Main content

30. Horrorhaus Höxter 1: Do you need to be a sadist to torture people?

A snowstorm in April led to a shocking discovery - women had been tortured to death over many years in Germany’s ‘house of horror’. Do you need to be a sadist to torture?

In the middle of a snowstorm in April 2016 a car broke down on the outskirts of a sleepy German town.

Angelika, a middle-aged woman, stepped out and knocked on a neighbour’s door asking for help. Wilfried, her partner, stayed behind. But, why did the woman in the back of their car have so many injuries? What had happened to her?

In this episode of Bad People, presenters Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss a famous German case of abuse and torture which shocked the country. They talk about the link between domestic violence and torture, and whether you need to be a sadist to inflict such pain onto others.

This is part one of two.

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of extreme violence, including sexual violence.

Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen
Producer: Simona Rata
Matt Chandler
Editor: Rami Tzabar
Academic Consultants for The Open University: Lara Frumkin and James Munro
Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins

Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Audio Science Production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sounds
#BadPeople_´óÏó´«Ã½

Release date:

Available now

36 minutes

Podcast