Austrian Gothic

Today's Gothic in real life story comes from Austria, where a very old man is charged with imprisoning his children in their home, for decades.

Police became suspicious when a 19-year-old daughter, Kerstin, was taken to hospital with a mysterious life-threatening illness, and the family's medical records were checked. Police say that Elisabeth F. appeared to be "greatly disturbed" psychologically, and only agreed to talk after the authorities assured her that she would not have to have contact with her father, and that her children would be cared for.

It gets worse.  The father allegedly molested Elisabeth.  And "Josef F." fathered seven children by his daughter, all of whom remained in the home-prison.

And, in a novel-worth single sentence, we read this detail: "Rosemarie F. [Josef's wife] is said to have been unaware of her husbands' activities."

When real life imitates Gothic horror, it is sometimes with a vengeance.