Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922)

Director:  Benjamin Christensen
Cast:   Benjamin Christensen, Clara Pontoppidan,cOscar Stribolt, Astrid Holm, Maren Pedersen  

DISCLAIMER:  If your religious beliefs are challenged after reading this review and watching the movie, please know that I waive all responsibility and liability.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first documentary review here at the Psycho Ward.  Apparently in the 20s it was okay to pass horror films off as documentaries.

I thought it would be okay to do a review on this film since I've seen most of it and I do not wish to see any more.  Not because it was terrible.  No, no, it's very well done (it's Benjamin Christensen, for crying out loud).  It's just that it is incredibly horrifying.  Worse than Nosferatu.  I don't know whether it's because I'm a devout Catholic and it shakes my faith, or whether it's doing what it's supposed to do to me as a classic horror fan.

The film is in Swedish (häxan is Swedish for the witch) with English subtitles.  The first 10 minutes or so is a lecture explaining how witches have been depicted throughout history.  Even that's scary.  After the 10 minutes, the scene cuts to a rather silly shot of a monk and a woman making out.  It then shows the woman buying a type of potion from a mysterious hooded figure that will make the monk fall in love with her.  After this, it cuts to two young men who plan to cut open a dead body to discover its inner workings.  The film goes on to explain the wicked (as in bad.  Sorry, fellow New Englanders) techniques the devil uses to tempt mortals (I'm sure Satanists love this movie).  The scariest shot in the film is of a priest reading the bible on a pulpit and the devil jumping up and scaring him.  Then it proceeds to follow the story of an old wom--ahem, witch--that has given birth to children fathered by the devil and has gone with the devil to his home where he has fulfilled her every wish (we see her waking up covered in gold coins).  Christensen does a terrific job of showing how the accused is tortured until she cracks.

The film goes on to depict witchcraft through the Middle Ages (any sane person will not make it past this era) through modern witchcraft up until 1921.  The red tint just makes the film even more scary. 

Oh!  And speaking of tint, I forgot to let you know in the J'accuse review:  in silents, yellow or black and white tinting usually means it's daytime, red or pink usually means twilight, and blue or very dark gray means night.

Back to the film, I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Very well made and I enjoyed the slide show and it does its job, albeit a little too strongly.

If you think you're brave enough, the film is in parts on YouTube.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11