Haxan (The Criterion Collection)

Haxan (The Criterion Collection) Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the middle ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious-instead it's a witches' brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous. The Criterion Collection is proud to present two versions of this genre-defying "documentary," for the first time ever on DVD. , Brand Image Entertainment
Despite the fact that this movie was made in 1922, its treatment of witchcraft through the ages is remarkably enlightened and contemporary. In two versions -- the original and a modern redub from 1967 -- this movie tells the story of witchcraft through the ages from its unquestioned acceptance by the ancients to a more enlightened and modern view th...