Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse Review (Fantastic Fest): A Powerful, Lingering Horror in an Ancient Wilderness
Drew Tinnin
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Starring Haymon Maria Buttinger, Aleksandra Cwen, Claudia Martini
Directed by Lukas Feigelfeld
The forces of evil drew more power and influence during primitive times when belief and suspicion ruled over a less rational and educated masses. As civilization grew, the dark presence that once dominated over us was forced back into submission and the hearts and minds of men and women were spared further pain by torturous spirits. The German Gothic horror Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse by first-time filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld travels back to that time when the line between holiness and damnation was blurred by fundamentalist fanaticism and the witch craze that found its way back into the mainstream during the fifteenth century. Moving at a deliberate, hypnotic pace, Hagazussa shows how the horror of being alone amongst an ancient wilderness can lead to a struggle for sanity. What’s more frightening is not knowing that you should even question whether or not the evil within is real or imagined.
Set against an unforgiving winter in the Alps during the 1400’s, the tale of a young goatherd named Albrun (Cwen) living with her mother in a remote cabin unfolds and quickly turns dire when the mother suddenly becomes deathly ill. Haunting Albrun until her death, we jump in time fifteen years to when Albrun now has a newborn of her own, still haunted by thoughts of her mother. Outcast and alone, Albrun falls prey to numerous traumas until she begins to unravel.
Because of the time period, it seems more believable that a malignant force may have latched on to her but, as the director as said, in actuality, she is also dealing with mass psychosis. Delving into that kind of madness during a time when any strange behavior was deemed heresy, it must have been nightmarish for many women who went through a similar fate. Although the film deals with a woman suffering from a delusional illness in the middle ages, it never feels too insulated. Instead, the story plays out like an epic, tragic poem.
Beginning as a photographer before becoming a filmmaker, Feigelfeld takes visual and tonal cues from Tarkovsky, Murnau, and Lynch, crafting shots of lingering ominous beauty. Cinematographer Mariel Baqueiro brings the deep woods of the Austrian Alps to eerie life, adding the key atmospheric component that holds your gaze in what could have been a fairly inert debut feature otherwise. Feigelfeld is a passionate caretaker of the images he’s putting forth, but for some, certain sequences may feel they’ve outstayed their welcome.
The term Hagazussa resurfaced in the fifteenth century in connection with the witch hunts in Switzerland, stemming from the Old High German name for a female spirit in Nordic mythology who straddled the line between the world of the Gods and that of men. It may seem like a strange title but if you do a little digging, other definitions reveal the true nature of Albrun’s plight and her ultimate fate. Hagazussa, from its title to its execution, knows exactly what it wants to be and the feeling it wants to leave you with.
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Film
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