Directed by Benjamin Christensen (Seven Footprints to Satan, The Devil’s Circus and House of Horror), Haxan is a film from 1922 that doesn’t neatly fit into any category, it’s part documentary,  part dramatisation of images of occultism and part exploitation movie. More importantly, it’s an atmospheric masterpiece of dark gothic imagery that has influenced so much of what has gone on to become integral to our modern perception of what represents horror’s key touchstones from Mario Bava and Hammer to Evil Dead and The VVitch.

Haxan is a silent movie that revels in the history of witchraft, the occult, demonology and black magic. It is filmed as a series of vignettes detailing different aspects of that history. Some of my favourites include, Christensen’s outstanding representation of the witches sabbat, which includes some extremely effective imagery including scenes of witches performing the “osculum infame” or shameful kiss when the witches would kiss the devil’s anus. According to folklore, this allowed the devil to seduce women. On top of this, we are given images of feasting and fornication that were deemed problematic for censors right up until the second half of the twentieth century. Another personal favourite is the section where an elderly witch woman can be seen performing her duties, preparing potions with frogs and snakes in her squalid-looking hovel. This crooked elderly crone has gone on to inform images of the witch in everything from Scooby Doo to Drag Me To Hell and a thousand other movies and TV series besides.

Much of what is presented in Haxan has its basis in the folklore and traditions of Medieval and Early Modern Europe, and a lot of information is drawn from actual documented cases of witchcraft and heresy as well as various treatises on witchcraft, most commonly represented by books like The Malleus Maleficarum, or Hammer of the Witches, which was a sort of handbook for witch hunting written in the 15th century by Heinrich Kramer and was later added to by Jacob Springer. Sadly, books like the Malleus Maleficarum were responsible for creating such a panic about witches that they were a big part of the reason for what would come to be known in mainland Europe as the burning times, when alleged witches were tried and burned at the stake.

This new release from Radiance is the definitive release for this essential piece of film for anyone with an interest in horror or the occult. It comprises of two discs featuring no less than 4 different versions of the feature, we have the 106-minute restoration of the original film, minus cuts with a score by Matti Bye recorded in 2006. We also have the Witchcraft Through the Ages version, which was recut and edited down quite dramatically and features a narration by the legend that is William S Burroughs, and a score by Jean Luc Ponty. There is the 2k restoration by Svensk Filmindustri which can be viewed with a choice of scores by either Bronnt Industries Kapital or Geoff Smith, and finally, there is another alternative shorter cut of the film (84 mins)  with English intertitles. This two-disc set also features a wealth of other material including an introduction from Christensen himself, outtakes, screen tests, an appreciation of the film by Guilermo Del Toro, an audio commentary from Guy Adams and A.K. Benedict, and a visual essay by Vito A. Rowlands. This limited edition set of 6,000 also comes with an 80-page booklet filled with new writing on the film, a reversible sleeve and six postcards.

For me, Haxan is an essential film, that was years ahead of its time. Some of the images represented here were groundbreaking for 1922 and whilst not all of the information on display is completely factual, Christensen used historical accounts well to inform the viewer of the attitudes and perceptions of the people who lived during these times of witch panics. On a purely visual level, Haxan looks stunning, the imagery created by Christensen is outstanding, his use of sets, light and early makeup effects are astonishing and it would be years before the rest of the world would catch up with the Dane.  It has been a pleasure to write a review of such an incredible release for what is essentially one of my favourite movies. I own the earlier Criterion release and whilst I thought that was very impressive it pales in comparison to this wonderful set from Radiance Films. I couldn’t have hoped for a better release of this classic. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this remarkable release into being. If you love horror or have an interest in the history of witchcraft and the occult, then this is an absolute must-have. The same can be said for fans of horror, who will learn a great deal about the early roots of the genre from watching Haxan. A remarkable release for a remarkable film.