After releasing the hard rock comedy Heavy Trip last year, Doppelgänger Releasing and Bloody Disgusting continue their partnership with the evocative and atmospheric Hagazussa, the debut feature from Austrian filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld, a startling vision of psychedelic horror set in a dark past when Europe suffered from the paranoia and superstition that swept the land.
Hagazussa (a.k.a. Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse) will receive a limited theatrical release across the U.S. beginning April 19th, followed immediately by its release on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD platforms on April 23rd, and today brings the release of the film's trailer, which you can watch below.
"In the 15th Century in the remote Austrian Alps, the orphan Albrun (Celina Peter) grows up to be a simple goatherd living in solitude...and a marked woman. As a scapegoat of ancient myths and monstrous misogyny, Albrun (portrayed by Aleksandra Cwen as an adult) finds herself tormented by the local townsfolk, driving her to unleash the inner darkness that swells within her. A self-styled witch, Albrun soon exercises her other-worldly birthright and conjures a plague that makes the surrounding human cruelty look pathetic and small by comparison."
“After researching old pagan beliefs and folklore about witches that were supposed to roam the mountain woods in those times, my interest was to develop a character that these folk tales would have branded as a witch,” says Hagazussa writer/director Feigelfeld on his exploration of the intersection between ancient magic, faith and madness. “[I also wanted] to dig deeper into her psyche and see her as the traumatized, mistreated and finally delusional person that society constructed.”
Hagazussa enjoyed lauded screenings at genre festivals across the globe, including Germany’s Filmfest Nights, Lisbon’s International Horror Film Festival and Austin’s colossal Fantastic Fest.
Acclaimed by Bloody Disgusting as Germany’s answer to the 2015 cult favorite The Witch, Hagazussa is a creepy creation filled with just the right mix of moody atmosphere, brooding terror and supernatural dread to ignite the fire of slow-burn horror fans everywhere.
Hagazussa Theater Locations and Dates:
*Please check Doppelganger Releasing website for additional dates and info.
Los Angeles (Monica Film Center): April 19
New York (Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn): April 19
Chicago (Music Box Theater): April 19
San Francisco (Alamo Drafthouse New Mission) April 19
Seattle (Grand Illusion Cinema): April 19
Phoenix (Filmbar)
Houston (Alamo Drafthouse La Centerra): April 24
Washington D.C. (Alamo Drafthouse Winchester): April 26
Portland (Hollywood Theater): April 30
