Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

About Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

'Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages' is a 1922 silent movie produced in Sweden by Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christensen. The movie is a detailed documentary-style narrative about the superstitions and hysteria regarding witchcraft during the Middle Ages. It combines dramatic sequences with historical commentary and demonstrates several beliefs about witches, the devil, and the persecution during the Inquisition.

Making / Production

The movie, due to its unique premise involving visualizing cultural myths and beliefs, was marked by intensive research by Christensen. He based the movie on a 15th-century German guide for inquisitors, 'Malleus Maleficarum'. Christensen intended to present a new perspective on the mass hysteria resulting in witch hunts, portraying it as a misunderstanding of mental illness and societal fears.

Actors

• Benjamin Christensen - Playing both the devil and the director of the film, Christensen masterfully embraced his role as the lord of darkness, presenting him as both mischievous and menacing.
• Clara Pontoppidan - As Anna, a falsely accused woman, Pontoppidan convincingly portrays the fear and confusion that characterized many victims of witch hunts.
• Elith Pio - Pio embodied his role as a monk, showcasing the ignorance and fear that fueled the witch trials.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film is one of the first to approach the theme of witchcraft from a sociological and historical perspective, rather than purely for the fiction or horror genre.
• The dramatic vignettes in the film were among the most complex and ambitious sequences shot during the silent film era.

Quotes

• "The belief in evil spirits, sorcery and witchcraft is the result of naïve notions about the mystery of the universe."
• "Strange is the human soul... like the night, filled with mysterious shadows."

Music, Soundtrack

• The original score for the film was composed by Gillian Anderson, setting a haunting and eerie mood appropriate for the subject matter.