Witchcraft Through the Ages (Häxan, 1922)

Häxan (English titles: The Witches or Witchcraft Through the Ages) is a 1922 Swedish-Danish silent horror film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Partially inspired by the Malleus Maleficarum—a 15th-century German guide for inquisitors—the film explores how superstition and misunderstandings of disease and mental illness contributed to the hysteria of witch hunts. Although presented in a documentary style, Häxan features dramatized sequences comparable to horror films. Christensen meticulously recreated medieval scenes, and the lengthy production period resulted in Häxan becoming the most expensive Scandinavian silent film ever made, costing nearly two million Swedish kronor. Acclaimed in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the United States and heavily censored in other countries due to its graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual themes by the standards of its time. **Cast:** - Maren Pedersen as the Witch (The Heksen) - Clara Pontoppidan as a Nun - Elith Pio as the Young Monk (Heksedommer) - Oscar Stribolt as Graabroder, the Fat Monk - Tora Teje as a Modern Hysteric, a Kleptomaniac - John Andersen as the Chief Inquisitor (credited as Johs Andersen) - Benjamin Christensen as the Devil (Djævelen), also appearing briefly as Jesus Christ and as himself in the opening credits - Poul Reumert as the Jeweler - Karen Winther as Anna - Kate Fabian as Old Maid (Gammel jomfru) - Else Vermehren as a Nun - Astrid Holm as Anna - Johannes Andersen as a Witch Judge (Heksedommer) - Gerda Madsen as a Nun - Aage Hertel as a Witch Judge - Ib Schønberg as a Witch Judge (Schønberg's screen debut) - Emmy Schönfeld as Marie, a Seamstress - Frederik Christensen as a Citizen (Borger) - Ella La Cour as the Sorceress (Troldkvinde) - Elisabeth Christensen as Old Farm Lady (Ældre bondekone) - Henry Seemann as a Citizen (Borger) - Alice O'Fredericks as a Nun (also the film's script girl; she later became a prominent Danish film director) - Knud Rassow as the Anatomist - Ellen Rassow as a Maid (Tjenestepige) - Holst Jørgensen as Ole Kighul - H.C. Nielsen as the Jeweler's Assistant - Albrecht Schmidt as the Neurologist (Nervelæge) **Runtime:** 77 minutes