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Devil’s Bride (2016) movie poster

Timeline

Devil’s Bride (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 108 mins · Finnish
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Directed by
Saara Cantell
Starring
Magnus Krepper, Claes Malmberg, Anssi Niemi, Eeva Putro, Robert Enckell, Maria Sid

Åland witch hunts 1666 Anna is a 16-year old in a village where women are accused of witchcraft. It’s based on the witch hunts on Åland, Finland in the 1600s.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle
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15 events in order · contains spoilers

Devil’s Bride Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Devil’s Bride (2016) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. The Forbidden Affair Begins

    Anna, a maid, begins an affair with the married Elias. Elias lives with his wife Rakel and their two children: a young son and a newborn daughter. The secret relationship sets the tragic chain of events in motion.

  2. Rakel Confronts Anna

    Rakel confronts Anna about the affair and pleads with her to end it. She begs Anna to walk away so that Elias can be a proper father to their children. The meeting exposes the painful situation the family has been living in.

  3. Anna Refuses to Give Up Elias

    Anna refuses to end the relationship, arguing that her bond with Elias is stronger than life itself. Rakel warns her that this is not Elias's first affair, saying that he likes beautiful young girls. Anna becomes angry and cruelly calls Rakel a bitter old hag.

  4. Anna Watches the Happy Couple

    Later that night, beginning to doubt Elias's devotion to her, Anna sneaks into Elias and Rakel's home. She watches the couple smile and cuddle in bed, appearing as happy and in love as Anna believed she and Elias were. Consumed by jealousy and anger, she decides to strike back.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Elias and Rakel's home
  5. Anna Accuses Rakel of Witchcraft

    Driven by jealousy, Anna accuses Rakel of toiling in witchcraft, pointing to her use of healing herbs as evidence. Rakel is arrested on the false charges and thrown into a dungeon. At the same time, a number of other women in the community are also arrested.

  6. Anna Cares for Rakel's Children

    In the evening, Anna goes to Elias and Rakel's home and takes care of Rakel's young children. An exhausted neighbor, who had been watching the children, is finally allowed to go home. Anna takes on the caretaking role in the very family she helped shatter.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Elias and Rakel's home
  7. Elias Kisses Anna and Hears the Truth

    Elias arrives back at his home and kisses Anna, despite his wife sitting in a dungeon. During this meeting, Anna confesses that her lies are what got Rakel arrested. Elias is furious, even after Anna admits she only hoped Rakel would be banished so she could marry Elias herself.

    Where
    Elias and Rakel's home
  8. Elias Abandons His Family

    Unable to face the consequences of the affair and the false accusations, Elias leaves the town. He abandons both his children and his imprisoned wife in order to sail away at sea. The family is left to face the horrors of the witch trials alone.

  9. Anna Brings the Baby to the Dungeon

    Anna's guilt consumes her, and she fears Rakel's newborn daughter will starve without her mother. She brings the baby to the dungeon, where a guard softens and allows her to pass. Inside, Rakel and Anna speak, and Anna expresses great regret for her lies.

    Where
    Dungeon
  10. Forgiveness and the Name Anna Ilianna

    Anna steals Holy Water so that Rakel's baby may be baptized. Moved by this act of care, Rakel decides to forgive Anna for everything she has done. She names her newborn daughter Anna Ilianna, honoring the woman who once destroyed and then helped save her family.

    Where
    Dungeon
  11. Anna Is Arrested

    At the climax of the story, Anna confesses her lies and is arrested herself. The authorities grow suspicious that the Devil may be making her lie, treating even her words as evidence against her. She now faces the same fate she once brought upon Rakel.

  12. Anna's Long Confession and Death Sentence

    Anna makes a long confession, saying the Devil is hard to recognize because he makes you feel strong and powerful, and makes you 'howl like a bitch' before he makes you fly. Her words are veiled references to her affair with Elias, which led her down the path of sin. Anna is sentenced to death for witchcraft, while Rakel is set free.

    When
    1666
  13. The Ambiguous Execution

    On the day of the execution, Anna's ultimate fate is left ambiguous, her end shrouded in uncertainty. Whatever truly happened to her remains a question that lingers for years to come. The moment marks a tragic close to the main chapter of the story.

    When
    1666
  14. Years Later by the Sea

    Years later, Rakel is living happily by the sea with her children. Anna Ilianna reads a book from 'Big Anna' and asks her mother to tell her what happened to Anna again. Rakel agrees to recount the story for her daughter once more.

    When
    Years later
    Where
    By the sea
  15. The Happy Ending That Never Was

    Anna Ilianna recounts the tale that Rakel dyed the Holy Water red at the execution, making the reverend believe it was a divine miracle in which water turned to wine, and that Anna was freed, relocated to Stockholm, and became a rich and famous healer. As the camera settles on Rakel, the truth is revealed: the happy ending did not happen, and Anna was actually beheaded. Seven women in total were executed for witchcraft in 1666.

    When
    Years later
    Where
    By the sea

Last updated: October 26, 2026 at 13:29

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Movie threads

More Movies Like Devil’s Bride, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Devil’s Bride tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies like Devil’s Bride: Forbidden Love and Fatal Persecution

Forbidden desire becomes a deadly weapon when rigid communities turn suspicion into violence. Explore movies like Devil’s Bride where forbidden love collides with religious authority, jealousy, and public suspicion. These dark, emotionally heavy dramas turn private desire into persecution, pairing steady pacing with bleak consequences and lasting moral damage for everyone caught in its wake.

  • forbidden love
  • religious persecution
  • jealousy
  • oppressive
  • passionate
  • bleak
  • Tone: dark, foreboding, passionate
  • Pacing: steady, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: A private affair begins with passion, but secrecy, jealousy, and rigid social rules steadily poison it. Once the relationship attracts accusations, institutional judgment replaces intimacy, turning the lovers’ choices into a public catastrophe. The pattern favors steady escalation: mounting social pressure, punishing consequences, and a romance whose emotional cost outlasts its brief hope.

Why they belong together: These films share a grim, oppressive atmosphere and a sustained focus on destructive passion. Their steady pacing lets secrecy and social pressure accumulate before violence erupts. Across them, romance is not a safe refuge; it exposes the cruelty of rigid institutions and leaves its characters with shame, loss, and consequences that cannot simply be undone.

Movies like Devil’s Bride: Guilt, Complicity, and Failed Redemption

Survivors confront their complicity, seek forgiveness, and discover some harms cannot be undone. If you liked Devil’s Bride, explore dark dramas about guilt, complicity, moral corruption, and forgiveness that cannot fully repair the past. These character-driven stories emphasize remorse over spectacle, following survivors who must live with what persecution, complicity, and failed redemption have cost them.

  • guilt
  • remorse
  • forgiveness
  • grief
  • moral corruption
  • false accusations
  • Tone: bleak, remorseful, somber
  • Pacing: steady, character driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: After harm has occurred, the focus shifts from spectacle to conscience. Characters who witnessed, enabled, or failed to prevent injustice become trapped between denial, remorse, and attempts at repair. Their choices expose uncomfortable questions about responsibility and forgiveness, while the structure denies the comfort of a clean resolution, leaving personal and collective consequences in view.

Why they belong together: These films share a somber, grave tone and an emphasis on the inner aftermath of wrongdoing. Their pacing stays character-driven, allowing shame, grief, and attempted forgiveness to deepen. Across them, redemption is not a simple reward: characters can seek absolution, repair what they can, and still remain responsible for irreversible loss.

Every angle

Devil’s Bride (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Devil’s Bride in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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