Denmark
1922
87 minutes
Black and White
1.33:1
Danish
134
Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen’s legendary 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. But the film itself is far from serious—instead it’s a witches’ brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous. The Criterion Collection is proud to present two versions of this genre-defying “documentary,” for the first time ever on DVD.
| The devil | Benjamin Christensen |
| The scribe's wife, Anna | Astrid Holm |
| Anna's sister | Karen Winther |
| Maria the weaver, a witch | Maren Pedersen |
| Apelone, a poor old woman | Wilhelmine Henriksen |
| Old maid | Kate Fabian |
| Friar | Oscar Stribolt |
| Sister Cecilia, a nun | Clara Pontoppidan |
| Nun | Alice O'Fredericks |
| Father Henrik, witch judge | Johannes Andersen |
| Johannes, witch judge | Elith Pio |
| Witch judge | Aage Hertel |
| Witch judge | Ib Schönberg |
| Director | Benjamin Christensen |
| Screenplay | Benjamin Christensen |
| Cinematography | Johan Ankerstjerne |
| Editing | Edla Hansen |
| Set decoration | Richard Louw |
Born in Denmark in 1879, Benjamin Christensen had a varied career before he entered the Danish film industry as an actor and writer in 1912. The first two films he directed, The Mysterious X (1913) and The Night of Revenge (1915), have a visual sophistication...
Häxan had its world premiere in Stockholm, on September 18, 1922. The score that accompanied the film was compiled from preexisting compositions, the names of which have unfortunately been lost. But, thanks to a published list, we do know what music was used for the Copenhagen premiere...
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