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Häxan (1922) - Benjamin Christensen

So this is more of a documentary than a actual horror film. In fact it is one hell of an amazing documentary done by a great director, Benjamin Christensen. The film shows us a history of witchcraft from the middle ages. It has strong religious imagery that documents the standings of the religious people against witchcraft and paganism. 

The film is divided by chapters using the first couple to give you a background. The next couple show different situations that may have arouse around that time. However, they do have a more exaggerated and scary twist. For example, there is a woman that is lured away from her sleeping husband to have relations with Satan played by Christensen himself.

The movie is a fine example of what could be accomplished with creative film making, even back in the silent era. I hear there is a version out there with William Burroughs doing the narration, that's one that i want to find. I really enjoyed most of this movie, although parts did drag out and it is very, very, long. It certainty didn't follow the hour and a half horror movie length. I did get bored with parts and some parts were rather dry.

If you are collecting horror movies along with me than this is a great movie to pick up. It is a very interesting take on the horror genre. The costumes and set design are amazing. Look at the satanic symbols and imagery. It looks amazing. The special effects are really ahead of its time and, although a bit dry, it can actually hold your attention. This is a great movie to get really serious about. Also, this film was released in a Criterion Collection so I am pretty sure its on Hulu+.

eye of neut

S!D


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