Runtime: 105 minutes
Directed by: Benjamin Christensen
Starring: Christensen, Clara Pontoppidan, Oscar Stribolt, Astrid Holm, Maren Pedersen
From: Several Swedish and Danish companies
I finally understand why this silent has been infamous for almost a century now:
Both educational and terrifying.
For almost 100 years this Swedish/Danish silent has been a controversial film... one that was originally designed as a documentary and those elements are still present but the bulk of this is re-reactions of purported examples of witchcraft from the past.
This is in seven acts and the first is a serious presentation on the history of witches and demons. After that, it gets wild as vignettes are presented of Satan himself (played by director Benjamin Christensen) and there is a long example of how an old woman is accused of witchcraft, and of course she confesses after being tortured... where she accuses others of the crime. It does present how there was a hysteria back then concerning such things... along with wicked people and spirts engaging in debauchery, including... women literally kissing the ass of the devil! Yep, at times this is darkly humorous. It then gets serious again as a viable hypothesis is formed where mental illness was likely the root of the problem of those accused of that crime back centuries ago.
Even now this is one of a kind; this is surprisingly explicit and shows many macabre and just plain peculiar images, most of which I don't want to spoil here. The images are also tinted various colors, mainly red and blue; it makes for quite the experience and no wonder this got banned in many countries at the time. Even in the middle of 2019, this still has some frightening moments and it still stands out as a product done in an entirely unique style and format.
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