Videoland tip of the day: Natascha Kampusch — A Lifetime in Prison

The story of Natascha Kampusch is still one of the strangest ever. Especially in Europe, we don't often hear that such terrible things happen — often you read about it happening somewhere in America, and then it feels more like a far-from-my-bed show. But when she was found on August 23, 2006, after being missing for over eight years, a huge shock went through many European countries.

Natascha Kampusch disappeared on March 2, 1988, at the age of ten; she was kidnapped by Wolfgang Přiklopil and held in his house. Her escape is actually a real miracle, because on that August 23, she managed to take advantage of her captor's inattention. He picked up the phone while she had to vacuum the car for him, and as a result, she was unsupervised for over four minutes and managed to run away without Přiklopil noticing. The first passerby she approached did not respond, but fortunately, she was able to reach the neighbor, who, by the way, did not want to open the door but complained that Kampusch was walking on her property. Thank God she eventually did call the police.

As cowardly as it gets, Přiklopil committed suicide eight hours after her escape, and thus he never spent even a second behind bars. However, that is not what the general public remembers about this case; according to the media, Natascha Kampusch was not the perfect victim and quickly received the label of Stockholm Syndrome. This was because she stated that she was not angry with Přiklopil and that during her eight years of captivity, she claimed to have lacked nothing. She was also very affected by his suicide.

When it also turned out that she bought Přiklopil's house in 2008, the media went completely crazy. But as with everything, it is all a bit more complex and nuanced. Fortunately, a very interesting and good documentary has been made about it, which can be watched on Videoland: Natascha Kampusch — A Lifetime in Prison is a three-part docuseries in which mainly Natascha herself speaks. Really incredibly interesting, especially if you like true crime.

And if you are a reader: her autobiography 3096 Days is also a recommendation. This book was actually adapted into a very mediocre film in 2013, so you might want to skip that, but this documentary is definitely a must-watch.

Image: Videoland