Although occasionally a tad uninvolving, this is a seriously interesting documentary that involves re-enactments of events that never happened, sheer rational and personal analysis from the filmmaker, a surprising sense of humour counterbalanced by the sheer cruelty of the witch hunts, and much more.

way ahead of the curve, wanna see the burroughs' version

82.500

surprisingly perverse. watch that demon churn that butter!

He's not Tim Curry in Legend, but the Devil that does appear is a really really close second.

i find it baffling that in the fledgling movie industry, and the even less mature documentary genre, christensen decides to make a documentary on witchcraft. it's got some interesting stuff in it, but christensen's detached rationalizing sucks a bit of life out of an already lifeless movie.

Visually fantastic, but the lecture comes across as parody more often than not. I can't tell whether that was intentional. Likewise, and this might be irrelevant for other versions, I watched it in Swedish and the 'archaic' language seemed inconsistent and inauthentic (even for 1922!) lending the narration a very pretentious feel.

Haxan is hilarious, engaging, and informative. Christensen steals the show as the fork-tongued devil, whose absurd scenes made me squeal in delight.

Silent classic, presenting itself as a serious drama documentary of the superstitions of the middle ages (and the early 1900s), but also delightfully exploitational (nude scenes in the 1920s!) Make sure to get the restored version with a brand-new soundtrack.

An intriguing look at modern satanism and the cruel skin-crawling, revolving hatred for its practicings and also a astounding resource for the long evolutionary growing of beliefs of witchcraft. The small devil segments are worth the price of admission alone. Spiritually frightening and effective silent film from Christensen that will surely open more than a handful of eyes from viewers.

Bizarre and usually fun to watch. Has some dull moments, but the witch-party segments and any scenes with the devil in them more than make up for it.

One of the most effective silent films I've ever seen, and notoriously underrated. Does it really dismiss spirituality away with reason in its final chapter? Or does the whole film basically enchant its audience anyway? ~ Really, one circular joke that can be viewed many times with differing interpretations.

Weird. One of the weirdest.

The section about the printer's family is only of slight interest and goes on far too long, and the last chapter (a slim psychological "explanation" of witchlike behavior) isn't that great either, but most of the rest of it is pretty cool. Pretty much anytime something involving demons is happening onscreen, it's a hoot. The movie is marked by moments of light humor, and it also breaks down the fourth wall quite frequently as the director refers to himself in the first person.

There are some really eerie images and costumes that are surprisingly effective.

Not the most consistently paced but one that's interesting enough to overcome its issues. Some scenes come off as more amusing than creepy but the entire subject matter is haunting on its own terms.

A blast to watch throughout, and keeps a decent pace as well. From medieval scenes of hellish torture to witches kissing the devil's ass to skeletal horses; there is a lot of stuff here that's visually interesting. I enjoyed the personal approach of the intertitles, and every scene with Ol' Satan himself is great thanks to the mannerisms and impressive make-up used. The inquisitor scenes were surprisingly effective in making me emotionally invested in the subjects.

Excellent surreal silent "documentary" that's worth a watch regardless of whether you find its subject matter interesting if only for the bizarreness of it all.

Really something unique. It wouldn't be entirely accurate to describe this as documentary or fantasy, as it is something more akin to an essay. Christensen investigates all things macabre from a perspective that is frankly non-spiritual, which helped me to appreciate this. The one sore spot is the editing. While there are several neat little tricks, I think the episodic structure deprives the film of some fluidity, and each segment drags on for a bit too long.

A great look at filmmaking from the 1920's. I was fascinated with the use of special effects and makeup. I first saw pieces of this film projected behind Murder By Death at a concert and had to see the entire thing. Personally, I enjoyed the 1960's recut on the Criterion release more than the original due to more appropriate music and the presence of narration. What this "documentary" lacks in history it makes up for in fun!

A surprisingly hilarious take on one of the most ridiculous phenomenons in history. You should definitely watch it.

An odd movie, no doubt, but a fascinating one. Part documentary, part history lesson, part fiction narrative, the movie attempts to explain the "truth" behind satanism, the occult, and witchcraft. Of course there's no way to take the film seriously, but it's hard not to love its naive charm, not to mention its great makeup and creative sequences. Ultimately a very entertaining oddity.

Try to see the version with the William S. Burroughs narration. This is one of the most insane documentaries ever made. It makes no bones about the fact that millions of people were murdered by the Christian church over some total bullshit, but it's also riotously funny. There are things here I bet you think you'd never see in a film this old. In all likelihood, the least boring silent movie ever made