Häxan (1922) the silent film on witchcraft by the Danish film director Benjamin Christensen is overwhelming even by today's standards of special-effect cinematography. Häxan begins as a documentary but gradually pulls the viewer into a disturbing world of demons, witches and hysteria that is so vivid in its portrayal, that it is not difficult to see why the film was banned in the US and censured in so many countries. Ironically, you may find that the scariest characters in Häxan are not the terrifying devils and witches themselves, but the forces that oppose them; namely the sinister ministers of the Inquisition. These, unfortunately, we will not be able to dismiss as fantasy or hysteria, as their evil is well documented in our history books. If you would like to watch Häxan in its entirety, I would recommend this atmospheric Swedish Film Institute version:
However there are other interesting ones, such as the jazzy, Antony Balch production, narrated by William S. Burroughs. If you would rather start with a taster, here are some highlights:
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