Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Matt Greene The rare horror documentary, Haxan is a stone-cold nightmare of haunting visuals, told with a chilling matter-of-factness. Each genre is used to effectively convey the terror within both the victims and the persecutors of witch hunts through the ages. The reenactments, though potentially silly at times, are demented and unrelenting visions of paranoia and true devil worship. A milestone in the horror genre that even stands today as a terrifying movie experiment.

Leofwine_draca HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES is the famous Swedish/Danish documentary exploring the history of witchcraft through to the modern day. It's a stark and unsettling film packed with the kind of horrific imagery that has since become clichéd in the cinema, and yet some scenes retain their brutal power and feel surprisingly fresh and terrifying.The documentary begins on a slow note with lots of description and not much in the way of life, but after a time the staged dramatisations begin and this is where HAXAN comes to life. The whole "witch hunt" subject has been done to death, yet the storyline which plays out here is never less than engrossing. It's also surprisingly strong stuff, with explicit sequences of torture and black masses which are still tough to bear even today.Danish director Benjamin Christensen elicits strong performances from his cast members, particularly from Maren Pedersen who gives a haunting turn as the condemned witch, and the 1920s-era special effects are a lot of fun; strange how the flying broomstick scene looks better nowadays than the lamentable CGI of the Harry Potter franchise. It's interesting to watch how political sentiments - pro-feminism, anti-religion - creep into the finished film. HAXAN is a must for both horror fans and cinema fans in general.

Bonehead-XL Part documentary, part surreal horror film, "Haxan" purports to show the history of witchcraft throughout the world, up to the then modern era. Broken into seven parts, each one discusses a different aspect of the belief. Part one discusses pre-Christian conceptions of evil spirits and the universe before talking about what supposedly happens during a witch's Sabbath, which will be important later. This information is given to us through a rather flat combination of still images and intertitles. The second half shows witches boiling potions and reveals various superstitions concerning the devil. The third is a dramatization of the accusation of a witch, while part four shows her torture, trial, and coerced confessions. Five is a similar story, this time showing a young woman being convicted of witchcraft because her appearance aroused a monk. Part six discusses the medieval torture devices in more detail before moving on to stories of nuns driving mad by Satanic apparitions. Finally, the final part connects feudal stories of witches and demonic possession with modern conditions such as sleepwalking, kleptomania, or "hysteria." While the historical information presented in "Haxan" is fascinating, and sometimes horrifying, the movie is most valuable for its striking and surreal horror imagery. The devil himself, played by director Benjamin Christensen, leaps out from behind a priest's pulpit. A nude woman is lured out of her bed at night by demons. A stop-motion demon claws it way through a door while piles of gold dances on a bed. During the old woman's confession midway through, "Haxan" truly impresses. She gives birth to strange creatures wearing bizarre masks. She and her coven fly through the sky, greeted by black-silhouetted demons. The devils dance with the women, the witches lining up to kiss the dark lord's butt. A skeleton horses walks around. A large demon spreads his arms, other creatures walking out from under him. Demons excitedly pump butter churns, pantomiming masturbation. Hundreds of different demons contort with their female companions. If a picture is worth a thousand words, "Haxan" must be worth several million.The film has a subtle thread of dark comedy flowing through it, which help diffuses some of the cruelty on-screen. Priests snicker and laugh as they watch a young woman struggles with her confession. A friar being tempted by a love potion is blatantly comedic. Later on, a nun tells Satan to get behind her, which he takes very literally. The demons, with their flicking tongues and wild expressions, are just as likely to get laughs as chills. "Haxan" is ultimately weird enough to inspire either reaction.The reaction to the other elements of the film are less conclusive. The discussion of medieval torture devices and self-flagellation are fascinating morbid while the business with the nuns remind me of "The Devil." However, the procedures and trials of convicted witches go on far too long. After the impressive, extended black Sabbath sequence, the storyline revolving around the young woman's trial drags terribly. The final chapter, which takes the film into the modern day, is also slightly extraneous. The kleptomaniac's sob-story about loosing her husband is hopelessly melodramatic while all the talk about "hysteria" is likely to get a couple chuckles from modern audience. Christensen is obviously coming down on the side of science and against superstition. This moral is undermined a bit by the demonic sequences being far more captivating then the historical ones.The film was rereleased in the sixties with an abbreviated runtime, an experimental jazz score, and additional narration provided by William S. Burroughs. While Burroughs' gravelly intonations are quite amusing, I have a low tolerance for the erratic, chaotic jazz of that era. Aside from that, the alternate version is almost preferable since it moves at a slightly snappier pace. Even with its flaws, "Haxan" is amazing at times. It's hard to say how influential it was on later horror films since, even today, there's still nothing else quite like it.

LeonLouisRicci A Wow Inducing Silent Movie that was, to say the least, Ahead of its Time. A Docu-Drama Study/Presentation of Witchcraft. It Presents in Wild Abandon, Bizarre, Sharply Defined, Horrific, and Surrealistic Images of Satan and His Dominions Performing Diabolical Acts that were and are Impressive, Repulsive, and Highly Entertaining. Things on Screen Rarely Seen and were Never Remotely Approached after the Code.It Adopts a Back and Forth Style of Title Card Information on the Subject, Combined with some Straight Forward Dramatizations of Witches, Clergy, and the Inquisition. Heavily Stylistic Scenes with Pseudo-Animation and Tons of Makeup combine with Disturbing, Ugly, and Pathetic People. There is some Artful Model-Work with Broom Flying Witches that was Liberally Cribbed by Disney in Fantasia (1940).Incredibly Influential and a Phantasmagorical Treat that has been Restored and can be Enjoyed by those who Normally Stay Away from Silent Films. It is a Halloween Perennial for Hipsters and it is one of those that Defies Description. The Criterion Collection Contains two versions that are Equally Inviting with many Insightful Extras.