"Watch a saucy spell caster do her damnedest." by Lindsay Costello 20. WITCH, PLEASE!: Watch a saucy spell caster do her damnedest.  Häxan Danish director Benjamin Christensen’s ghoulish essay film, Häxan, is the definition of a tough sell. It's over 100 years old and silent, save for a hypnotic score performed by the Czech Film Orchestra in the Criterion edition. But Christensen's witches' brew of demonology and medieval superstition is also utterly singular, and kind of funny, too. Should you throw it on in the background at a Halloween party? Yes. Should you attempt to sit down and watch the entire 105-minute film without distraction? Also yes. Häxan ("the witch" in Swedish) explores the notion that accused medieval sorceresses may have been struggling with mental disorders. Christensen theorizes that compulsions like sleepwalking, pyromania, and kleptomania might've been to blame for the behavior of women who were labeled as witches and killed. Does it veer slightly into "FeMaLeS are cRaZy" territory? I don't know, maybe. But Christensen also argues that medieval "witches" were often poor, older women without adequate social support, and that torture played a central role in confessions. All of that seems likely.  Overall, we're better off with Christensen's funky, horror-tinged, quasi-feminist reading of misogyny in the world. This film is bananas. Miniatures and creepy props (including a functioning "mechanical representation of hell," shrouded in red smoke) illustrate a realm in which witches kiss butts, rub on special ointments, and prep meals made of babies. Christensen's also got jokes—his cross-eyed, tongue-wagging devil is hardly scary. Torture, grave robbing, piss-throwing, ecstatic dance, disgusting little troll-beasts, and steaming cauldrons are all represented here. What more could we ask for, really? Perhaps most importantly, Häxan taught me that "slut" means "the end" in Swedish. Blessed be. The Stranger is participating in Scarecrow Video’s Psychotronic Challenge all month long! Every October, Scarecrow puts together a list of cinematic themes and invites folks to follow along and watch a horror, sci-fi, or fantasy flick that meets the criteria. This year, Stranger staffers are joining the fun and we’re sharing our daily recommendations here on Slog! Read more about Scarecrow’s 2024 challenge—and get the watch list—here. And you can track our daily recommendations here! 💀