In September 1922, Swedish filmgoers settled in for the most expensive Scandinavian film of the era: Häxan, later known as Witchcraft Through the Ages. At the Stockholm premiere, audiences enjoyed a live orchestra and illustrated playbills introducing the film’s cast and creative process. This level of pomp and circumstance was typical for high-profile European movies at the time. Less typical was Häxan’s accompanying bibliography, citing dozens of academic sources ranging from medieval religious texts to Jungian psychoanalysis. It was an early hint that this wouldn’t be a normal night at…
