--- title: "Häxan" year: 1922 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/haxan" fi1m_id: "haxan" imdb_id: "tt0013257" tmdb_id: 57283 wikidata_id: "Q1438966" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 4 published: "2026-09-25T05:57:51.976244+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T05:57:52.349045+00:00" region: "SG" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Häxan (1922) Directed by Benjamin Christensen · 1h 45m · Documentary, Horror, History ## Identity Häxan - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/haxan - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** haxan - **IMDb ID:** tt0013257 - **TMDB ID:** 57283 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1438966 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013257/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/57283, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1438966 **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 80 (early) from 4 reviews *In a sentence:* The Devil turns up, and somehow the respectable people are still more frightening > Benjamin Christensen’s *Häxan* is a disturbing, sometimes funny account of witch persecution, worth seeing for its grotesque imagery and sympathy for the accused. Its determination to teach can make it heavy going. ## Synopsis The sorceress Karna (Ella La Cour) works with her assistant (Emmy Schønfeld). The Devil (Benjamin Christensen) takes bodily form, while the human figures include an Old Maid (Kate Fabian) and a Fat Monk (Oscar Stribolt). Historical enquiry sits alongside dramatised horror as the film examines belief in witchcraft and the accusations made in its name. Its subject is the persecution of women, the religious convictions used to justify it, and the ease with which superstition becomes a reason to punish somebody. ## Review Benjamin Christensen wants us to look at witchcraft long enough to understand the cruelty done in its name. *Häxan* is a history film willing to be grotesque, funny and unpleasant, and we recommend it for the way those qualities make persecution feel appalling. The difficulty is its eagerness to educate: the explanation can become heavy-handed even when the subject deserves the attention. That is a real limitation, though it seldom weakens the horror for long. Benjamin Christensen writes and directs, and also plays the Devil. That is a useful warning against expecting a sober illustrated lecture: he enjoys the supernatural spectacle even while examining the harm done by belief in it. We laughed at the Devil, then felt uneasy about laughing, because the accusations against women make the consequences of that belief plain. The humour gives the film a welcome unruliness, and helps it through some of its more dogged teaching. Johan Ankerstjerne’s cinematography gives the grotesque imagery the physical conviction it needs. The exaggeration is forceful enough to make these imagined horrors feel substantial; they are never merely quaint illustrations of what other people once believed. The Devil has to be ridiculous without becoming harmless, and the photography makes that difficult combination work. Even when the educational purpose becomes wearisome, the images keep us looking, with an unpleasantness that is essential to their effect. Maren Pedersen, as Maria the Weaver, makes the persecution harder to regard as an interesting historical subject. The character has a trade as well as the label of witch, and that ordinary identity matters. The sympathy stays with those who can be accused, and the religious authority behind the accusations receives justified suspicion. The film makes their treatment appalling without asking us to regard the women themselves as grotesques, a distinction it handles with care. Edla Hansen’s editing accommodates documentary, history and horror, though the explanatory passages sometimes interrupt our involvement. There are stretches when the desire to explain dulls the curiosity the imagery has created; we would rather be allowed to keep looking than be taught quite so firmly. The music credited to Ludwig van Beethoven and Launy Grøndahl supports the seriousness, but the pictures are what trouble us afterwards. At 105 minutes, the film gives its educational purpose more room than it always needs. As horror, this is unusually interested in who benefits from fear. Witch judges Pater Henrik (Johannes Andersen) and Johannes (Elith Pio) belong to the troubling business of deciding what other people are guilty of. The film understands how an accusation can acquire force merely by receiving religious approval, and its anger about the persecution of women gives the spectacle a purpose. It can enjoy imagining supernatural wickedness without losing interest in the human beings authorised to punish it. We would recommend it without asking anyone to make allowances for 1922. The horror can still disturb, and the humour makes that disturbance harder to prepare for. Give it an evening when a history lesson will not feel like an imposition. *Fi1m score 82, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Häxan worth watching?** *Häxan* is worth watching for its grotesque horror, uncomfortable humour and sympathy for women accused of witchcraft; we score it 82 out of 100. We recommend it to viewers interested in persecution and religious authority, provided they can tolerate explanatory passages that sometimes make its 105 minutes feel longer than necessary. **How long is Häxan, and what is it rated?** *Häxan* runs 1h 45m. It is a documentary and horror film. **Where can I watch Häxan in Singapore?** *Häxan* is not on any streaming or rental service in Singapore at the moment. It is available in 6 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Häxan, and is it suitable for children?** *Häxan* has no UK or US certificate supplied here, but its grotesque imagery and disturbing treatment of persecution make it a poor choice for young children. We find the cruelty surrounding accusations more troubling than the Devil’s appearances; older teenagers comfortable with unsettling horror and historical enquiry are a more suitable audience. **How does Häxan compare to The Passion of Joan of Arc?** *Häxan* offers grotesque spectacle, uneasy humour and historical explanation, while [*The Passion of Joan of Arc*](https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc) makes religious judgement painfully immediate through a church trial and exhausting close-ups. We recommend the latter more confidently for its emotional force; *Häxan* suits viewers drawn to the mixture of documentary and horror, though its teaching can become heavy-handed. ### Reviews we read (4) - **IndieWire**, brotherfromanother (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a visionary, sharply pointed horror-comedy. Its lurid, Expressionist-style imagery stands out, while its critique of religiously fueled misogynist hysteria gives the spectacle real bite. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/a-few-great-pumpkins-sixth-night-haxan-225226/) - **Slant Magazine**, Carson Lund (4/5): Lund praises Häxan as a radical, humanist early essay film, while noting how it links historical witch persecution to modern misogyny. He singles out its grotesque, inventive imagery and Criterion’s clear, rich transfer for praise. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/haxan-blu-ray-review-benjamin-christensen/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review praises the film’s morbid realism and striking production, while warning that it is unfit for public exhibition. It singles out the imaginative horror scenes surrounding the young woman as especially remarkable. [Read](https://variety.com/1921/film/reviews/haxan-1117791535/) - **Collider**, Matthew Mosley (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Häxan compelling and still relevant, praising its lasting critique of misinformation and oppression. They single out its striking expressionist imagery and unsettling treatment of the witchcraft accusations. [Read](https://collider.com/haxan-still-has-power-to-shock-and-disturb/) ## Details - **Director:** Benjamin Christensen - **Director:** Benjamin Christensen - **Writer:** Benjamin Christensen - **Cinematography:** Johan Ankerstjerne - **Editor:** Edla Hansen - **Music:** Ludwig van Beethoven, Launy Grøndahl - **Cast:** Benjamin Christensen as Devil; Ella La Cour as Karna / Sorceress; Emmy Schønfeld as Karna's Assistant; Kate Fabian as Old Maid; Oscar Stribolt as Fat Monk; Wilhelmine Henriksen as Apelone / A Poor Old Woman; Elisabeth Christensen as Anna's Mother; Astrid Holm as Anna - **Runtime:** 1h 45m - **First release (France):** 18 September 1922 - **Genres:** Documentary, Horror, History - **Budget:** $220,000 ## Where to watch in Singapore Not streaming, renting or buying in Singapore at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, FR, MX, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Passion of Joan of Arc* (1928), Fi1m 94: For another close examination of religious judgement, with suffering written across faces. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc.md) - *Witchfinder General* (1968): For another harsh account of persecution made respectable by official authority. - *Onibaba* (1964): For bodily fear and cruelty, with the supernatural uncomfortably close. - *The Devils* (1971): Religious authority and grotesque spectacle, with even less interest in restraint. - *November* (2017): A stranger folkloric companion, full of rural hardship and bodily absurdity. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/haxan