Thou hast a freaky tongue, O satan!

Lots of style AND lots of substance. You could call this the ultimate illustration of a subject matter. It's also very enjoyable to watch.
9/10

Swedish for "The Witch", Häxan is a silent documentary, or at least essay film, about witchcraft, particularly in the Middle Ages, and using some of the tricks of Méliès and German expressionism in its recreations. Like the best of that latter genre, it's full of interesting images, and the demons and devils these women cavort with are really well realized. And here the first reel made me think it was all going to be pencils pointing at specific details in Medieval illustrations (not that there isn't a certain old-fashioned charm to that). Director Benjamin Christensen addresses us directly and means to show that the scapegoats known as witches were in reality often struck with mental health issues, which is more instructive to his 1922 audience than today's, and if the final chapter is weaker, it's in part because the psychology is so primitive, well-meaning though it is. He does suggest that trading witch trials for mental institutions (and how the rich and poor are sent to different places) is only an incremental improvement. But whether or not the film is informative today, that's a little besides the point. Check it out for the cool visuals, and though told in vignettes, there's enough story in the middle chapters to keep you interested.