Released in Sweden on September 18^th, 1922, the movie Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages is officially a century old.

Broken into seven parts, the film looks at how witchcraft has been viewed over time, starting from the dawn of humanity’s belief in the fantastical, navigating from the pious 1600s to the then-present day 1920s. Despite its light-hearted score and dark humor, this film paints a grim portrait of humanity’s flaws. Rampant with unfounded paranoia, unfair accusations, elder abuse, and objectifying women, the film does not stray from delivering an intelligent take on the lack of common sense which ruled the witch trials of the past. Haxan covers this topic in a way that is still remarkably relevant today.

For the 100^th anniversary of this classic film, we’ll look at the competition and controversy that plagued its emergence, along with its references, ratings, and resonating themes that culminated in creating a creepy time capsule.

The History of Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages

Written and directed by Benjamin Christensen, Haxan is part documentary, part fiction. Penned between 1919 and 1921, Christensen drew references from the book Malleus Maleficarum also known as “Hammer of Witches.” This fifteenth-century tome was utilized by German witch hunters.

The film cost approximately two million SEK to make, making it the most expensive silent film in all of Scandinavia. Though, the movie unfortunately never turned a profit.

Competing Releases

Competition at the time of release was the first hit against Haxan. As discussed by Richard Baxstrom and Todd Meyers in Realizing The Witch: Science, Cinema, and the Mastery of the Invisible, there was a plethora of films, and horror films specifically, that vied for the public’s eye at the time Haxan was being released, including F.W. Murnau’s classic horror movies Nosferatu and Phantom.

Though competition had marred its release, another force worked against the cinematic masterpiece.

The Haxan Controversy

The film covers various topics that ensured its controversial content was disallowed from becoming a part of the 1920s mainstream. While today the film may seem relatively tame, the depictions of witchcraft, devil worship, torture, butt cheeks galore, and demons feverishly churning butter were not welcome by many of the religiously staunch “powers that be” of the 1920s. The film was heavily censored in some European countries and outright banned in the U.S.

As explained by Baxstrom and Meyers, Haxan coincided with the emerging standard of the 1920s, where art preferred to side with science over religion. The 1920s were a peak time for Modernist writers. These classic creators, such as T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway, were considered nihilists of literature as they created stories that did not follow the typical format and used science and philosophy to express individual thinking, altogether rebuking religion.

Many of these writers were met with political censorship in the United States and chose to create works in places that were more open to these free-thinking secular ideals, such as Paris.

Given that many were creating works in the same rebellious vein as Haxan and that more institutions were keeping an eye out for these nihilistic writers, Benjamin Christensen’s film came at a time that was simultaneously perfect and wrong.

Although governments worked diligently to stop the film from becoming widespread, Haxan made a lasting impact on audiences worldwide.

Haxan References and Reviews

The film’s excellence can be measured in love it has received and still receives today. When Louis B. Mayerscreened the film, he was quoted as saying, “Is [Christensen] crazy or a genius?” and signed Christensen to a deal with MGM.

Today Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages boasts a 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% audience score and has received coverage on television series such as Eli Roth’s History of Horror and Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema. Even the company responsible for Blair Witch Project drew inspiration from the classic, aptly titled Haxan Films.

Despite its ability to overcome a beleaguered beginning, today, the movie remains potentially controversial, but for a completely different reason than it was one hundred years ago.

Hysteria and Historical Mistreatment of Women

Because Christensen created the film with a scientific explanation in mind, the director tried to connect witchcraft accusations to women suffering from a term that was widely used in medical society at the time: hysteria.

In the memorable words of Moira (Frances Conroy) From American Horror Story: Murder House (S1: E8):

“Since the beginning of time, men find excuses to lock women away. They make up diseases like hysteria. Do you know where that word comes from? …The Greek word for uterus. […] It was a hundred years ago, but we’re no better off today.”

The idea of hysteria being an actual medical disorder has been rightfully abandoned since 1980. Though the incorporation of hysteria in Haxan: Witchcraft through the Ages is intriguing because it is presented in conjunction with the unjust persecution of women. It fits into the sexist, patriarchal theme that resides within the first six parts of the film, closing on a note that even if they aren’t being subjected to the literal fires of persecution anymore, women still suffer from the ignorance of men.

Women were not the only ones who received mistreatment in history and in the movie. Neither age nor appearance, nor gender, could keep one safe from the dreadful actions of mankind.

Creating a Creepy Time Capsule

Though compared with today’s standards of realistic violence, CGI monsters, and jump scares, Haxan is basically a movie for children; this comparably tame film has several unsettling qualities that make it genuinely frightening.

Watching a movie about the past, which is now an artifact of a century passed, gives an eerie feeling independent of the subject matter presented. When viewed this way, combined with ancient depictions of evil and the cold disposition of man, the film is disturbing in a way that sinks into your bones.

Though the movie is comprised of scenes created by production crews and acted out by performers, the inspiration behind these scenes is palpably apparent. Running constantly in the foreground of the film is the historical basis. Real people died due to these grave, ignorant injustices. That alone can create a haunting impact on anyone who views the film.

To add to the already aberrant creepiness, Haxan’s age all but guarantees that every single person involved in the making of it is now long since deceased, as they live on as ghosts flickering on the screen.

(That is unless the immortal Lisle Von Rhuman from Death Becomes Her and her magical potion of eternal youth is real. In which case, these actors could be hanging out in a mansion in Hollywood Hills, celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Haxan).

Haxan is a Timeless Classic

Although it was created generations ago, the black and white silent film is still just as captivating and resonating today. It was not always received well, yet it continues to receive high ratings, despite its potentially problematic conclusion and beleaguered early development. The clever commentary the film makes, and its no-holds approach to depicting historical injustices and dark subject matter while maintaining a light and humorous tone is impressive in its duality. It has culminated into a creepy classic that has withstood time. Happy 100^th Birthday, Haxan!

Watch it now on HBO Max.