- Release year: 2026
- Director: Maja Holand.
- Producer: Mari Nilsen Neira.
- Cinematography by: Maja Holand.
- Music by: Witch Club Satan.
Synopsis: Documentary of Witch Club Satan’s professional trajectory.
Shotgun Commentary: Empowering, raw, savage wake-up call.
Review
Hex is a documentary that follows Witch Club Satan, the first-ever feminist black metal band to gain worldwide recognition. Born in Norway, where black metal is one of the main exports, three women made a pact. They would form a band to wake themselves up. What they did not expect was to wake the black metal world along with them. This kind of documentary reminds you why film festivals are so important. Leiden International Film Festival has brought to audiences in the Netherlands the opportunity to learn about the history of this group and its members, a worthy trip to the cinema if you ever have the chance.
The documentary combines interviews, live footage from concerts, rehearsals, recordings, and other band-related events, and a fake witch trial in which experts on music or festivals express their thoughts on the band. This latter element is arguably one of the most innovative as far as music documentaries go. It is not often that one sees witchcraft or mediaeval legal practices alongside a documentary about a band that is still active. However, this trio of women have managed to bring magic back into the 21st century with their music and practices.
Gods and monsters
Their philosophy embraces the monstrous feminine theory and takes it a step further by embracing the witch inside of them. The ugly, the uncomfortable, the raw and real force that lives inside of every woman and helps us survive in a world that hates us. What Pinkola Estés calls embracing our inner hag in “Women Who Run with the Wolves”. This concept is one that has been present all throughout history and systematically shut down by men using excuses like religion, morality, or “decency”. Concepts that, of course, have been defined by their own interpretations.
As expected by anyone who has ever read any part of the history of women, this band has met plenty of criticism. Some fair critiques over their musical abilities at first, which makes sense considering they started playing in venues after only six months of practice, and some other not-so-fair attacks based purely on their style. Now, call me revolutionary if you must, but I find it hard to understand why feminists would be offended by topless women.
Wait, what?
Why are topless men regarded as warriors and rockstars, but topless women deemed offensive to equality? Why should breasts be covered in the first place? Because men fetichise them? Why is it always women who have to accommodate the needs of men and make sure they do not feel “tempted” or uncomfortable when it is men who constantly put us in danger? Sure, “not all men”, but always a man. Furthermore, why are supposed feminists censoring female bodily expression?
Rants aside, and after taking a few deep breaths, let’s get back to the documentary and the three incredible women that, at the very least, made me walk out of the cinema a few inches taller and prouder than I entered it. And that is rather the point of the whole piece. You may not enjoy black metal, you might not feel comfortable exposing your breasts to the world, or singing on a stage, or wearing your own blood—if that is not commitment, I do not know what is—but all women live with an inside power that is forced into a cage since they are born.
Do not speak so loudly. Do not comment on this; it is men’s business. Do not stand out. Do not go against the current. Do not choose what to do with your own body; we know better. That inner voice is silenced, one limit after another, until you barely remember it was there in the first place. So, if anything, this documentary and the fierce women in it are a powerful reminder that screaming your heart out from time to time is not so bad after all.
Advice to take from this movie:
- It is okay to send your employer to hell if they turn out to be an *sshole.
- Life is meant to be lived, and only you get to decide what that looks like.
- Sometimes letting your inner hag out is just what you need.
What’s your take? Have you watched Hex? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀