‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’: Who Was Countess Elizabeth Báthory?

Countess Elizabeth Báthory was a Hungarian noblewoman from the House of Báthory, who was accused of torturing and murdering up to 300 women between 1590 and 1610. Báthory was born in 1560 and married Count Ferenc Nádasdy in 1575, which combined land in both Transylvania and Hungary. Rumors suggest that Báthory may have been raped by a peasant boy at the age of 13, which led her to seek vengeance.

She was accused of torturing her victims through methods such as sticking needles into their fingers, cutting and roasting their skin, starving them for weeks, and throwing cold water on their naked bodies during winter. In 1610, Báthory and her four accomplices were arrested; all accomplices were sentenced to death, while Báthory was confined to a castle for the rest of her life, though she was eventually allowed to live in house arrest.

The exact number of women Báthory tortured and killed is uncertain, with discrepancies in the accounts provided by her accomplices and the unaccounted for bodies. There is also speculation about whether or not Báthory actually committed these crimes, with some scholars positing that the stories may have been fabricated to damage the reputation of the House of Báthory.

The character of Bridget "Maggie" Sullivan in the series "Monster" reads a book about Elizabeth Báthory, which contains exaggerated accounts of her alleged atrocities. The book serves as a thematic connection to the fictional story of Lizzie Borden and highlights the recurring theme of female rage in the series.