Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse

Dir Lukas Feigelfeld Favreau, Austria/Germany, 2019 Arrow Video, £24.99

Last year, Robert Eggers’s The Lighthouse told a delirious, Lovecraftian tale of two lighthouse keepers’ descent into madness, effectively cementing Eggers’ merit as a filmmaker. Before that, of course, Eggers had impressed critics and divided audiences with The Witch, an eerie, slow-burning New England folk horror that might not have sat well with fans of more conventional movies, but appealed to those who enjoy slowbuilding terrors, stunning visuals and a haunting atmosphere; The Witch was recognised as something rather special.

Many viewers will find Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse, a tale set in 15th century Europe, to be a spiritual relative of Eggers’s tale of witchcraft and superstition, and there are indeed several parallels to be drawn between the two films’ style and tone. However, Hagazussa is no rip-off; Lukas Feigelfeld’s effort is enthrallingly enigmatic in its own right.

Relying on showing, through stunning visuals, rather than telling, the film’s lighting and cinematography segue effortlessly between beauty and terror in a film that’s in no hurry to tell you where its suggestive narrative will eventually lead. In keeping with the visuals, the score is primal and droning, emphasising the unease that lurks behind every beautiful image, and the sound design is similarly used to create an unnerving atmosphere that contrasts with the gorgeous Alpine landscapes.

While Hagazussa may lack conventional scares, and is perhaps too slow-paced and ambiguous for some, the film is not lacking in nightmarish imagery. Rather than going for shock value, these moments instead elicit something more primal from the viewer, geting under the skin and threatening to haunt the subconscious long after the film has finished – which attests to a level of craftsmanship seldom seen in the world of screen horror.

Leyla Mikkelsen

★★★★★