Dagerloff & Galner
Haxan
Presented in a conference style, 'Häxan' is a film/documentary on witchcraft from ancient times to the contemporary period of the film (1922). Witchcraft is carefully portrayed through illustrations from medieval books and film re-enactments. From the witches' Sabbath to the interrogations of the Inquisition, the classic illustrations come to life in eerie spectral visions using all the special effects available at the time: superimpositions, mock-ups, jump cuts, stop motion, make-up and prosthetics. "To be offered to compose a score for this masterpiece, the first incursion of the occult into cinema, was a real enchantment for us. Our most instinctive approach was to give it back all the original meaning of its heretical character through dark pieces to which we tried to bring a permanent form of intensity. This work of digital synthesis (choirs, orchestra, organ, analogue modulars and tapings) has thus allowed us to draw lines between tradition and modernity, like a film whose message remains as strong and relevant almost a century later." ~Dagerlöff & Galner.