Two of the greatest horror films of all time are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. The first, and best known, is F.W. Murnau’s unparalleled vampire epic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Not quite as well known but at least as influential is Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages, also known as The Witch, a truly unique artifact in the history of horror filmmaking. By calling it an “artifact” I do not mean to imply that it is a dusty old relic. In fact, the film is surprisingly lively, engaging, and perhaps above all, subversive.
Danish director Benjamin Christensen presents Häxan under the guise of a teaching tool, a filmic lecture on the history of witchcraft, but this is something of a ruse. By wrapping his intentions within this format, Christensen was able to frankly and graphically depict some of the most taboo subjects and images of the age. Today,...
Danish director Benjamin Christensen presents Häxan under the guise of a teaching tool, a filmic lecture on the history of witchcraft, but this is something of a ruse. By wrapping his intentions within this format, Christensen was able to frankly and graphically depict some of the most taboo subjects and images of the age. Today,...
- 10/26/2022
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Häxan
Blu ray
Criterion
1922/ 1.33:1 / 105 min.
Starring Benjamin Christensen
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Fine art joins forces with the dark arts in Häxan, an impeccably crafted docu-drama with the lurid kick of an exploitation film.
The influence of Benjamin Christensen’s silent horror show can be found far and wide, from movies as beloved as The Wizard of Oz and reviled as The Devils. Variety was certainly conflicted when Häxan was turned loose in 1922 – “Wonderful though this picture is, it is absolutely unfit for public exhibition.”
It’s not Intolerance but Häxan boasts both a sizable cast and elaborate settings (at the time it was the most expensive film ever produced in Denmark). Yet the credits suggest it was something of a one man show – Christensen wrote and narrated (his hypnotic glower is the first thing the audience sees) and he acts up a storm – he plays the devil who...
Blu ray
Criterion
1922/ 1.33:1 / 105 min.
Starring Benjamin Christensen
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Fine art joins forces with the dark arts in Häxan, an impeccably crafted docu-drama with the lurid kick of an exploitation film.
The influence of Benjamin Christensen’s silent horror show can be found far and wide, from movies as beloved as The Wizard of Oz and reviled as The Devils. Variety was certainly conflicted when Häxan was turned loose in 1922 – “Wonderful though this picture is, it is absolutely unfit for public exhibition.”
It’s not Intolerance but Häxan boasts both a sizable cast and elaborate settings (at the time it was the most expensive film ever produced in Denmark). Yet the credits suggest it was something of a one man show – Christensen wrote and narrated (his hypnotic glower is the first thing the audience sees) and he acts up a storm – he plays the devil who...
- 10/12/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
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