{"id":14001,"date":"2026-04-16T14:57:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gradualhate.info\/?p=14001"},"modified":"2026-04-16T14:57:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:57:48","slug":"william-s-burroughs-haxan-witchcraft-through-the-ages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gradualhate.info\/?p=14001","title":{"rendered":"William S. Burroughs – H\u00e4xan – Witchcraft Through The Ages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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William S. Burroughs – H\u00e4xan – Witchcraft Through The Ages<\/strong>
Label: Sotpackan \u200e\u2013 sp0067
Format: CD, Album
Country: Italy
Released: 2014
Style: Spoken Word, Free Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating it’s 100th anniversary in 2022, Benjamin Christensen\u2019s legendary 1922 film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious; instead it\u2019s a witches\u2019 brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featuring grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath, it was censored in many countries at that time for its graphic depictions of the occult, torture, nudity, and sexual perversion, as well as anti-clericalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cult Swedish film (shot in Denmark), is partly based on Christensen’s own study of the Malleus Maleficarum, a 15th-century German guide for inquisitors. Christensen’s meticulous recreation of medieval scenes and its lengthy production period, the film was the most expensive Scandinavian silent film ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1968, an abbreviated version of the film (77 minutes) was released. This version features an eclectic jazz score by Daniel Humair (played by a quintet including Jean-Luc Ponty on violin and Daniel Humair on percussion) and dramatic narration by William S. Burroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artwork features great stills from the film. Digitally remastered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Double Bass \u2013 Guy Pedersen
Narrator \u2013 William S. Burroughs
Percussion \u2013 Daniel Humair
Piano, Organ \u2013 Bernard Lubat
Score \u2013 Daniel Humair
Violin \u2013 Jean-Luc Ponty<\/p>\n\n\n\n