Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen’s legendary Häxan uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered from the same ills as psychiatric patients in the film’s own time. But the film itself is far from serious—instead, it’s a witches’ brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous. Christensen’s mix and match approach to genre anticipates gothic horror, documentary re-creation and the essay film, making for an experience unlike anything else.

“Sheer terror and sheer poetry … Häxan is the filmic equivalent of a hellish engraving by Bruegel or a painting by Bosch. It’s a strangely titillating record of sin and perversity that is as full of dread as it is of desire and atheistic conviction and a condemnation of superstition that is morbidly in love with its subject.” -GUILLERMO DEL TORO

“The silent forerunner to modish found-footage chillers such as The Blair Witch Project … A cult classic.” -PAMELA HUTCHINSON

Featuring a recording of the original music from the 1922 Danish premiere arranged by Gillian B Anderson and performed by the Czech Film Orchestra.

This screening is part of Flesh & The Devil: a film series exploring the scandalous, controversial, erotic and exotic films of the 1920s. Presented by Toronto Silent Film Festival.

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime.