The film, which was produced in Sweden but shot on Danish soil, is the most expensive Scandinavian silent film ever made. When it was published in 1922, opinion was divided. While the Surrealists embraced the film as an instant cult classic, film censors in several countries were offended by what they considered sexual perversion and hostility to the Church. Today, 'Häxan' has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is praised for its aesthetic as well as its modern take on women and witchcraft.
The film will be accompanied by Greta Eacott and J.S.D. Engdahl performing live, bringing to life the pioneering and - at times - brutal subject matter of the film with their avant garde, percussion heavy soundtrack of sparsely percussive sounds combined with enchanting melodic themes.
Benjamin Christensen (b. 1879 Viborg, Denmark) was a pioneering Danish film director, screenwriter and an actor, both in film and on the stage. As a director he is most well known for the 1922 film Häxan and as an actor, he is best known for his performance in the film Michael (1924), in which he played Claude Zoret, the male lover of the film's title character in a landmark gay film.