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Information
- Year
- 1922
- Runtime
- 91 min.
- Director
- Benjamin Christensen
- Genres
- Fantasy, Horror, Documentary
- Rating *
- 7.6
- Votes *
- 6,279
- Checks
- 4,382
- Favs
- 357
- Dislikes
- 38
- Favs/checks
- 8.1% (1:12)
- Favs/dislikes
- 9:1
Top comments
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TheMajor
Lots of style AND lots of substance. You could call this the ultimate illustration of a subject matter. It's also very enjoyable to watch.
9/10 13 years 8 months ago -
Siskoid
Swedish for "The Witch", Häxan is a silent documentary, or at least essay film, about witchcraft, particularly in the Middle Ages, and using some of the tricks of Méliès and German expressionism in its recreations. Like the best of that latter genre, it's full of interesting images, and the demons and devils these women cavort with are really well realized. And here the first reel made me think it was all going to be pencils pointing at specific details in Medieval illustrations (not that there isn't a certain old-fashioned charm to that). Director Benjamin Christensen addresses us directly and means to show that the scapegoats known as witches were in reality often struck with mental health issues, which is more instructive to his 1922 audience than today's, and if the final chapter is weaker, it's in part because the psychology is so primitive, well-meaning though it is. He does suggest that trading witch trials for mental institutions (and how the rich and poor are sent to different places) is only an incremental improvement. But whether or not the film is informative today, that's a little besides the point. Check it out for the cool visuals, and though told in vignettes, there's enough story in the middle chapters to keep you interested. 10 months 3 weeks ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 17 official lists
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This movie ranks #13 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See…
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This movie ranks #25 in FLM's Best Swedish Films of All Time
FLM's Best Swedish Films…
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This movie ranks #34 in Silent Era's The Top 300 Silent Era Films
Silent Era's The Top 300…
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This movie ranks #38 in iCheckMovies's 1920s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1920s Top…
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This movie ranks #43 in BFI's 100 European Horror Films
BFI's 100 European Horro…
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This movie ranks #46 in BFI's 100 Cult Films
BFI's 100 Cult Films
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This movie ranks #49 in Harvard's Suggested Film Viewing: Narrative Films
Harvard's Suggested Film…
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This movie ranks #52 in Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey
Mark Cousins's The Story…
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This movie ranks #68 in 366 Weird Movies
366 Weird Movies
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This movie ranks #129 in Paul Rotha's Silent but Not Forgotten
Paul Rotha's Silent but …
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This movie ranks #133 in TSZDT's The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films
TSZDT's The 1,000 Greate…
133 -
This movie ranks #154 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
154 -
This movie ranks #206 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Documentaries of All Time
Sight & Sound's The Grea…
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This movie ranks #313 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
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This movie ranks #392 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
The Guardian's 1000 Film…
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This movie ranks #570 in Amos Vogel's Film as a Subversive Art
Amos Vogel's Film as a S…
570 -
This movie ranks #1022 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…
1022