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Häxan

A series of eerie vignettes depict images of sorcery and evil on screen, from representations of occultism and religious hypocrisy to a chilling witch hunt in the Middle Ages. Directed by and starring Benjamin Christensen as the Devil, Häxan mixes documentary and fiction forms to create an unsettling brew that prefigures everything from Gothic horror to the found footage film. This legendary horror film was released in numerous edits and this edition collects four such versions of the film for the first time in the UK, including a 2K restoration by the original production company Svensk Filmindustri.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• Disc 1: 2K restoration by Svensk Filmindustri, presented with a score by Matti Bye (2006)

• Witchcraft through the Ages - an alternate cut of the film featuring narration by William S. Burroughs and soundtrack by Jean-Luc Ponty, newly transferred in 2K from a 16mm dupe negative (1968, 77 mins)

• Introduction by director Benjamin Christensen (1941, 8 mins)

• Outtakes - a reel of test footage shot by Benjamin Christensen featuring scenes for Häxan, Hævnens Nat [Night of Revenge] and other work by the filmmaker (1922, 12 mins)

• Recently discovered costume screen test (1922, 2 mins) 

• Appreciation by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (2024, 14 mins)

• For Satan: The Convert’s Guide to Häxan - A visual essay by Vito A. Rowlands, author of the BFI Film Classics edition of Häxan (2024, 12 mins)

• Audio commentary by horror experts Guy Adams and A.K. Benedict (2024)

• Disc 2: 2K restoration by Svensk Filmindustri, presented with scores by Bronnt Industries Kapital (2007), and Geoff Smith (2007) 

• Häxan - The Esoteric Cut - an alternate cut of the film featuring English intertitles and soundtrack by Lawrence Leherissey (Date unknown, 84 mins) 

• Witchcraft through the Ages - a French version of the film featuring narration by Jean-Pierre Kalfon, sourced from the best surviving VHS (1990, 82 mins)

• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow

• Six postcards of original promotional stills

Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Pamela Hutchinson, Daniel Bird, Kat Ellinger, Brad Stevens plus archival writing by Tom Milne and extracts from the press book

Year: 1922
Cert: 15
Format: Blu-ray
Region: ABC
RAD078BDLE
EAN: 5060974681488
Release date: 04/11/24

Press:

“A masterpiece - a piece of thrillingly sensationalist cinema slyly masquerading as a historical documentary” - Mark Kermode

“A weird and rather wonderful brew of fiction, documentary and animation based on 15th and 16th century witchcraft trials, Christensen's film has a remarkable visual flair that takes in Bosch, Breughel and Goya.” - David Thompson, Time Out

“fascinatingly conceived and directed, holding the onlooker in a sort of medieval spell” - New York Times