Häxan is a silent era documentary on witch-hunts and the absurd panic and insanity that came along with it.
Told through bizarre and oddly disturbing dramatic reenactments, it is most effective and at times humorous. Whether or not the humor was intended I am unsure but if it is I applaud Christensen using it all the right times.
The sets, costumes and lighting are phenomenal for it's time and hold up quite well today.
I never thought of silent documentary films really being produced back in the day, so this was somewhat of an oddity for me. Needless to say I was throughly enthralled with it.
As a special feature, the Criterion Collection release contains a 1968 version, narrated by William S. Burroughs and contains a frantic jazz score to boot.
While not as effective it is a special treat for collectors.
5 Mental Illnesses out of 5
Note: Häxan is in the public domain and therefore freely available online. You can find it here for stream or download.
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