The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story

Schwärmerei is a local liqueur, brewed by Opitz and Raimund using a special blend of mushrooms with apparent hallucinogenic qualities. It is an important symbol in the text that reflects The Tensions Between “Rational” and “Irrational.” 

The Schwärmerei is stored in distinctive green bottles and appears without fail after every evening meal. Wojnicz is introduced to the liqueur on his very first night in Opitz’s guesthouse. The other guests seem almost dependent on the drink, sneaking down in the middle of the night to steal another shot when they think everyone else is asleep. August August even carries a private bottle in his coat, refusing to venture anywhere without ready access to the drink. Wojnicz comes to suspect that the Schwärmerei is clouding his senses. Even when he wants to remain sober, he finds himself drinking from August August’s bottle or sharing a night cap with the other guests. These drinks, imposed on Wojnicz against his will, symbolize his gradual loss of agency. He feels trapped by his surroundings, to the point that he cannot even refuse a drink.

The Schwärmerei also satisfies a deeper psychological function. Opitz and Raimund are well aware of the town’s dark secret. The consumption of Schwärmerei allows them to deliberately intoxicate themselves, inoculating themselves to the shameful truth of the annual sacrifices.