Defined as a “cultural-historical presentation in living images”, this film illustrates the fatal action of mediaeval devils and witches in seven chapters. Inspired by Hieronymus Bosch as well as Eduard Fuchs' “Illustrated History of Moral Sexuality" (1909-12), the film incriminates disorders of the human spirit by throwing light upon the religious stratifications thereof. Superstition and idolatry are illustrated by old woodcuts and paintings alongside reenactments directed by Benjamin Christensen after historic examples. They conjoin lust and vices, temptation and retribution, witch hunts and inquisition to form a satanic caleidoscope that - albeit a complete outsider production - has long since become a Scandinavian silent film classic, especially in its reconstructed colour version. Much appreciated by the Surrealists as well as the drug poet William S. Burroughs, the film also provided the name for the “Haxan Films” company founded by the directors of “The Blair Witch Project” in 1999.