Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages + Live Score

This screening is live scored by instrumental four-piece band AUTOHAUs. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) is a Swedish-Danish silent film directed by Benjamin Christensen that blends documentary and dramatized scenes to explore the history and myths surrounding witchcraft. Inspired by the 15th-century guide Malleus Maleficarum, the film traces the rise of superstition and the persecution of alleged witches in the Middle Ages, showing how ignorance and fear often led to hysteria and brutal witch hunts. Christensen uses a mix of historical analysis and eerie re-enactments to depict the accusations of witchcraft, with a focus on how conditions like mental illness were often misunderstood and linked to supernatural causes. With its vivid portrayals of torture, occult rituals, and the Inquisition, the film was highly controversial, facing censorship and bans in various countries. Despite this, Häxan is now recognised as a groundbreaking work that paved the way for modern documentary and horror cinema. “AUTOHAUs make fractal music; layering fuzzed-out noise and electronic drones, motorik percussion and hypnotic bass lines… a must for fans of Spacemen3, The Cosmic Dead, Ash Ra Tempel and Neu!”Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages + Live Score showing at: December 6, 8:30 pm

Location: Rio Cinema107 Kingsland High Street, London, E8 2PB3

2024-12-06T20:30:00+00:00PT1H45M2024-12-06T22:30:00+00:00387

Benjamin Christensen

Clara Pontoppidan

Oscar Stribolt

Astrid Holm

Maren Pedersen

Benjamin Christensen

Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages + Live Score"