for such accusations  later formed the basis of another horror sub-genre that included films such as Michael Reeves" Witchfinder General (1968), Gordon Hessler"s Cry of the Banshee (1970) and Adrian Hoven"s Mark of the Devil (1970), all finding bloody purchase in the torture such accusations often demanded. Rather than treating such violence purely voyeuristically as those films sometimes did, however, Häxan provides genuine insight into how the misunderstanding of earthly, psychological issues resulted in a fearful response to human suffering, a perspective which saw psychic ailments as in communion with unholy realms.