Advertisement
“Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen’s legendary 1922 film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients.” Criterion Collection“Häxan” focuses on how superstition and misunderstanding led to millions being persecuted from the belief they were witches. The film presents vignettes of medieval life and concludes by drawing allegories to modern life, noting that what was once thought of as evidence of witchcraft can be explained by many other, and more logical, reasons.
It straddles several cinematic genres – documentary, horror film, historical reconstruction, and fantasy. Its lavish budget was spent on the detailed reconstruction of medieval scenes and portrayal of sorcery. The film was banned and heavily censored because of the realness of the scenes and its anti-clerical stance.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Playhouse Cinema, 177 Sherman Ave. N.,Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Tickets
