In the early 1920s, Danish filmmaker Benjamin Christiansen used the Malleus Maleficarum—a medieval witch hunter’s manual—as the basis for Häxan, a groundbreaking blend of documentary and fiction that explores the history of witchcraft, demonology, and satanism. Through dramatic vignettes featuring grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath, Christiansen exposes the myth of the witch as a tool of social oppression. Though admired by contemporary Surrealists, Häxan was deemed “absolutely unfit for public exhibition” by Variety. Today, it’s rightly celebrated as a seminal work in the history of horror cinema.

This one-off screening features a live score performed by musician Hugo Max. The screening is part of Max’s national tour of silent horror classics featuring live musical accompaniment and includes performances of Nosferatu, Der Golem, and The Lodger. Click here for full listings.

Reviews

‘A weird and rather wonderful brew of fiction, documentary and animation based on 15th and 16th century witchcraft trials, Christensen’s film has a remarkable visual flair that takes in Bosch, Breughel and Goya.’
David Thompson, Time Out