Monday, October 31, 2016

HAXAN: Witchcraft Through The Ages / Aljosha Production Company, Svensk Filmindustri - 1922

So, like, Happy Halloween Everbloody!! We'll end our October adventure with this amazing bit of Swedish/Danish silent film making from 1922! This story is part history lesson followed by re-enactments with actors depicting the history of witchcraft from its earliest days through to the present day. The result is this documentary-like film that's among the first to use re-enactments as a visual and narrative tool. From pagan worship to satanic rites to hysteria, the film takes us on a journey through the ages of witchcraft with very effective visual imagery...

Images in the movie include witches kissing the ass of Satan, boiling non-baptized babies and giving birth to demons, not to mention getting a full tour of the state-of-the-art in medieval torture devices, none of that is shown here though!

Nymphs were considered witches because they liked to run around naked in nature with their little animal friends surrounding them!

Stocks were a useful device to subdue witches while trying to figure out what the Hell to do with them!

Even the church has its problems, no place is safe from witches and even the devil hisself!

Oh boy, it's time for all the little (and big) demons to come out and play! These scenes have such a magical, surreal quality to them!

Here's the amazing entrance to the devilish underground play land where all the demons can go have a ball...

In order to get in, one must get past the greeter pigs!

Okay, so like... Let the freak show begin!!

First up is this fine piece of... err.. tail, for all the demons to drool over!

Here's the devil's platter, large enough to accommodate a nice, succulent, naked female body!.. Dinner is served!!

Oh, what the Hell.. Let's dance!!

Anyway, the scenes are all devilishly appealing, making for one very interesting flicker. The original movie was 122 minutes long! So, kids, that's all of our Halloween Countdown 2016! We're back on the regular track on Wednesday, see you then!

2 comments:

Grant said...

I've never seen it but I've heard so much about it.
Little excerpts of it (so small that they're almost subliminal) are used in the Dwayne Esper film MANIAC, which I have seen.

TABONGA! said...

Grant, you can find a very inexpensive 76 minute version from Alpha Video, in case that appeals to you - Thanks for checking in...

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