HÄXAN  - HÄXAN

Mixing documentary and fiction, Häxan explores the history of witches and witchcraft throughout the centuries. The film is divided into several chapters ranging from antiquity to the Middle Ages, with a special emphasis on witch trials and medieval superstitions. With a pioneering approach, Benjamin Christensen uses a combination of historical reconstructions, documentary images and animation to illustrate the connections between witchcraft and religious hysteria.

Benjamin Christensen (Viborg, 1879 - Copenhagen, 1959) was a Danish film director, screenwriter and actor, considered one of the pioneers of silent cinema. Häxan, his most famous work, is a fusion of anthropological research and expressionist stylisation, which influenced horror cinema for generations. Initially controversial and censored for its daring content, the film is now considered a visionary masterpiece of avant-garde cinema.