Benjamin Christensen’s genre-defying work is a unique hybrid of documentary, horror, and historical essay. By treating witchcraft with scientific curiosity rather than supernatural dread, it drew daring parallels between medieval superstition and modern mental illness. Its imagery—demons, torture, and orgies—remains shockingly potent and visually inventive today. Häxan challenged the boundaries of what film could discuss, acting as a provocative critique of religious hypocrisy and misogyny that was decades ahead of its time.