] states that the prostitutes washed themselves in the blood that came from King Ahab when he died in his chariot returning home from his failed attempt to reclaim Ramoth Gilead. |
| 162 | * More positively, Christianity often uses the idea of being washed clean by Jesus's blood as a metaphor for redemption through his sacrifice. As one classic hymn puts it: "There is a fountain filled with blood / drawn from Immanuel's veins / And sinners plunged beneath that flood / lose all their guilty stains." |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[folder:Poetry]] |
| 166 | * A poem penned in the 4th Century by the Christian apologist and staunch anti-pagan Prudentius accuses the priests of the Magna Mater of bathing in bulls' blood in the rite of taurobolium. |
| 167 | [[/folder]] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | [[folder:Roleplay]] |
| 170 | * ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil'' features a family with the surname Bathory that enjoys partaking in the activity most often associated with their historical namesake. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 174 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Godforsaken}}'': Legends speak of a magical pool of ancient blood in one of the Rotting Castles of Korak-Mar. Anyone who can find this pool and bathe in it is granted great unholy power. |
| 175 | * ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Fantasy'': Vampires can only heal their injuries by bathing in blood. |
| 176 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has the Everdawn Pool, a powerful magical artifact created by the [[SorcerousOverlord Runelord]] Sorshen. The pool has many powers, but chief among them is the ability to transform the body of one who bathes in it after filling the pool with the blood of several thousand sacrificed sentient beings. The BigBad of ''Curse of the Crimson Throne'', [[spoiler:Queen Ileosa]], intends to become an immortal being this way, [[spoiler:slaughtering much of the population of Korvosa, including her own followers, in the process]]. |
| 177 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': |
| 178 | ** The Hag Queens of the Dark Elves practice this, bathing in a magical cauldron filled with blood to maintain their youth. As with so much in Warhammer, the evil blood magic of the cauldrons has been weaponised, and they are wheeled into battle atop grandiose carriages where they act as a focus for the bloodthirsty rites of the Death Hags in praise of the god Khaine - Lord of Murder. The magic of the cauldrons slowly becomes less effective over the centuries, such that the oldest and most powerful Hag Queen - Crone Hellebron - has to endure most of the year as a withered ancient for the few days of youth and vigour it now grants her. |
| 179 | ** A shout-out to this trope occurs in a vampire context, thanks to the magical Blood Chalice of Bathori carried by the vampiress Isabella von Carstein. |
| 180 | * ''Franchise/TheWorldOfDarkness'': |
| 181 | ** ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'': The supplement ''Immortals'' has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Blood Bathers]], who [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment gain a sort of immortality by bathing in blood]]. Their blood bathing ritual is guaranteed to place any characters who partake in it at [[ObviouslyEvil the very low end]] of the [[KarmaMeter Karma Dial]]. |
| 182 | ** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'': The Blood Bath is one of the sacred rites of the [[ReligionOfEvil Sabbat]]. It isn't about youth, but more a ritual of baptism and consecration interpreted through the Sabbat's "Crusades-era Catholicism on PCP" lens. |
| 183 | ** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' has a bloodline of vampires called the Galloi who bathe in blood to make themselves more beautiful. They're not related to Bathory, though; they take their unique Discipline from the worship of Cybele, which often involved initiates being bathed in the blood of a bull to symbolize cleansing (and...[[GroinAttack other things]]). Additionally, both Macellarius and Noctoku tend to feast on blood in this manner; the Noctoku can absorb blood through their skin. |
| 184 | [[/folder]] |
| 185 | |
| 186 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 187 | * [=McFarlane=] Toys included an Elizabeth Bathory figure bathing in a tub of blood in their [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6_Faces_of_Madness 6 Faces of Madness]] line. |
| 188 | * {{Zigzagged|Trope}} with the ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' toys. As they are fashion dolls, one can buy accessory play sets related to beautification that are owned by specific characters. The vampire character gets a high backed, clawfooted tub; however, she is a literal VegetarianVampire and, therefore, bathes in protein and vitamin supplements, rather than blood. |
| 189 | [[/folder]] |
| 190 | |
| 191 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 192 | * An old magazine ad for ''VideoGame/Blood1997'' featured some dude, presumably Caleb, in a bathtub full of blood with the tagline "Blood? You're soaking in it." |
| 193 | * The final boss chamber in ''[[VideoGame/{{Bloodrayne}} BloodRayne 2]]'' has a bath full of blood that can regenerate the main character's health and blood meters. Standing in the pool using Rayne's [[TimeStandsStill time stopping ability]] [[GameBreaker makes this the easiest fight in the game.]] |
| 194 | * The Sumerian demon Inanna in ''VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho'' is encountered while taking a blood shower. As a skilled sanguimancer, she can use the blood to summon the Sumerian Puppet God. Some of the pools in the Roman baths are also filled with blood. (In case you were wondering, the other pools are filled with vomit and excrement.) |
| 195 | * An early boss who is the subject of an Act I quest in ''VideoGame/DiabloII'', dubbed "The Countess", is described as having "bathed in the rejuvenating blood of a hundred virgins" in the tome that initiates her quest. |
| 196 | ** She can refer to this trope when you meet her, too. "Here for a Blood Bath?" |
| 197 | * In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', this trope is mentioned in one of the potential descriptions for the stench vampires in Dreadsylvania... and mocked by the narrator pointing out that a bath-tub full of blood would quickly coagulate and rot. In this case, it explains the foul odor of the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors stench-aligned]] vampire. |
| 198 | * In ''VideoGame/LobotomyCorporation'', the Abnormality Bloodbath takes the form of a bathtub with blood inside of it and [[{{Squick}} human skin covering it.]] |
| 199 | * Variation in [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 the]] ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Mortal Kombat]]'' [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 remake]]: the stage at the Bottom of the Pit has blood ''showers''. And yes, standing under them gets your character completely drenched in crimson. |
| 200 | ** DLC character Skarlet is a HumanoidAbomination who gains strength from the blood of fallen warriors (which she consists of). Her fatalities, therefore, involve her enemy's blood spraying/showering over her. Furthermore, her fatality tutorial informs us that Elizabeth Bathory is her favorite historical figure. |
| 201 | * Vampire Sion does this in her ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' Actress Again ending. |
| 202 | * The female villain in ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenII2008'' is seen bathing in a pool of blood at one point and is even named "Elizabet" as a ShoutOut. |
| 203 | * ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}'' sees the player travel through time to prevent Akuro from becoming perfect through bathing the vessel he wishes to possess in Orochi's blood. |
| 204 | * A whole row of them can be found in ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}''. A corpse is found in one, with another inmate 'washing' it with its own blood. It's not pretty. |
| 205 | * One possible haunting in ''VideoGame/{{Paranormal}}'' has Mattel get locked in the bathroom while blood pours out of the plumbing, filling the tub and sink as the toilet overflows with red. |
| 206 | * A bathtub specifically made for this is available in ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', specifically in the "Makin' Magic" expansion pack. |
| 207 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' user map ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' has the Demon/Orc hybrid [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Strygwyr the Bloodseeker]], who bathes in the blood of his slain victims to heal his wounds--including those that can otherwise prove fatal. |
| 208 | [[/folder]] |
| 209 | |
| 210 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 211 | * An early ''WebAnimation/NeuroticallyYours'' short with Germaine getting attacked by the Ghostface Killer from the ''Film/{{Scream}}'' movies ends with Germaine continuing her bath in the killer's own blood while his body is seen hanging from the ceiling in the background. |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 215 | * [[http://ming85.deviantart.com/gallery/57627#/d1b8hfn "The Bath"]], a short comic by Ming85. |
| 216 | * In ''Webcomic/BeCalm'', Ardois wakes up in one [[spoiler:after hurling a piece of metal through Richard]]. |
| 217 | * In ''Webcomic/BloodStain'', Elliot thinks of one in an ImagineSpot about the doctor's appearance. |
| 218 | * The human royal couple from ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' hunted Elves for this purpose in order to gain immortality. Whether it actually worked is not stated, but given how different fae and human biology are it most likely didn't. Their castle, Chactice, is even named after the modern name for the castle where Elizabeth Bathory lived, Cachtice Castle. |
| 219 | * In ''Webcomic/ElfBlood'', one of TKO's more complex spells involved killing a goat and bathing in its blood. |
| 220 | * ''Webcomic/KarateBears'' [[http://www.karatebears.com/2011/07/innocent-bath.html like taking baths in the blood of the innocent.]] |
| 221 | * In the "Children of the Priest" arc of ''Webcomic/SallyTheGhostHunter'', Sally faces off against the ghost of a SinisterMinister who kidnapped kids, murdered them, and bathed in their blood in an attempt to become young again. |
| 222 | [[/folder]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 225 | * The horror short film ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv7gPSvhgdI A-Symmetry]]'' ends with the SerialKiller VillainProtagonist relaxing in his bathtub filled with blood. |
| 226 | * During the midst of the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' craze, humor site Cap'n Wacky made [[http://www.capnwacky.com/reviews/harrypotter.html a parody review]] of a book in the series called ''Harry Potter Bathes in the Blood of Virgins'', in which Harry seeks to find some way of staying young forever. |
| 227 | * In ''Literature/ThePowerOfDarkness'', Masochist takes such a bath at one point in the story just because he likes it. |
| 228 | |
| 229 | [[/folder]] |
| 230 | |
| 231 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 232 | * In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', God gets pissed at Peter for creating a religion based around himself and starts attacking the Griffins with the ten plagues of Egypt, one of which sees Stewie's bath water turn into blood. While the rest of the family is freaked out, Stewie is enjoying himself. |
| 233 | --> '''Stewie:''' How positively delightful! It's as if someone stabbed Mr. Bubble! |
| 234 | * ''WesternAnimation/HellboyAnimated: Blood and Iron'' features a vampire named Erzsebet Ondrushko, clearly based on Elizabeth Bathory, who bathes in blood to preserve her youth. [[spoiler:She gets killed when Professor Bruttenholm sneaks some holy water into her blood bath.]] |
| 235 | * The ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' episode "Innocence" follows Orel as he tries to obtain blood to profess his innocence to God and stay young forever (after separate conversations with the Christeins and Coach Stopframe "teach" Orel about the powers of blood). This leads to his father, Clay, discovering Orel in a bathtub surrounded by Doughy, Billy, Tommy, and Maryenetta, with their wrists cut open and bleeding into the tub in the episode "Grounded". The show itself, however, presents all this in AnachronicOrder with the conclusion to these events in "Grounded" being aired first and the set-up in "Innocence" being shown later. |
| 236 | [[/folder]] |
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