Witchcraft Through the Ages: The Story of Haxan, the World's Strangest Film, and the Man Who Made It

130 Pages·2007·9.34 MB·English

by  Jack Stevenson

WITCHCRATFHTR OUGHT HEA GES
THES TOROYF H AxAN,T HEW ORLDS'TSR ANGEFSILTM ,A NDT HEM ANW HOM ADEI T
Firsptu blishedb y FAB PressO,c tobe2r0 06
FAB Press7, F arleigRha,m sdenR oad,G odalming,G U7 lQE,E nglandU,. K.
www.fabpress.com
Textc opyright© 2006J ackS tevenson.
Them oralr ightosf t hea uthohra veb eena sserted.
Editeadn d designebdy HarveyF enton,
witht hanks toF ranciBsr ewstefro rp roductiaosns istance.
ThisV olume copyrig©h tFAB Press2 006
WorldR ightRse served
No parto ft his bookm ay ber eproduceodrtr ansmittedi na nyf ormo rb y any means,
electronoircm echanical, includingp hotocopyirnegc,o rdinogr,b y anyi nformation
storaganed retrievsayls temw,i thoutth ep riowrri ttenp ermissioonf t heP ublisher.
A CIP catalogrueec orfdo rt hibs ooki sa vailablefr om theB ritisLhi brary.
ISBN1 -903254-42-6
Acknowledgements
Thea uthowro uld liket ot hank Maren Pust,f ormeerdi toro fth e Danishfilm journal,
Kosmoramaf,o rv arioufso rmso fa ssistancaen,d wouldal so liket ot hankt hel atAen ton
LaVeyf orini tiallsytir ringhi s curiosiatyb outH iixan. LaVey'inss ightsi,m parteddu ringl ate
night vitsoihi tss b lackh ousei nS an Franciscion 1 991a nd 1992,w erei nvaluable.
Thep ublishweoru ldl iket ot hank Gavin BaddeleLyu,c asB alboa nd NigeWli ngrove
fors upplyings omeo ft her areil lustratiornesp roduceidnt hipsu blicationil.lu strations
arec opyright© theirre spectiovwen ersa,n d arer eproducehde rei nt hes pirito fp ublicity.
Frontc oveir llustration
A demons urveyst hea ttributeso fa youngl ovelwyh o hasg ivehne rsetloft hec ause.
Frontispiielcleu stration
Witchesc onfesstedh ata tn ightth eytran sformed into animals
and soiledt heh olya ltarso fc hurches.
Titlpea 9:eI llustration
Pena ndink sketcohf B enjamin Christensfreonm 1945.
Jhe ojcl'1-iaxtao:trtth,�e r lacl'.rt rarnislem.$, t
y
antah:Jfl'a en tiJY'ho:Jfl'a cre :It
<tonttttt�
Introducti.. o. n.. . ... .. . . . . .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ch.1 -The Early Years .....................................................7
Ch.2 -The sMetyriuosX ........................................ ......... 14
Ch.3 -BlinJdu sti...c ..e.. .. . .. ... ... .... .... ... .. .. ... ..... 1 .. 9 . . .. .. . .. .. ..
Ch.4 - TheM aking ofT heW itc..h.. ...............................2..5.
Ch.5 ..:...P ubliRce actiotno T heW itc..h. .. .... . ..... . . .. .. ..4 . 7 . . .. .. ..
Ch.6 -The Germanan d American Films. ..................6..7. ..
Ch.7 -The InvisibYlee· ar.s. ...:... ....... .........8.4. ....................
.
Ch.8 -TheD anishC omeback9n d TheW itcRhe vived .....9 3
Ch.9 -JourneyI ntoT wilight .......................................1 . 07
Ch.1 0- TheW itcLhiv es!... ... . ..... ... . .. ..... .. .. . . .. ..... 1 ..1...1. .. ..
Footnote.s.. ... .. ...... ... . .... .. ... . ..... ... .... ... .... . ... . .. ... ... ... ... . . .1 1.9
Append:ix1 -Benjamin ChristensFeilmm ography.. .......1. 22
.Append:i2x- TheW itcCha sta nd CrewC redits.. .......;.. .1.2.5
Index. ...'.-; ............................................................1..2..6.. ......
�nt�ubuctiun
\n.
enjamin Christensen's macabre masterp1i9e2c2e , from
�
Hiixan (ThWei tc)hc,an justifiablbye calledm any things.
Itc an be consideretdh e firsctu ltm ovie,a genuine' film
maudit('l iteraal 'lcyu rsefidl m')t,h ef irstt ruef eature-length
documentary (alongw ithN anooko f theN ort,h whichw as
madet hes ame year)a,n d so forth.
Many oft heses ame thingsc an orc ouldh aveb eens aid
abouTto dB rowning'msu ch bettekrn own (and veryd ifferent)
film, Frea,km sade a decadel aterI.n deedt,h esetw o taboo­
shatterinwgo rkso ccupyan exclusinviec hein thean nals of
horror cinemanad share uncanny similaritiBeost.h were
greetebdy angry proteusptosn releasea,n d were widely
censoreda nd fiercelyc ondemned.B oth were originally
disastefrosr t hes tudiotsh atb ackedt hem,m onsterm ovies
that weren'mto nster moviTeos '.d ecenfto lkst'h esew eret he
two most morbid, perverse· evfeirl mmasd e, whilteo
advocattehse ys honew itha very humanv isioTn.o them en
whom ade themt hey wetrhee c onsuming obsessioinn st heir
livetsh,e f ilmst heyw erep uto n earth tom ake,l abourosf love
thata ccorditnogt hel ored estroyetdh eirc areerasn,d turned
two gregariouesx,t rovertyeodu ng men into embittered
hermitsan d hauntedt hem tot heigrr aves.
'Thel oreo'fc oursea lwayst endst ot hem elodramatibcu,t
these two supremelyg iftebdu t troubleddir ector-s one·
American,o neD anish -dids harea common fat.e. B.o thw ere
talld,a shingt,a lenteandd 'difficuanldt ,'b oth held a
fascinatfioornt hed arks ideo fl ifeB.o th weree mployeda t
MOM studioisn d eperssoin-erHao llywoowdh eret heye ach
made filmwsi thL on Chaney and solidifrieepdut ationass
masterosf h orro.r.b .u tt hey nevmeert .
Browningd idn'cto mpletye lfollowt hes crpit.H e made
morefi lmsa fterF reaksso.me wellr ecveeid,b eofrer etrteiang
from publilci fteo l ivien s oiltdue.
DittCoh risteenns, althougmhu ch less isk nown about
him.O nlyo nes lim bohoaks previouslbye enw ritteanb out
the man. thus sftairl alv ailabolnel yi n Danish. What
addiotniali nfomrationt hatd oese xisto n him tendst o be
filtertehdr ougthh en arrowp rsim ofa cademiicn terptraetion
andt hem an himselrfa rye lmakesa n appearnace.
The goalo ft his boioskt op lacHe iixan int hec onetxto f
Christenns'esw ider care.e rsincet he film dciedtr aiyn l
overshadomwo sto fh isp rofessiolniaflae n,d top lacietw ithin
thec ontexotft het mies.T hish as requireedx tensirvesee arch
intot heD anish sourcem ateirala.n d itw as necessaryt o
translamtuec h oft hei niitalr eatcioni no rdert op resenat
picturoef thingsa t the 'momento f impact.M·a ny of the
isseus thate mbroilehdi s film upon relesae are stlil,
amazinglbye,ni g hotldye batetdo day.
Who wast hism an who couldm ake
sucha film.a nd what droveh im?W e
stildlon 'tk now fors ure.C hrsitenesn,
the consummate 'man omfy steyr,'
wouldn'hta veh adi ta nyo thewra y.
Mystermya n.B eryaminC hristensen.
�
ronicaltlhyem, a nw how ast oc reatet hem ostp ervrese
ruand proafnew orko fe arclinye maw asb orinn t hes hdaow
of car uci-fixa massvie cruifixc-shpaedc athedtrhala t
dominatetdh ea nciecnittyo fV iobrgw,h icdhu rinMg ediveal'
times wasC hrisntdeom'ssrt ongholidnt heW esterDna nish
provinceosfJ ultand.
Hec amein to the wo2r8lS dep tomebne r1, 87d9ub,b ed
BejnaminC hristeen,nt shey oungeosftwt e lvceh iledn.rAn d
althouhgehw ast oa chiemvuec hd urihnig lsi ,ft ehiwsa sn o
ragtso r ichsetsyo ,rh isf atehrr ankinags o neo ft het own's
mosptr osrpoeumse rchanatnsd o neo fi tmso swte ll-ot-oda nd
influenticailt einz.s Absef ittedh isf amisl ys'tuast, young
Bejnamina ttdeendth e CathedSrcahloo lt,h et own'fsni est,
wherhee w asv erseind classliancgaulga e.sB utt heb oy had
an independsetnrte anakd afterg raduatfironmg s choohle
travellteodC oepnhagteons tudmye dince.i
A funntyh ingh appneed tohnew ayt oa mediccaarle re -
hes tarted singmiongri.nn gwO hniels eh vaingo vehri ss in,k
the renownoepde rsai ngNeyrro,p ,o verhehima rda nds tuck
hihse ardou ndt hed oor-'Whoo ne arthi st hatH?e!c 'o nviendc
younCgh rtinessetno g ivteh eo peraa g oa ndt hel aden teedr
intos ommeo nthosfp rerpaatovroyi tcreainin g.I n1 90h1ea nd
fortyo thehro epfulsa pplifeodra dmisisont ot hep regsitious
RoyalT heatre'ss cohopolea rnadh ew asth e onolnye t ob e
accep.tI ed
Heh adh isd ebuotn 2 May,1 920,p layingt hen aivey oung
peasanMta,z et,int oMozartD'osnJ uanb,u tdi sastsetrru ctkh at
veryni ghtw hena lumpf ormedin hist hroadtur ing the
7
performancaen d his voiceg rew
weakera s thee veninwgo reo n.H e
was tolbyd doctortsh ath ist hroat
was okay but thath e had an
untreatabnleer vousc onditioHne.
had thes upporotf m ajorfi guresi n
the Danisho pera worlhde; h ad
been tippedt o take over the
repertoiorfe t he highlyr espected
HelgeN issena,n d was toh aves ung
Mephistop'asr ti nG ounod'Fsa ust,2
a 'dreamr olea's he himselfc harac­
terizietdA. n d now an illusiivlel ness
thatw as maddeningluyn treatable
had ruinedi tal l.I no ne strokteh e
greaftu turteh ath adb eenp redicted
forh im was dashed.
above:
Christensaesn M azetto
in' DonJ uan'i n1 902.
left:
YoungC hristensen
(righats )an actor
atA rhusT heatre.
Forcteodq uitthe operhae,e nteedra ctisnchgo o.Ml ter
graduahtiewn ags e nggaedt op erofrmf otrh eres easonasta
newt heatrien Ar hus. Theer hep lyaeda Wide nrgaeo f
charactearnsdr ol,e pserofrmingW iths ome oft heb est
Danisht hespioruf1.t sh ed ayi ncludBientgty N ansne and
BodiIlps enI.tw asa lsoh erteh at heh idsfii rds dti erctnig,
butr epodrltyre etliaonbset weeCnh risteenna snda tl east
soem of hciosl glueeasw eres trnaiedW,i tho nes crbiel taer
maintainitnhga hte g ots uchg oodr eViwes thahti sf ellow
actofreslc th eatoefrd e cnoigito,na nda ccuesdh imo fu nduly
influencitnhgew ritses.r
Chirsteennws asa lonewrh oa lwayfsol lodw ehiosw n
path,a ndn owt hapta thl ebda ckt oC openhag.eT nheer he
managetdo g eptar tsi ns everpallya sb ut oangcaienh ivso ice
began btetor ahimy. Whilpel yaintgh e roloeft heg enie in
Aladdthiean u,d inece wasp ecleoldmt oy el'll ourd,le oud!e'r
throughoute vetnhieIn ng1 .9 70h ew asf orcetdor etriefdro m
thset afgore veer.
Hisg rebatar itosnien ging wvoouilrcdete u nr ono ccasion
ovetrh yee ars,b utn evewrh enh en eedeidta ndn evewrh en
hew asc onrfontedb ya livaeud ieen.cA ccodirntgo h iso wn
acco,uy neatrlsa theer evreann in to tghreeat E nriCcaor uos,
whoo vehreardh ims ingiinn hgi sb athtuibn h ish oterlom o
inN ewY orakn da skeCdhr istentsoje ionn hoinm sgte.Ta he
Dane triteode xplaint hahti sv oicweo ulfda tletrh es eocnd
thec urtawienn tu p.C arusow asi ncerduloutsh aanty body
coludt urdno wns uhc an ofafnedwr a kleda ways hkainhgi s
heaind diseblief.4
Somedi fficulyte arfsolo lwehids d earpturfreo mt hea cting
profesHsei ohna.dm arrietdh ea crtesEsll enAr ctandienr
1904an,d nowt hey htwaod l itbtolyess oh ew asf ocredt o
husttlose up porhtif sa milyH.e w orkeads par oo-frdeeafro ar