HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES; DVD
$26.00
HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES; DVD
DVD (1922) – (1968 re-release)
Directed by Scandinavian filmmaker Benjamin Christensen, ‘Haxan -Witchcraft Through the Ages’ (1922) is a strange silent film depicting black magic, witchcraft, and demonology from the middle ages to the 20th century. Shot and presented in documentary form, the film is more akin to a pseudo-scholarly lecture with moving visual aids. Not as intense or as shocking today as upon its initial release, the film is filled with nightmarish images that are certainly profane and explicit, but also humorous. Yes, sex goes hand-in-hand with Satan, and Christensen’s flamboyant portrayal of the aforementioned character, complete with flicking, wanton tongue, drives home the point (well, that and a peppering of nudity). Unique to say the least, ‘Haxan’ is a rather weird curio of a film with some incredibly atmospheric, somewhat graphic images, esp. for that era.
The 1968 re-release with an electric jazz-fusion score by Jean Luc Ponty and narration by William S. Burroughs is a treat in itself.
